20 unique additions that will make your hot chocolate even better

Bark—shards of chocolate or another candy chock full of nuts, sweets, or other treats—can be the perfect accompaniment to a mug of hot chocolate. Unlike most items in this list, the bark doesn’t go atop your beverage but instead is best when dipped into it. We’d recommend classic chocolate almond bark or something more adventurous, such as peppermint bark, cookies, and cream bark, or salted caramel bark.

Hot chocolate bars are a kid-friendly smorgasbord, but that doesn’t mean you can’t include some options just for adults. Adding some booze to your mug is a fun way to kick your cocoa up a notch, whether you opt for a classic like Kahlua or Baileys, go big with bourbon or dark rum, or add some additional flavor with a peppermint schnapps or vanilla/whipped cream vodka. 

Butterscotch chips are a versatile option for your hot chocolate bar. For just a hint of butterscotch, throw a few chips on your whipped cream topping. For more flavor, mix a handful of chips into your hot beverage, allowing the butterscotch to melt right in.

Caramel and chocolate are best friends (they’re our best friends, at least), so some sort of caramel will always be included in our hot chocolate bar. Caramel syrup is the easiest option, as it can be mixed into the cocoa or drizzled on top of the whipped cream—however, caramel candies can be a good garnish, too.

Chocoholics looking for some added chocolate shouldn’t pass on including some chips with their next beverage. (Plus, it’s something almost everyone already has on hand.) But don’t limit yourself to just the classic milk chocolate chip variety—be sure to include the dark, ruby, and/or white kinds, too.

Another item to drizzle on top of your whipped cream, or, if you prefer, you can stir it right into your hot cocoa for some extra chocolate flavor. If you’re thinking about pairing chocolate sauce with caramel, we’d give you our blessing.

We think it’s nuts not to offer nuts anytime whipped cream is served—whether it’s for a sundae, pancakes, or hot chocolate. Chopped walnuts are the classic, but crushed peanuts or pecans, or even slivered almonds, are all welcome.

A little bit of cinnamon blends well with hot chocolate, with the robust spice of the former bringing out the earthy cocoa flavor of the latter. You could sprinkle a little cinnamon on or in your warm beverage, or you could just lay out some cinnamon sticks on your chocolate bar. They’re packed with cinnamon flavor, make for a nice garnish, and can double as stirrers.

Make your cocoa more like a Mounds Bar by including some coconut flakes in your hot chocolate bar. Are you more of an Almond Joy person? Try toasting the coconut to add some nutty flavor. And if you really like the flavor of coconut, you can also swap the water or milk base for coconut milk!

Cookies are the perfect companion to hot chocolate, and you can go at least two different ways with this addition. You could simply offer cookies as something to dip in your chocolate, whether they’re classic chocolate chips, comforting oatmeal raisin, fancy biscotti, or something simple and store-bought. (For what it’s worth, we’d recommend nearly any type of Girl Scout Cookies.) Or you could go a step further and crush the cookies to make a heavenly dusting to put atop your cocoa. Sugar cookies are sublime for this purpose, and one of the best store-bought options is, of course, Oreos.

Adding some toffee to your cocoa can make it taste like a Heath Bar! Well, a warm Heath Bar that you can consume in liquid form—but hey, that sounds like just the comforting concoction we need in the winter months.

Most of the ideas in this list are about adding things to the top of your hot chocolate, but here’s one that adds a fun spin to preparing the cocoa itself. Instead of making your drink from scratch or from a powder, you can include hot chocolate bombs in your bar. Drop these sweet little choco-spheres into warm milk or water, and they’ll crack open, releasing cocoa mix, marshmallows, sprinkles, and other delights into your drink like a delicious little depth charge. You can buy premade bombs at the store or make your own with a recipe like this one from The Kitchn.

The only pairing that’s possibly better than chocolate and caramel is chocolate and peanut butter. There are a few different ways to get that PB flavor in your cocoa, but since we always opt for the sweeter option, we recommend simply adding peanut butter chips to your hot chocolate bar.

Mini marshmallows are, of course, the classic addition to hot chocolate, and some people even go big with full-sized marshmallows. However, if you really want to put your marshmallow game into high gear, try using Peeps. (They’re not just for Easter!) They float on top as an adorable garnish and will slowly melt, making your cocoa even creamier. 

For some festive flair, feature some candy canes among your cocoa companion choices. You can also offer peppermint extract so your guests can add even more peppermint flavor to their mug.

Do you like to use a little salt to bring out the sweetness of chocolate? If so, try adding pretzel sticks to your hot chocolate bar. You can opt for the larger, pencil-sized pretzel sticks (which can double as stirrers) or use mini pretzels or smaller pretzel rods on top (both of which your whipped cream can support). If you want to be extra adventurous, use chocolate-covered pretzels!

Are pretzels too imposing? Skip the sticks and simplify the situation with a bit of salt. We prefer sea salt because it can also add a little texture to your topping. Try it with the aforementioned caramel!

With a few jumbo marshmallows, a handful of pretzel sticks, a piece of candy corn, and a little bit of chocolate icing, you can make an adorable snowman that looks like he’s floating in your mug. Of course, a real snowman wouldn’t want to be anywhere near boiling hot liquid, but we can overlook that aspect for the aesthetic. 

Open up your spice cabinet and let your imagination run wild. Hot chocolate can be spiced up with safe bets like cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, or pumpkin spice, or more adventurous options like chili powder or cayenne. 

Okay, this one is just for fun. Sprinkles might add a little extra sweetness to the top of your whipped cream, but the real reason we like them is simply because of the extra color. You can do shapes like dots, rods, or stars and can offer red and green for a Christmas theme, blue for Hanukkah, or a rainbow of colors to let your guests customize their mug to their liking.