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This Christmas Hot Chocolate is made from 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.
Nothing says winter like hot chocolate with whipped cream. And nothing says Christmas, like hot chocolate with candy cane whipped cream.
Why you will love this recipe
- A quick & easy hot chocolate recipe, using only milk, cocoa powder and sugar
- Adjust sweetness by adding more or less sugar
- Whipped cream with real candy canes on top for that extra Christmassy touch
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
- Bright red gel food coloring - skip if you don't have it
How to make it
Making this Christmas hot chocolate is very easy with just a bit of planning.
The day (or at least four hours) before serving
It all starts the day before - or at least four hours before - when you make your candy cane 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, while stirring 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 like, 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 in a small amount in the mugs
- Mix well, creating a paste.
- Pour in the rest of the milk in the mugs
- Mix well
- Top your hot chocolate with the candy cane whipped cream, using an icing bag or a spoon
- Finish with some sprinkles
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
Recipe FAQ
If you don't have time to make candy cane whipped cream you can use regular whipped cream and season it with peppermint essence. Top with some crushed candy cane for 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.
More delicously sweet recipes
Got a bit of a sweet tooth? Then check out these amazing recipes:
- Homemade Chai Latte Mix
- Candy Cane Cupcakes
- Lussekatter - Traditional Swedish Saffron Buns
- Double Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Raspberry White Chocolate Muffins
- Easy Vanilla Muffins
Did you love this recipe? Rate it 5 stars!
...and let me know what you loved about it in the comments.
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 Tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 Tbsp sugar
To serve
- sprinkles* optional
Instructions
Candy Cane Whipped Cream
- Heat heavy cream in a pot over medium heat without allowing it to boil.
- When the cream is so hot it's steaming, add in the candy canes and allow to melt while stirring often.
- 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.
- Meanwhile, mix the cocoa powder and sugar in the mugs you will be serving in.
- 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!
Equipment needed for this recipe
- Tooth pick
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
- 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
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!
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!