Give the perfect 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 food gift, 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 judgement here.
Hot chocolate is that one drink that I have to have all winter long. There is nothing better than looking outside, watching the snow fall 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 decedent 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 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.
So go ahead and make a batch for someone you love…. like yourself!
- 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
- 2 tablespoons espresso powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup caramel bits
- 20 unwrapped soft caramels
- mini marshmallows
- Fleur de sel or Maldon salt
- 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 3 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.
Sabrina says
This is such a great idea! Very cute!
Amanda says
Thank you!!
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
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
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!
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.