Hot Chocolate on a Stick
Nothing beats a mug of hot chocolate in front of a warm fire.
Mix it up this Winter and serve Hot Chocolate on a Stick instead!
One of my favorite things to do in the Winter is light a fire and curl up on the couch with a good book and a cup of coffee or hot cocoa. Ok, I admit that the book often gets put down and football gets turned on…but the coffee or cocoa is a must! Way back in the Spring, my wife and I traveled over to Belgium and the Netherlands for vacation. (In reality, that was only about 7 months ago, but it feels like forever ago…especially when they are calling for 6″-12″ of snow here tomorrow.) While we were there, we got the chance to go on a private tour of the Lotus (aka Biscoff cookies) factory. That was an absolutely awesome experience. I think I ate my weight in cookies during that trip. (My next post later this week talks more about the Lotus factory tour…stay tuned!)
When I wasn’t munching on speculoos cookies, I was probably either snacking on Belgian chocolate or one of the iconic Belgian waffles. I’m sure you’ve heard it before, but Belgian chocolate really is some of the best chocolate in the world. We visited the chocolatier who supplies the chocolates for the Belgian royal family…and the chocolate was almost too pretty to eat. Almost. There are chocolate stores literally on every block. Not only was the quality amazing, but the flavors were things I’d never seen before. One of my favorites was chocolate bark sprinkled with crumbled speculoos cookies. Talk about combining the best of both worlds!
Hot Chocolate on a Stick
Hot Chocolate on a StickOne evening, we were wandering the streets of Brussels after dinner, and we stumbled on (another) fun chocolate shop. Of course, we had to go in and sample a piece. Aside from some really unique flavors of chocolate bark (like lavender!), this store had a really fun twist on hot chocolate. When you ordered a hot chocolate, they gave you a steaming hot mug of milk and let you select a chocolate-on-a-stick. They offered all sorts of flavors, and you simply stirred the chocolate into the hot milk until it melted and left you with the most delicious hot chocolate ever. (The photo above is from the store in Belgium.)
Now that Winter is here and the weather outside is a bit crisp downright cold, I figured I’d re-create that idea of Hot Chocolate on a Stick. Truthfully, this is somewhat of a mix between hot chocolate and hot cocoa because the recipe uses both chocolate and cocoa. When mixed together (along with a little bit of powdered sugar), you end up with a soft, pliable piece of chocolate that you can push down into an ice cube tray. Insert a craft stick into the chocolate and throw that ice cube tray of chocolate-y goodness into the fridge for a few hours or overnight. Now you’ve got a really fun (not to mention delicious) treat to offer your family and guests during the holiday season!
I had such a fun time making this Hot Chocolate on a Stick that I got a bit carried away and made several different flavors. After all, it’d be pretty cool to pull out a plate of these and offer your guests a choice of hot chocolate flavors! I could even see tying these up in cellophane bags and giving them to neighbors as a little Winter treat. So warm up a mug of milk and make one of the tastiest mugs of hot chocolate ever!
Did you make one of these flavors of Hot Chocolate on a Stick? Let me know, or better yet snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) so I can see it! Enjoy!
Hot Chocolate on a Stick
Ingredients
Hot Chocolate on a Stick
- 10 oz. good quality chocolate coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup + 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
- Ice cube tray
- Craft sticks
For Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate (Optional)
- 3 Tbsp creamy peanut butter or 3 full-size peanut butter cups
For Peppermint Hot Chocolate (Optional)
- ¼ tsp peppermint extract
- 1 candy cane crumbled
For the Caramel Hot Chocolate (Optional)
- 3 Tbsp caramel sauce homemade or store-bought
For each mug of Hot Chocolate
- 1 cup milk
- 1 Hot Chocolate on a Stick
- mini-marshmallows optional garnish
Instructions
- Place a medium saucepan filled with about 1” of water over medium-low heat. Place a small heat-safe bowl on top of the pan. Add the chopped chocolate and milk to the bowl and heat, stirring occasionally, until chocolate has fully melted and mixture is smooth.
- (Optional) If making the Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate, add the peanut butter in Step 1. Heat, stirring occasionally, until chocolate and peanut butter are fully melted and well combined.
- (Optional) If making the Caramel Hot Chocolate, add the caramel sauce in Step 1. Heat, stirring occasionally, until chocolate and caramel are fully melted and well combined.
- Meanwhile, sift together the cocoa powder and powdered sugar.
- Once the chocolate has fully melted, remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the cocoa powder and powdered sugar. Stir until mixture is smooth. (It will almost resemble a stiff dough.)
- (Optional) If making the Peppermint Hot Chocolate, add the peppermint extract along with the cocoa powder and powdered sugar. After pressing the chocolate into the molds, sprinkle the tops with the crumbled candy cane.
- Press chocolate mixture firmly into the ice cube tray.
- Insert craft sticks into the center of each cube and place tray in the refrigerator overnight, or until fully hardened.
- Remove the chocolate from the molds. (Tip: Use a small butter knife to help loosen the edges of the chocolate cubes before pulling them out of the mold.)
To make the Hot Chocolate
- Heat milk until very hot (but not boiling). Place one Hot Chocolate on a Stick into the mug and stir for 3-4 minutes, or until chocolate has fully melted. If necessary, reheat the milk in the microwave.
Notes
Looking for more hot drink recipes? Check out these other family favorites, too:
Obsessed.
Haha! Thanks, Courtney! 🙂
Your trip to Belgium and the Netherlands sounds AMAZING! And you got the chance to visit the place that makes Biscoff cookies? Jealous! I love those cookies! Now, back to this hot chocolate on a stick. I’ve seen one flavor done before, but I love the fact that you kicked it up a knotch with multiple flavors! High-five! P.S. stay warm! 🙂
Haha…they are calling for 6-12″ of snow here tomorrow afternoon. The good news is we aren’t going anywhere for Thanksgiving. So as far as I’m concerned, it could snow 3 feet…just more excuse to curl up on the couch and watch parades and football. Have a great Thanksgiving, Tamara!
Happy Thanksgiving to you too David!
Hi David. can you make some recommendations on what types of chocolate to buy. Do you mean chocolate chips or do you mean go to a specialty shop and buy a chunk of chocolate? Can you give a few suggestions?
Hey Melissa! I wouldn’t recommend chocolate chips here because they often include other ingredients in addition to chocolate. I made these a couple times when I was experimenting for this post…the first time I used a block of chocolate that I had bought at a local store. The next time I just used baker’s chocolate, and it worked great, too. The advantage of baker’s chocolate is that it’s pretty easy to find…unless you happen to have a candy store nearby. The only real “trick” to this recipe is making sure to leave the finished cubes in the fridge long enough (overnight) for the sticks to hold. The next day, I used a little butter knife to help pop the cubes of chocolate out rather than yanking on the craft stick. I hope this helps…let me know if you have any other questions! 🙂
How amazing are these cocoa-chocolate sticks!!! I’ve seen the little chocolate dipped spoons where the smidgen of chocolate melts into your coffee/milk etc – but these big chunks of chocolatey goodness – ooh – for a chocoholic like me, these are definitely NOT too pretty to eat! And you said you got carried away and made several different flavors??? Now – really – you don’t want your family and friends trudging thru 6″ to 12″ of snow to get to your place to have these right? So I will send a courier pigeon up there to bring those extras down South to me #greedymailmanproblemsolved
Looking forward to hearing about the Lotus factory tour – and Happy Happy Thanksgiving to you and Laura!
Yes! You have finally solved the #greedymailmanproblem! You are totally right, Shashi. I would feel terrible if my friends and family had to trudge through all of that snow just to get here. Courier pigeon to the rescue! But how will I know the courier pigeon is here? Will he or she just come ring the doorbell? Haha! Seriously, though, I don’t think I’ve ever had such a delicious cup of hot chocolate in my life. 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving to you and your daughter, Shashi!
Totally making these!
Woohoo! We’ll need a bunch of delicious hot chocolate to keep us warm(er) for the storm coming tomorrow, Lauren! Happy (early) Thanksgiving!
I’m flipping OBSESSED with making these hot chocolate sticks as soon as possible!
Haha…there is nothing wrong with being obsessed over chocolate, Becca! Especially when it turns into delicious hot chocolate over the holidays. 🙂
These would be really fun for a sledding or skiing party. Or even if you have everyone over to watch football and its cold outside… which I think it will for the rest of the football games this year 🙂 Love the idea thanks for sharing.
Haha! You are totally right, Laura. Now I want to go sledding! Good thing they are calling for like 8-10″ of snow here today. I might need to run down and grab the sled out of the shed real fast. And of course, a mug of hot chocolate is a requirement after a sledding adventure. Happy Thanksgiving! 🙂
These look even better on here than they do on instagram- Love the idea mate!
I knew they had 1000+1 different dipping sauces for their frites but not their chocolate! Lavender chocolate? Wow. Anyway I’m pinning this to make for Christmas- variety and chocolate. What more could you want?
For sure, Arman! Belgium was a chocolate lover’s paradise. Look at all of those flavors…and that’s only a small part of them. I definitely want to make some chocolate bark soon…I’m not sure why I waited all the way until the holidays to get inspired, but now I am ready to go! You should totally put Belgium on your list of foodie travels…but only if you like beer and chocolate. 🙂
What an awesome idea, my boys would go crazy for these! Have a great Thanksgiving! #wolfpackeats
Thanks, Matt! There’s something about a mug of hot chocolate that just makes it feel like the holidays, right? Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
oh my goodness, David!!! What a fabulous idea!!! The possibilities are endless!!! LOVE these!!!
Thank you so much, Alice! I really had a blast making these, too. I agree…the possibilities are endless here. I had to stop at 4 different flavors just for the sake of time, but I would love to make so many others. Happy Thanksgiving!
Oh my gosh!! I need this!! It started snowing and you know what it calls for these two days! Stay warm my friend. And Happy Thanksgiving!
Yes! You stay warm, too, Z. (And drink a lot of hot chocolate…haha!) Happy Thanksgiving!
I always buy these for Christmas presents, but I think I am going to make them myself this year. Great idea!
Thanks, Dannii! The best part about making your own is that you can make whatever flavor you like. I made 4 different ones, but there are literally endless possibilities. 🙂
For me, it’s a book and a cup of tea. But I love the idea of hot chocolate on a stick! I should really try this!!
Thanks so much! I love a good cup of hot tea, too…I wonder if we can figure out how to make “tea on a stick”? Haha!
These look so cool, great idea! I am all over the peppermint and caramel one for sure. I could use one of these today up in Portland, it’s 38° and quite different from what I am used to weather wise. #WolfpackEats
Haha…well at least you got a taste of winter weather for Thanksgiving, Kevin! I’m totally jealous of your typical weather, but Thanksgiving just isn’t the same without a little crispness in the air, right? (And 38° is a bit more than a little crisp…but that’s what hot chocolate is for!)
These are going in my fridg in about an hour!!!!! One question though…how would I go about making a white chocolate flavor???? Would white chocolate substitute equally? this is an amazing Blog
Wow! Thank you so much, Annette. Your comment totally just made my day. I’m sorry I didn’t see this last night, or I would have responded right away. You could totally do the same thing with white chocolate. White chocolate has a tendency to burn a little easier than milk or dark chocolate, so just keep an eye on it…but it would absolutely work well. Just make sure to use a double boiler (or the metal bowl sitting on top of a simmering pot of water trick) to help the chocolate melt slowly without burning. I can already imagine a white chocolate/peppermint version of this! Let me know how yours turn out…oh, and happy holidays!! 🙂
I have never been to the Netherlands but I have been to Europe and had the Belgium Chocolate. Yes it is to die for !!!! I also purchased a can of the hot chocolate to bring home but it sure isn’t as good as over there. Now I’m hungry for some good chocolate candy.
Oh, you totally need to visit the Netherlands, Diane! My wife and I weren’t sure what to expect from Amsterdam, and we ended up loving the city. We definitely would love to go back…if nothing else than for the cheese in Amsterdam. And then we’ll hop over to Belgium for some more chocolate, of course! 🙂
How many does these make? I get my chocolate from orson gygi in SLC. I buy the non tempered kind.
Hey Misty! So I don’t have a super easy answer for you only because ice cube trays aren’t a standard size. (I thought they were standard until I made these, and I quickly realized that I have 3 different sized trays…even though they all look the same!) But I would estimate that you’ll get about 12-15 “sticks,” and if you happen to have some leftovers…then call it a bonus! 🙂 I hope you enjoy these as much as we do…they’re a fun holiday project for sure!
Do they keep well, would make lovely gifts if you could spend the day making them and pakage them up for christmas.
Hey Lisa! So these do indeed keep well, but at the same time, I’m not sure they would keep for weeks. We kept them in the fridge for 5-6 days as we slowly turned each one into a mug of hot chocolate (there’s only so much hot chocolate you can drink in a day!), and they were still perfectly fine after 5-6 days. I would definitely store them in a closed container in the fridge, though. (The cold chocolate will melt into the hot milk a little slower, too…but you can just heat the milk in the microwave again if the chocolate doesn’t melt completely.) I hope you give these a shot…maybe make a small-batch trial run here soon? Thanks so much for commenting, and I really do hope you enjoy these!
I made the caramel for gifts for my sons teachers, only I added 5T caramel instead of 3T as the caramel was barely detectable just in the melted chocolate, otherwise great recipe! My son is begging for a cup of hot cocoa and is mad he has to wait till tomorrow when they are hard. Thanks for this recipe, now I can have a variety of hot cocoas in a gift set for my sons teachers!
Hey Elissa! Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting…I hope you enjoy ’em! When we first stumbled across this idea in Belgium, I knew right away that I wanted to make these at home. Hopefully your son held out and is ready for his caramel hot cocoa today! 🙂 Happy holidays!!
I love this idea. I made the caramel ones but they didn’t setup. Could it be that I used sauce instead of melting down caramels? The peppermint and classic turned out great thought!
Hey Brie! Hmmm, I’m sorry to hear that the caramel ones didn’t set up. I think you probably nailed it though. The sauce isn’t (typically) hard at room temperature while the candy caramels are. Glad the others turned out well, though! Happy Holidays, and thanks for leaving a comment!