Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

I made these last year for some friend's families.  I've seen these around the net over the last year, and now I know why.  They are really cute, and delicious.  It's semi-homemade, so....add easy to the list of their attributes. 

Hot Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

Ingrediants:  1 devil's food cake mix, 4 eggs, 1/2 c. vegetable oil, 1 small box instant chocolate pudding mix, 1 c. sour cream, 3/4 c. warm milk with 1 pkg hot chocolate mix, 24 mint chocolates, 3-4 cups mini marshmallows. 
Instructions:
1.  Preheat oven 350.  Mix together everything but the mint and marshmallows. 
2.  Divide batter into 24 cupcake cups. 

3.  Press mint into the center of each cupcake. 

4.  Bake for 18 minutes.  Add 6-7 marshmallows to the top of each cupcake (these like to roll around a bit, so have something to catch them under the trays so you don't get that 'burnt' smell as they roast in the oven below).  Bake 5 more minutes until the marshmallows are puffy and starting to brown. 

I added straws to each.  These would be cute served in styrofoam cups as well. 

Chocolate Dipped Candy Canes

 I shared my not so secret homemade hot chocolate recipe yesterday.  I made jars of this stuff last year for friends.  I also bought design-a-mugs for my friends to let their kiddos decorate, and I made some chocolate dipped candy canes to add for stirrers.  I mean, the best accessory for chocolate it more chocolate....right?  The most complicated part of this whole process was taking the pictures.  I just grabbed some candy candes, chooclate morsels (I just happened to have some that were mint flavored left over from a week's worth of peppermint projects I blogged about here), and sprinkles....because sprinkles are to food like glitter is to crafts....magic. 

After de-cellophaning the canes, I melted the chocolate for about a minute (no more) at two 30 second intervals-stir-melt, and then dip. 

I

Plop it onto wax paper, and add sprinkles, or you could get really fancy and melt a second color of chocolate and drizzle lines. 

 I stuck with sprinkles b/c.....I have enough to get Texas through the next ice age. 

 Let it dry, bag 'em, bow 'em.  Add to the hot chocolate and mugs and call it a day. 

Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix

 Last year, I made jars of homemade hot chooclate for my friends. This made a good gifts for friends with 'families' since it's something they can all share.   It made a lot, it's chocolate, it's drinkable, and you can put it in a jar.  Hello, the jar should have been sufficient reasons to make this an effective gift choice for anyone's Christmas list.  Did I mention it's chocolate? 
Here's a simple recipe: 
4 c. nonfat dry milk powder, 1 1/2 c. sugar, 1 c. non-dairy coffee creamer, 2/3 c. cocoa powder, 4 oz box of instant chocolate pudding. 
Mix.  Package up. 

Add a tag with the instruction for the drink-er to add 1/4-1/2 c. to 8 oz of milk or water heated. 

Peppermint: Hot Chocolate Peppermint Stirrers

I saw this idea last year at The Decorated Cookie.  It was perfect for a hot chocolate bar my teaching partner and I put together for a meeting at work.  The plus is, it's just about as easy as it gets. 
Gel markers, marshmallows, and peppermint sticks. 

You can just mold the  marshmallow around the peppermint stick, or add a dab of white chocolate to really cement things into place.  Or ignore me completely and delete me from your life forever, but I really don't recommend the last suggestion, it's not good for my well being.