Today, my husband and I celebrate our fifth anniversary! I cannot believe five years flew by that quickly. At the same time, it feels like we’ve been together forever. We decided to get married close to Christmas because we love this time of year and every part of the day was perfect. There was snow on the ground, lots of dancing and so much happiness knowing we finally got to become husband and wife.
Leading up to our wedding, we had a countdown going and would take a picture with each month that passed. The month before we got married, we decided to take a picture of us drinking hot cocoa with a whipped cream topper shaped as the number one – we were so cool!
Making this homemade hot cocoa and whipped cream peppermint toppers brought me back to that time and the anticipation of becoming Mrs. Hulett. We are so busy this time of year and it’s easy to get overwhelmed, but it’s because we have so much to celebrate.
On to this hot cocoa – it’s the real deal! Super smooth and very rich. The whipped cream topping adds a nice pop of peppermint and a bit of a froth as it melts. And guess who got to taste test it? Yes, my husband. I’ll count it as an anniversary gift – ha!
If you end up making it, just know the toppers melt easily, so I recommend placing it in the hot cocoa right away. Don’t forget to tag your photos with #marinamakeseats!
Homemade Hot Cocoa & Whipped Cream Toppers
Makes 4 cups of hot chocolate
Ingredients
Whipped Cream Toppers
- 1 pint of heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract
- 1/4 cup of crushed peppermint candy
Hot Cocoa
- 4 cups of whole milk
- 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate, melted
Directions
Add the whipping cream, sugar and peppermint extract to a large bowl. Mix everything together using a hand or electric mixer for 5-7 minutes, until stiff peaks form.
Line an 8X8 baking pan with parchment paper and add the whipped cream, spreading it evenly across the bottom with a spatula. Top with crushed peppermint and freeze for two hours or more.
Just before the toppers are ready, start on the hot cocoa. In a medium saucepan, bring the milk to a very light bowl over medium-high heat. Remove from heat immediately and add the melted chocolate. Stir to combine.
Finally, take the frozen whipped cream out of the freezer and using cookie cutters, cut out shapes for the hot chocolate. Add the hot chocolate to a cup and top with a whipped cream topper. Enjoy immediately.
Marina Makes 
Ohhhhh, I love this!
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