Give the perfect holiday food gift with these mocha salted caramel hot chocolate on a stick - or make them for yourself for an easy and fun way to enjoy hot chocolate!
If you are still looking for a great last-minute gift to give for the holidays, this mocha salted caramel hot chocolate on a stick is perfect. It is super simple to put together and creates a creamy, delicious hot chocolate that you will honestly want to keep for yourself.
Which you can do.No judgment here.
Hot chocolate is that one drink that I have to have all winter long. There is nothing better than looking outside, watching the snowfall and cuddling my daughter under a big blanket while sipping on hot chocolate. This winter may be warm, but I still crave lots and lots of hot chocolate.
The first time I ever heard of hot chocolate on a stick was a couple of years ago when I was doing my subscription box review blog and I got one in a box. It was amazing.
In Richmond, Surrey, there was a chocolate bar where they served the most decadent food and the most incredible hot chocolate and chocolate cocktails.
Their hot chocolate tasted almost just like pure melted chocolate with a bit of cream to thin it out ever so slightly. That's what the hot chocolate on a stick I tried tasted like.
And that is what I think I achieved here with these mocha salted caramel hot chocolate on a stick. It is rich and incredibly chocolaty and a nice balance of espresso and salted caramel.
It's hard to have just one mug a day. And sometimes I don't stick to just one. Just being honest here.
How Do You Make Hot Chocolate on a Stick?
It is actually all about making a thick chocolate mixture that will solidify at room temperature but melt easily in hot liquid. The base recipe is a mixture of chocolate and cocoa powder to make the finished hot chocolate extra chocolaty, plus sugar to sweeten the finished drink, plus a touch of salt to balance the flavors.
It is easy enough to adjust your recipe to incorporate any flavors you might like, provided it does not introduce too much liquid to the mixture.
I prefer using dry ingredients so that I do not need to compensate for any liquid I add to the mixture. If I am adding a liquid, it is usually just a little bit of extract.
How to Customize Your Hot Chocolate on a Stick
You can mix and match pretty much any flavors you can think of. As mentioned previously, it is easier to incorporate dry ingredients to your mixture. I love adding spices like chai spice, or even some cayenne for a spicy hot chocolate.
I've had readers experiment with powdered dried fruits, and even dried lavender and rose for a floral infusion. You can also try dried orange peel or ginger.
Personally, I find it is better to use extracts and powdered spices over dried flavorings that will not mix into the hot chocolate, but that is entirely up to you!
How to Store Your Hot Chocolate
I like putting my hot chocolate on a stick in the small plastic gift bags or cellophane. The best place for them is in an airtight container, but as long as they are in a cool, dry area, they will be fine and last for a while.
So go ahead and make a batch for someone you love.... like yourself!
If you want more hot chocolate in your life, make sure you check out my guide on making the perfect homemade hot chocolate. You can also check out some of my favorite hot chocolate recipes like Nutella hot chocolate and Tiramisu hot chocolate or gingerbread hot chocolate! If you want something exotic, check out my friend's cardamom rose hot chocolate.
Recipe Card
Mocha Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate On a Stick
Ingredients
- 18 oz chocolate I did a mid of dark and semi-sweet
- ½ cup cocoa powder I used Dutch processed, but natural will work as well
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup espresso powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup caramel bits
- 20 unwrapped soft caramels
- mini marshmallows
- Fleur de sel or Maldon salt
Instructions
- On a double boiler, melt the chocolate until smooth. Stir in your cocoa powder, powdered sugar, espresso powder, and salt. The mixture will be very thick and you may think it won't work, but keep on working! It'll come together!
- Get out your mini paper cups and popsicle sticks. Fill a piping bag with the chocolate mixture and cut out the tip.
- Squeeze a small amount of the chocolate in the bottom of your paper cups, top with a soft caramel, then fill with more chocolate. Insert your popsicle sticks. The mixture should be thick enough to hold them up without a problem.
- Top with more caramel bits and a couple of marshmallows. Sprinkle the salt over the chocolate.
- Allow to harden 4 - 6 hours, preferably overnight.
- Peel off the cups and place your hot chocolates in a cellophane bag and sprinkle in more marshmallows for topping (because let's be serious, that little bit of marshmallow on top won't be enough!)
- To make hot chocolate: Heat 5oz whole milk and 2 oz heavy cream until hot and steaming. Place one of the hot chocolate sticks in the mug and swirl to melt. Top with more mini marshmallows.
Angela says
I’m so confused…in the process of making these as I type and the while the chocolate melted beautifully, once I started adding the other ingredients, it’s just a thick powdery ball. It’s not melting down at all.
I keep mixing and mixing and it’s not coming together at all 🙁
Prepping for a hot chocolate bar tomorrow and this definitely won’t work. Has this happened to anyone else?!?!
Kelsey Joaquin says
Once made how long can you store them? Thinking about making ahead of my event
Amanda Powell says
They should last about 1 - 2 weeks in an airtight container
Rebecca Brown says
Do you have any trouble getting the cups off? Any advice on avoiding fuzzy chocolate?
Amanda Powell says
Hi! I personally never experienced any major issues taking the cups off. They would sometimes rip a lot, but nothing too serious. You can very lightly grease the insides if you are having a lot of issues. I'm not sure what you mean by fuzzy chocolate, is it in reference to some fuzz from the cups ripping as you take them off?
stacie says
do you wholesale these?
Amanda says
No, we don't sell the food!
Jana says
Can this be frozen or will the chocolate get white and freezer burned looking
Amanda says
I have never tried freezing them, but I think that yes, overtime, the chocolate will eventually form frost and/or freezer burn.
Sam says
Hi there! I'm looking to also make plain hot chocolate sticks similar to this that are kid friendly (did I say picky kids?). Can I just leave out the espresso, caramel and the fleur de sel or would I also have to up the sugar?
Amanda says
Hi Sam, you can totally take out all the extras and just use the basic recipe. It shouldn't need any adjustments other than replacing the espresso powder with equal amounts of cocoa powder (or maybe not if they don't like things too chocolaty - I know my kid sometimes complains about that haha!) I hope the kids enjoy!
jo says
Hi, what caramels do you use or is it something that is make able?
Amanda says
I used the soft caramels in a bag that you usually find with the chocolate chips and marshmallows. They are by Kraft, I believe. I use their regular caramels, or sometimes their caramel bits. http://www.target.com/p/kraft-caramels-11oz/-/A-13302371
Stephanie says
Hi! For the perfect hot chocolate, How many grams does the cube have to be for every cup of liquid?
Thank you!
Amanda says
If you want it to be really chocolaty, I'd go with 6oz of liquid, but you can go up to 8oz just fine! Me? I like to use two sticks in 10 oz of a mix of milk and heavy cream for something really decadent! The caramel sometimes likes to try and sink to the bottom before melting, so stir well! 🙂
Amanda says
And I just realized you were asking about the grams of the cube. Sorry! I don't know the exact number. I made mine in mini Dixie cups and filled it to the brim. It holds 3 oz or 88.7 mL
Sabrina says
This is such a great idea! Very cute!
Amanda says
Thank you!!