24 Hot Chocolate Recipes for Advent
Need homemade hot chocolate recipes? Look no further!
In the run up to Christmas cafes across the nation compete to have the scrummiest, yummiest festive drink! But buying a hot chocolate with all the trimmings can become an expensive habit…
Instead of breaking the bank at a cafe, why not have a homemade hot chocolate? You can make something just as delicious for a fraction of the price, plus it’s a great way to get the kids involved in the kitchen!
Our list of 24 homemade hot chocolates gives you one to make for each day of advent. Have fun comparing recipes and deciding on your overall favourite! Be sure to stock up on marshmallows, cocoa powder and whipped cream, then let the hot chocolatey cheer begin!
Is hot chocolate good for you?
There are certainly ways of making hot chocolate a healthier option! For example, investing in some high quality cocoa powder is essential. Cocoa powder can lower cholestrol and blood pressure, as well as improving brain function. So if you want a hot chocolate that’s packed with these benefits you’ll need some quality cocoa powder.
It’s also a good idea to use skimmed or semi-skimmed milk, to make your hot chocolate a little healthier. Or, you could opt for a delicious, dairy-free alternative. For example, oat milk is packed with nutrients and B vitamins, plus it tastes great too!
You can find a complete shopping list at the bottom of the page.
Ready to indulge?
Get your snuggliest blankets at the ready, a Christmas film on the TV and a cosy fireplace crackling! Then, let these hot chocolate treats warm you on a chilly winter’s day.
24 Advent Hot Chocolate Recipes:
1: The Original
You Will Need
- 1 pint milk of your choice
- 3 tbsp cocoa or cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 150g dark chocolate, chopped roughly
To make it easier for young children you may want to heat the milk in a microwave, though cooking on a hob produces great results and helps older children observe the changes the ingredients go through.
Pour the milk into a saucepan. Bring it to a simmer. Add the chocolate powder and sugar, and begin to stir. Keep stirring. Add the chopped chocolate and continue to stir until it starts to thicken. You can add a dash of more milk if it starts to become a little thick, or a little cornflour (or heck, some more chocolate) if it’s too watery.
Pour into heatproof mugs and enjoy! Now you’ve got the basics, you can experiment with flavours on each day of advent!
2: Nutella Hot Chocolate
Nutty about Nutella? Us too!
Bring your milk to a simmer. Add two tablespoons of Nutella. Add whipped cream and top with crushed hazelnuts.
3: Coconut Hot Chocolate
Add a tropical twist to your festive drink.
Use a tin of coconut milk (full fat works best). Add about 125ml of your usual milk to dilute it slightly. Bring to a simmer and add the usual cocoa powder and chocolate.
Toast some shredded coconut under a grill. Add a swirl of cream to the top of the hot chocolate, and sprinkle over some coconut.
4: Simply The Zest - Orange Hot Chocolate
Nothing says Christmas like the classic combination of chocolate and orange!
As you’re making “The Original”, add the zest and juice of one orange. Top with whipped cream and add a peel of orange.
5: Hazelnut Hot Chocolate
Top “The Original” with whipped cream, add a chocolate sauce swirl and some roughly chopped hazelnuts.
6: Peanut Butter Bumper
We’re utterly nuts for nutty hot chocolates. Experiment with hazelnut and almond milk in these recipes for a simply scrumptious taste.
Make “The Original” and stir in a big spoonful of your favourite peanut butter. Yes it’s that simple. Yes, it’s delicious!
7: Cotton Wool Winter Warmer
Tiring of chocolate? Then get crafting!
Grab a bag of cotton wool balls. Squeeze brown paint onto a plate and dip the cotton wool into the paint. Dab the cotton wool onto a piece of paper to create a hot chocolate masterpiece! Then, glue the cotton wool on top to make fluffy marshmallows!
8: Polar Bear Puddles
Make “The Original” and top with two large marshmallows. Use an icing pen to draw on two adorable polar bear faces!
9: Gingerbread Joy
Add some gingerbread syrup to your milk before you stir in your chocolate powder, with a little spoonful of nutmeg. Add whipped cream. Sprinkle with a touch more nutmeg, and add a mini-gingerbread person.
10: Classic Caramel
Caramel sauce is available at lots of supermarkets, and now you can even pick up some oh-so-hip salted caramel sauce. Add two heaped teaspoons to your simmering hot chocolate, and stir in. Top with whipped cream, then add a drizzle of caramel over the top with a teaspoon.
11: Marshmallow Snowman
Make a cute snowman out of three marshmallows. Draw a snowman face on one marshmallow with an icing pen, then add buttons to the other two marshmallows. Pop him in your favourite hot choccy and watch him get toasty.
12: White Christmas
Replace your dark chocolate for white chocolate. Stir in to get a slightly lighter coloured hot chocolate. Pour into mugs and top with a sprinkling of icing sugar, and mini white marshmallows. Snowy!
13: Vanilla Hot Chocolate
Add a drop of vanilla essence into the sugar, and give it a good mix with your fingertips. Bring milk to the boil and stir in ingredients. Top with whipped cream and a flake!
14: Strawberries And Cream
Melt some chocolate in a bowl. Take whole strawberries, swirl them in the chocolate and place on baking paper. Pop them in the fridge. Make “The Original” hot chocolate. Top with whipped cream, sprinkles and add some sliced strawberries. Serve with a chocolate-dipped strawberry. Take a sip and muse over why they don’t play Wimbledon in the winter.
15: Imaginary Play
Enjoy some scrumptious sensory play! Just scrunch brown tissue paper into a cup, add a swirl of cotton wool and decorate with pieces of pink pipe cleaner. Take an imaginary gulp… Yum!
16: Banana Bliss
Big fan of the Nutella Hot Chocolate? Why not add fresh banana slices to the whipped cream top for a fruity finish!
17: Hot Chili Chocolate
Before you give this a spin make sure you know how much spice your little ones can handle. Take one chilli, slice it in half and remove all the seeds. Drop one half into the milk. Bring to a simmer, then remove from the hob and let it sit for 5 minutes. The longer you let it sit, the more spice gets infused. Give it a little taste at 5 mins, and see how the spice is. You can leave it for longer if you wish. When you’re ready, remove the chilli, bring the milk back to a simmer and add your usual ingredients. Top with some shaved dark chocolate.
18: Fabulous Fudge
Add a teaspoon of caramel sauce to “The Original” and top with whipped cream. Chop up a piece fudge and sprinkle over the top of the whipped cream.
19: Snowman Gift Set
Want to share the hot chocolate fun? Why not gift this adorable, affordable, homemade gift set? Fill three mini mason jars with your favourite hot chocolate ingredients and stack to make snowman. Download the guide below, complete with materials list.
20: Sprinkle Sprinkle Little Stars
Make “The Original” hot choc. Add whipped cream and mini marshmallows. Top with hundreds and thousands and edible stars (a pantry essential). Then add the pièce de résistance, a crushed flake! Top tip: crush the flake before you open it!
Thanks to Coleen from Magic Freebies who came up with the recipe and photographs
21: Double Dollop
Two of our favourites from the season. Add a dollop of Nutella and a dollop of peanut butter to your hot chocolate mix. Top with chopped hazelnuts.
22: Sugar, Spice And All Things Nice
Could it feel slightly more Christmassy? With a dash of cardamom it could. Stir in a spoonful of cardamom as your milk is simmering.
23: Peppermint Perfection
Make “The Original” and add; whipped cream, marshmallows and sprinkle crushed candy canes on top. Pure Christmas in a cup!
24: Christmas Eve
Add some turkey gravy… nope, only kidding. Add 1tsp of cinnamon, 1 tsp of mixed spice and a pinch of salt to your hot chocolate mix. Serve with a warmed mince pie, and wait patiently for the big day…
The complete shopping list
Because there’s no such thing as too much chocolate.
You Will Need
- Milk
- Cocoa powder
- Sugar
- Icing sugar
- Whipped cream
- White, milk and dark chocolate
- Marshmallows
- Peppermint candy canes
- Gold stars
- Flake
- Caramel sauce
- Fudge
- Icing Pens
- Hundreds & thousands
- Vanilla essence or vanilla pod
- Gingerbread syrup
- Nutmeg
- Cinnamon
- Mixed spice or Allspice
- Mini gingerbread men
- Orange
- Strawberries
- Chocolate sauce
- Hazelnuts (ground and chopped)
- Almonds
- Mince pies
Saving some for later?
This is a super long list to get through before the big day! If you can’t get through all 24 before Christmas why not save this list for another day? Just add it to your bookmarks in your web browser. You can revisit this page whenever you need a hot chocolate hit; birthdays, winter days, rainy days, parties and…
National Hot Chocolate Day
You don’t just need Christmas as an excuse to whip up a special hot chocolate. Ever heard of national hot chocolate day?? It’s celebrated on January 31st and is celebrated with the yummiest hot chocolates ever. Revisit this page when January 31st comes around to inspire you and your child.
Until then, we wish you a merry Christmas and a chocolatey New Year!
SHARE YOUR CREATIONS WITH US
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