Hot Chocolate Bar

How to build a Hot Chocolate Bar: everything you need for the set-up, plus tons of topping ideas and delicious hot chocolate recipe ideas!

Make sure to check out my staple Pumpkin Spice Latte Steamer recipe and enjoy a Snickerdoodle Cookie while you plan the most epic hot chocolate bar! 

Hot Chocolate Bar

It’s been an especially busy Christmas season around here because we’ve all been helping to plan my sister’s wedding. While she’s been finishing up her finals, crazy-busy with work, and applying to graduate schools, my mom has been helping out and DIY-ing like crazy for her wedding. I got put on baking prep duty this week and I’ve already made over 500 miniature snowflake sugar cookies, peanut butter cookies, oatmeal cookies, and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

Her entire wedding theme is Frozen/wintery. She’s got different shades of blue and lots of white + silver. The venue is going to be gorgeous!

The main food attraction? A Hot Chocolate Bar! And plenty of cookies to go along with the hot chocolate, of course.

It was such a fun idea that I couldn’t help but make my own little Hot Chocolate Bar to share with you all. While my bar isn’t as elaborate as her wedding one will be, it is perfect to have a few friends over, to do for a shower (can you tell I have weddings on my mind?!), or just enjoy with your own family.

Recipe ideas

• Standard hot chocolate: This is my favorite go-to hot chocolate recipe.
• Peppermint stick hot chocolate: Hot chocolate base, peppermint stick ice cream, whipped topping, crushed peppermint. Add a generous spoonful of peppermint stick ice cream in the cocoa. Top it with a generous dollop of whipped topping plus some crushed peppermint and stir it all together. 
• Crockpot toasted marshmallow hot chocolate: See the written recipe and video tutorial below!
• Hot chocolate heaven: Hot chocolate base plus one Lindt truffle. Stir in the truffle and enjoy!
• Orange or raspberry hot chocolate: Add a few drops of orange extract or raspberry extract to your cup of hot chocolate.

When presenting a Hot Chocolate Bar, I recommend having a standard hot cocoa recipe and then letting the guests pick their own varieties by using the toppings you’ve set out.

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Crockpot Toasted Marshmallow Hot Chocolate

5 from 3 votes

- Review this recipe

How to build a Hot Chocolate Bar: everything you need for the set-up + tons of topping ideas + delicious hot chocolate recipe ideas!

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Crockpot Toasted Marshmallow Hot Chocolate

5 from 3 votes

- Review this recipe

SAVE TO RECIPE BOX

Print Recipe

How to build a Hot Chocolate Bar: everything you need for the set-up + tons of topping ideas + delicious hot chocolate recipe ideas!

Course Dessert, Drinks

Cuisine American

Keyword hot chocolate bar

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 3 hours

Total Time 3 hours 15 minutes

Servings 8 -10 beverages

Calories 643kcal

Author Chelsea Lords

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 packages (4 ounces EACH) semi-sweet baking bars, (milk or dark chocolate for very rich cocoa, or about 2 and 1/4 cups chocolate chips)
• ▢ 6 cups milk (not skim. Use 1%, 2%, or whole)
• ▢ 1 and 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream (not whipped)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ▢ Pinch of fine sea salt
• ▢ 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• ▢ 2 and 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

Instructions

• Chop the chocolate bars to the size of chocolate chips. Alternatively, use chocolate chips.
• Add the chopped chocolate or chocolate chips to the slow cooker. (I use a 6-quart cooker and it gets over 1/2 full)
• Add in the milk, (I use 1 or 2% --whole would be ultra-rich), heavy whipping cream, vanilla, salt, and the can of sweetened condensed milk.
• Stir together and set on low in the crockpot.
• For the toasted marshmallow: preheat the oven to Broil at 550 degrees F. Move the oven rack to the highest position.
• Cover a baking sheet with foil and then generously spray the foil with non-stick spray.
• Lay the marshmallows evenly on top of the foil.
• Place in the oven on the top rack and leave the oven door slightly ajar. Watch the marshmallows the entire time and pull them out when they look toasted. Watch carefully because they can go from perfectly toasted to burned very quickly!
• Remove and then add into the hot chocolate. Stir and cover.
• Cook on low for 2-3 hours or until all the chocolate and marshmallows are melted.
• Carefully transfer the mixture (in 2-3 batches) to a blender.
• Blend each batch for at least 30 seconds. This allows a great immersion and a delicious frothier texture.
• Return to the slow cooker and keep on warm for guests.

Video

Recipe Notes

This hot chocolate stores well. Transfer to an airtight container in the fridge. When ready to enjoy you will likely need to blend the mixture again and then just warm it up. This can be made 2-3 days in advance.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 643kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 98mg | Sodium: 174mg | Potassium: 623mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 56g | Vitamin A: 1099IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 395mg | Iron: 2mg

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

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