January 31st is National Hot Chocolate Day and I can’t wait to share my love of this comforting beverage. I did not drink coffee for most of my adult life and my hot beverage of choice was hot chocolate. Even though I drink coffee now, I still enjoy hot chocolate.
Let’s start with my absolute all-time favorite hot chocolate mix, Starbucks Classic Hot Cocoa Mix (US/UK). I prefer dark chocolate, and this mix has a dark chocolate flavor while still being sweet. I always have a tin of this in the cupboard. Mix it with your morning coffee in an adorable stainless tricolor Starbucks Japan Hearts Tumbler from the new Valentines collection at JapanHaul (JP).
If you would rather make your own hot chocolate mix to have on hand, Alton’s Brown’s recipe is perfect. The recipe is easy to put together and is always delicious. Also, Mr. Brown always offers recipes in US and Metric, which is handy.
I recently got to try my very first hot chocolate bomb from my favorite Portland candy company, Bees & Beans (US). I got to try 3 different flavors – dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate – and they were so much more fun that I realized they would be. Not to mention a really delicious treat. You can try some of their other amazing treats while you wait for hot chocolate bomb season to roll around again.
Star Wars fans should give this Mandalorian Chocolate Ball (US) a try. The star of this one is a marshmallow Grogu hidden inside. This is great for people who love a marshmallow in their hot chocolate but do not like keep a whole bag of marshmallows on hand. It’s also so kawaii. Or grab a vegan bomb with marshmallows from Lakeland (UK).
To make your own hot chocolate bomb, this recipe from Charisse Yu would make adorable Valentine’s gifts. A tip for the filling – things like sprinkles are cute but they don’t melt well. This can make the hot cocoa gritty. Stick to things that melt well and will add to the flavor like crushed peppermint candy, mini marshmallows, and chocolate shavings.
Or if you prefer spheres, you can try this recipe from Little Sunny Kitchen.
For an adorable vegan version, head to The Pretty Bee.
For a tutorial on how to draw a kawaii hot chocolate (maybe to add to the tag of your hot cocoa bomb gifts), check out Mofu Kawa.
Can’t get enough hot cocoa recommendations? Check out Natasja’s Cute Hot Chocolate DIYs article from last year.
Nova is a contributing writer who lives in the Pacific Northwest in America with her husband, young daughter, and 3 cats – Evey, Ophelia, and Adora. She is an introvert and a traveler who has been to over 20 countries. Her first years as a teacher were teaching English in Japan, so Japan and all things kawaii will always have a special place in her heart. Nova’s favorite color is grey, character is Rilakkuma, and cartoon is Adventure Time
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