Improve Your Hot Chocolate Game with These 5 Twists

Hot chocolate is always good on a chilly day, but why not make your hot chocolate even better by adding a few ingredients to the already delicious treat?

If hot chocolate is good, adding a little of "this" and a little of "that" has to make it better, right?! Well, if you're following one of the ideas below, then absolutely!

Try one of these the next time you have a mug of chocolately goodness, to "spice it up" a bit...

Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate

Mix a tablespoon (to a tablespoon and-a-half) in with your already made hot chocolate. Make sure you stir it extremely well to completely break it up. Top with Reese's whipped topping. Yes, that's a real thing and you can find it in the dairy section of Hannaford.

Hot Chocolate Caramel

This one is super easy. Just make your hot chocolate and before you drink it, melt a Ghirardelli Caramel Square in your cup. SO good. And so simple. You can add a some mini marshmallows on top and drizzle with caramel sauce if you want to go all out.

Adult Hot Chocolate

The best one on this list! Now, you'll want to make the hot chocolate from scratch for this one (none of that instant stuff), but that's okay because it's still really easy. According to All Recipes, all you need is:

3/4 cup milk (2 percent or whole, for a real indulgence)

1/2 cup red wine (light and fruity, like pinot noir or Beaujolais)

1/4 cup semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate

Just melt the chocolate in a saucepan (medium heat), then add in the milk, stirring until it's well-blended and creamy. Add in the wine and continue cooking for a few minutes, until it's all heated and mixed. Voila! There are also some slow-cooker recipes for Red Wine Hot Chocolate and other boozy drinks. Definitely google those.

Muddy Snowman

Also known as a "Dirty Snowman," this hot chocolate is filling enough to be considered a full dessert. That's probably because there's ice cream in it. Crazy, we know, but ice cream and hot chocolate go together. Like, REALLY well. Alright, so here's what you do:

1. Make hot chocolate
2. Scoop vanilla ice cream into a glass (like you're making an ice cream float)
3. Pour hot chocolate over the ice cream

That's it. You can make it an "adult" muddy snowman by adding a shot or two of Bailey's to the top (just add after you pour the hot chocolate over the ice cream), or even some Godiva Chocolate Liqueur (you can find that all Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer. We've also seen it at Bremer's in New Hartford).

Of course there are many other simple ways to "spice up" your hot chocolate, like adding mini marshmallows and crushed graham crackers to S'mores-it-up, or adding a dash of nutmeg or vanilla extract to improve on it. There's a lot you can do besides just adding a peppermint stick to "improve" your hot cocoa.

BONUS VIDEO:

[All Recipes: Red Wine Hot Chocolate]