One of the most popular amenities at our (very occasional) holiday gatherings is the Hot Chocolate Bar. Guests and hosts enjoy grabbing a fun, customizable mug of cocoa, and the bar always makes a great focal point to get the gathering moving. The secret to success with this is to use rich ingredients: nobody wants watered-down “healthy” hot chocolate. You can lay out whatever Hot Chocolate accessories you want to go with the bar, but we’ve included some suggestions (including booze!) here.

Ingredients

The Hot chocolate

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream (no substitutes, the fat makes it good)
• 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
• 6 cups milk
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 cups milk chocolate chips

the topping bar

These are just some of our favorites, but you can use any kind of topping you’d enjoy in cocoa.

• Crushed candy canes
• Marshmallows (get a variety)
• Cinnamon
• Whipped cream
• Chocolate chips
• Peanut butter chips

booze

• Peppermint Schnapps
• Bailey’s Irish Cream
• Godiva chocolate cream liqueur
• Vanilla vodka

Process

1. Mix all of the ingredients together in a crockpot and whisk together until well-combined.
2. Cover and cook on low for at least two hours.
3. Meanwhile: arrange the topping bar nicely around the crock pot. Set out some nice mugs and spoons, and when the chocolate is good and hot, have your guests ladle up and top their concoctions!

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