When it’s chilly outside, there’s nothing more satisfying than hot winter drinks! While they taste delicious, they’ll warm you up from the inside out. Whether you like coffee beverages or luscious drinking chocolate, you’ll find plenty of inspiration from our list of treats.
1. Hot Chocolate
Hot chocolate is a favorite winter drink. Some call it “hot cocoa” or “drinking chocolate,” but all recipes include the same essential ingredients. Traditional hot cocoa features tasty flavors of dark chocolate or milk chocolate. A modern take may include swaps like white chocolate or flavor additions such as peppermint or salted caramel. If you like hot cocoa toppings, marshmallows are the most popular. Be adventurous with ingredients like shaved candy canes or chili powder. Some unique variations on hot cocoa include drinking chocolate recipes made with bittersweet drinking chocolate crumbles.
Our Hawt Chocolate crumbles are 100% plant-based and offer an intensely fudgy flavor. Instead of the usual powdered hot chocolate, you’ll enjoy the beauty of simple ingredients like cacao beans and organic cocoa butter. Drinking chocolate makes it possible to learn how to make hot chocolate with “grown-up” flavors. Make a piping hot cup of Blue Corn Hot Cocoa or our Dirty Chocolate Chai recipe! You’ll craft your beverage with plant-based ingredients like blue cornmeal and oat milk. Feel comfy and relaxed with wintry spices like ginger and clove. Or enhance the naturally rich flavors in cocoa with vanilla bean or fresh espresso.
Stay Cozy with Quality Chocolate
2. Hot Coffee
Coffee is a classic winter beverage, especially when you need a jolt of caffeine. We enjoy the taste of black coffee because it’s rich and flavorful on its own, much like chocolate. As with pure cacao, a delicious quality coffee bean lets you skip the added ingredients and calories.
Add plant-based milk for a creamier flavor. Some of our favorites include almond or oat milk because they enhance coffee’s roasted flavors. Pump up the flavor with hazelnut or French vanilla. Popular winter flavors include pumpkin spice and cinnamon. For a more potent brew for your hot winter coffee, use a “pour over” technique. This style pours water over a basket of filtered coffee grounds, and then drips it into a single mug. Drinking chocolate crumbles can help to give you a creamier flavor for your espresso.
3. Mochas
Mochas are a hot and fudgy blend of hot cocoa and cappuccino. They include espresso and warm milk, along with plenty of rich chocolate flavor. Get your caffeine fix with a hot mocha while enjoying a dessert-like treat.
Like hot chocolate, you can include various flavors and toppings to make your drink fun and flavorful. A popular swap is white chocolate for milk chocolate or dark chocolate. White chocolate’s smooth and creamy flavor is perfect for pairing with breakfast or an after-dinner cookie. More popular mocha flavor additions include vanilla and salted caramel.
Mocha coffee is also delicious when it’s topped with whipped cream. The light and airy topping makes it more like a dessert than a caffeinated drink. Create delicious coconut flavor with coconut milk whipped cream or infuse your plant-based whipped topping with flavors like peppermint or cinnamon. Finish off your chocolate mocha with dark chocolate bar shavings or roasted cacao nibs on top.
4. Golden Milk
Have you ever heard of golden milk? It may become your favorite winter drink! It’s known as turmeric milk because it features this spice with its bright yellow color. To make this recipe at home, you’ll need plant-based milk. Once you choose your milk base, add turmeric and ginger. Include more wintry spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, and then finish with your favorite sweetener.
This hot winter drink is sure to make you feel relaxed and cozy. Some say there are golden milk health benefits! Its taste and unique properties make it worth a try. Feel free to pilot the basic recipe, and then experiment with dark chocolate and golden spices. Our TCHO recipe for Golden Milk Drinking Chocolate features Hawt Chocolate drinking chocolate crumbles along with a teaspoon of ground turmeric and notes of cardamom and black pepper.
To make golden milk drinking chocolate, scald the milk and pour it over the chocolate crumbles. Next, add your spices and blend them all together with an immersion blender. When you’re done creating the mixture, pour it into a glass and enjoy it on the couch with a cozy blanket.
Enjoy a Hot Winter Drink Recipe
Hot drinks can boost your mood and make you feel cozy in chilly weather. They’re also fun and easy to make! Relax and indulge with your favorite mug and a plush blanket. You’ll notice your stress melt away as you warm yourself inside and out. With straightforward recipes, you can make your favorite hot winter drinks again and again!