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This Christmas Hot Chocolate is made with just milk, sugar and cocoa powder and topped with Candy Cane Whipped Cream for an amazing treat you'll want to sip all through winter. With just a bit of planning and a few simple ingredients it's easy to make and a delicious treat for kids and adults alike.
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Nothing says winter like creamy hot chocolate with whipped cream. And nothing says holiday season, like Christmas hot chocolate with candy cane whipped cream.
Make a batch of the whipped cream and enjoy Christmas Hot Chocolate all through Christmas - from Christmas Eve to Christmas morning, and finish off the leftovers over some really bad Christmas movies on boxing day.
Why you will love this recipe
- Easy to make with just a bit of planning ahead
- Simple, classic, hot chocolate recipe - you only need milk, cocoa powder and sugar
- Adjust sweetness by adding more or less sugar
- Whipped cream with real candy canes is what makes this a perfect Christmas Hot Chocolate
What you need to make it
Ingredient notes & substitutions
- Unsweetened cocoa powder - swap for sweetened if that's what you have, but then skip the sugar
- Milk - full fat, low fat, and anything in between work equally well. You can also use a plant based milk!
- Bright red gel food coloring - skip if you don't have it
How to make Christmas Hot Chocolate
Making this Christmas hot chocolate is very easy with just a bit of planning.
The day before
It all starts the day before - or at least four hours before - serving, when you make your minty whipped cream.
- Heat heavy cream in a pot over medium heat without allowing it to start to boil. This is important - if it starts to boil it might be ruined.
- When the cream is so hot there's steam coming off it, add in the candy cane candies
- Allow the candies to melt, and stir often to ensure they don't stick to the bottom
- When the candies are all melted, set aside to cool and when cooled place in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
10 minutes before serving
- Bring out your cooled down cream
- Whip * it like you would a regular whipped cream
- It might take a little bit longer than usual, but after a while you will see peaks forming
- Whip * to desired consistency
If you wish, you can skip steps 9-12 below and just top your hot chocolate using a spoon.
- Bring out 1-2 icing bags and a tip of your choice and put together. You might want to use a clamp as well as shown in the image.
- To make candy cane stripes, dip a tooth pick in red gel food coloring and make 4-6 stripes in each icing bag.
- Scoop in the whipped cream
- This is what it will look like when prepped
- To make the hot chocolate, start by heating up milk to the point of boiling
- Then mix together sugar and cocoa powder in the mugs you plan to serve in
- When the milk is hot, pour a small amount in the mugs
- Mix well, creating a paste.
- Pour the rest of the milk in the mugs
- Mix well
- Top the hot chocolate with the whipped cream
- Finish with some sprinkles, and your Christmas Hot Chocolate is ready to serve!
Tips & tricks
- Do not let the cream start to boil while melting in the candy canes
- Change up the whipped cream seasoning if you like - you can use just about any type of candy or chocolate
- Mix the cocoa powder and sugar with a little bit of hot milk before mixing into the rest of the milk, to make it blend easier
- Top with marshmallows for an even more decadent drink
- Prep ahead: You can make the whipped cream up to 3 days ahead of time
- Store leftover whipped cream in the fridge for up to 3-5 days
Recipe FAQ
If you don't have time to make the whipped cream you can use regular whipped cream and season it with peppermint essence. Top with some crushed candy canesfor that candy cane touch!
Yes, you can skip the red stripe completely. If you want to, you can add some crushed candy canes on top instead.
I sure do! And I am sure I'm not alone, at least in the cold climate where I live.
More quick & easy Christmas recipes
Want to try something new this Christmas? Then check out some of my Christmas favorites below!
- Candy Cane Cupcakes
- Lussekatter - Traditional Swedish Saffron Buns
- Cocoa Powder Cookies
- Cinnamon Cookies with Cinnamon Sugar
- Candied Ginger
Did you love this recipe? Rate it five stars!
...and let me know what you loved about it in the comments.
Recipe
Christmas Hot Chocolate
Print Pin RateIngredients
Candy Cane Whipped Cream
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups candy cane candies or candy canes broken into pieces
- Wilton "red red" food coloring* or other bright red gel food coloring
Hot Chocolate
- 4 cups milk
- 4 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoon sugar
To serve
- sprinkles* optional
Instructions
Candy Cane Whipped Cream
- Heat heavy cream in a pot over medium heat without allowing it to boil.2 cups heavy cream
- When the cream is so hot it's steaming, add in the candy canes and allow to melt while stirring often.2 cups candy cane candies
- When all candies have melted remove the pot from the heat and allow to cool. When cool, place in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
- Bring out the cream and whip just like you would a normal whipped cream.
- To create red lines, dip a tooth pick in the gel food coloring and draw 4-6 lines in each of the piping bags. Then fill with whipped cream.
Christmas Hot Chocolate
- Heat the milk in a sauce pan.4 cups milk
- Meanwhile, mix the cocoa powder and sugar in the mugs you will be serving in.4 tablespoon cocoa powder, 2 tablespoon sugar
- When the milk is hot and steaming, remove it from the heat and mix in a few tablespoons of the hot milk in the cocoa powder and sugar mixture in each mug. Then pour in the rest of the milk and mix well.
- Top with the candy cane whipped cream and sprinkles. Serve immediately!sprinkles*
Equipment needed for this recipe
- Tooth pick
- Measuring cups (metric or US)*
- Mixing bowl*
Notes
Ingredient notes & substitutions
- Unsweetened cocoa powder - swap for sweetened if that's what you have, but then skip the sugar
- Milk - full fat, low fat, and anything in between work equally well. You can also use a plant based milk!
- Bright red gel food coloring - skip if you don't have it
Tips & tricks
- Do not let the cream start to boil while melting in the candy canes
- Change up the whipped cream seasoning if you like - you can use just about any type of candy or chocolate
- Mix the cocoa powder and sugar with a little bit of hot milk before mixing into the rest of the milk, to make it blend easier
- Top with marshmallows for an even more decadent drink
- Prep ahead: You can make the candy cane whipped cream up to 3 days ahead of time
- Store leftover whipped cream in the fridge for up to 3-5 days
Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate and automatically calculated, and should only be viewed as an indication.
Beth
I made these for a small get together last week and they were a big hit. Everyone just loved it!
Andrea Metlika
My grandchildren are going to love making this hot chocolate with me. Okay, I'm going to love making it with them. It sounds delicious and is very pretty too!
Zainab
Homemade hot chocolate is my favorite! This one looks so great and I know my kids will love it!
Jessica Formicola
Wow, this looks like my kind of hot chocolate! And that candy cane whipped cream? YES please!
Bea
Hii May I ask how do you store the excess candy cane whipped cream?
Emmeline Kemperyd
Hi Bea! I store it in the fridge, it's good for about 3-4 days. I usually prep an icing bag with all of the whipped cream and then place it in a separate plastic bag, so I'm ready to pipe out some more whenever I want it! But you can also store it in an air tight container or in a covered bowl. /Emmeline
Julia
This hot chocolate definitely is a Christmas treat. YUM!
Mary
The candy cane whipped cream really takes this one over the top! So good!