10 Fun Twists to Put on Hot Cocoa

What is better than having a cup of instant hot cocoa on a chilly day? Nothing, that's what. You can submit other answers but hot cocoa trounces them all. Anyway, it is delicious, warm, and brings happiness to us all. Have you ever wondered how to make something so good even better? Well, I have 10 excellent ways to make your amazing hot cocoa even more fantastic.

1. Add caramel. I'll admit it, I'm on the "cars-mel" side of things when saying that word, sorry "carmel" fans. Add in a tablespoon of caramel to this and you get a great mix of flavors. Just brew your hot cocoa K-Cup and mix in the goodness. 
2. Add in ice cream. A small scoop of ice cream is a wonderful way to add in some creaminess and body to the cocoa. Do not worry, your cocoa should still be plenty warm after mixing in the cold ice cream, assuming you heat up the cocoa hot enough prior to the ice cream. 
3. Add in cinnamon. A great way to add in some spice. 
4. Add in zest from an orange. What a refreshing and fragrant way to make your cocoa tastier! It is no secret that orange and chocolate make a great combo.
5. Add in some peppermint. Mmm-mm how about a minty, chocolatey drink??
6. Peanut butter. It is like a liquid Reese's cup. Amazing. 
7. Habanero pepper. A spicy twist that makes it tantalizing and oh so good. 
8. Cherries. You know that jar of maraschino cherries in the fridge? Plop a couple of those in and have a chocolate cherry. 
9. Maple syrup. Squirt some if nature's nectar in some cocoa and have a great cocoa! It's not just for waffles and pancakes, anymore! 
10. Coffee. Brewing some K-Cup coffee and then mixing it with your cocoa is a wonderful way to get some nice flavor, and caffeine, into the cocoa! 

Enjoy these twists on a cold weather favorite! In need of cocoa? Then purchase hot cocoa from Coffeevines! We sell Swiss Miss! 

Fun Knowledge About Hot Cocoa

Hot cocoa is a beverage that is enjoyed by thousands, perhaps millions, of people every year; as people, we tend to prefer our hot cocoa during the winter months but it is still loved and consumed during the spring & summer as well by the loyal enthusiasts. However, there is some history behind the rich, creamy beverage that greets us with love at every sip. Do you know your hot cocoa knowledge? If not, buckle up, we're going to school.

Hot chocolate aka hot cocoa is a warm beverage that is either made from shave chocolate or powder and then mixed with water or milk and some sugar. For many, milk or dark chocolate is the only way to go but for the more adventurous fans, white hot chocolate is a great way to go.

Legend has it that the first chocolate based drink was made by the Mayans over 2000 years ago; it is also believed the Aztecs made some sort of chocolate beverage since chocolate was a staple of the Aztec diet and culture. When Europeans were discovering the world, they also discovered this chocolate drink by the natives and brought it back with them to the new world.

Did you know there is a distinction between hot cocoa and hot chocolate? Well, there is! Hot chocolate is actually creating the luxurious drink from bar chocolate, which contains the sugar, cocoa, and cocoa butter. You shave the bar chocolate and melt it down. Now hot cocoa is making the drink from powder, which has the sugar and cocoa extracted (this is likely what most of us do when we make the beverage). If you make hot cocoa from k cups then you are definitely drinking hot cocoa and not hot chocolate because they can't fit a chocolate bar in those k cups. Sorry.

Hot chocolate is able to be made with dark chocolate, semisweet (which tastes quite a bit like dark), bittersweet, and milk chocolate which is then shaved or chopped into smaller bits and then mixed with milk and sugar and heated. In the United States, we tend to make it from the powder, hot cocoa, which already contains the cocoa, sugar, and some dairy ingredient so we can even make it with water. In the UK, hot chocolate can be thicker than what we see and can be as thick as some pure chocolate kinds.

Hot chocolate also has some health benefits from the antioxidants that are found in chocolate.