Try These Frozen Hot Cocoa Clouds This Winter! (So EASY!)

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These adorable hot cocoa clouds are so fun and easy to make for this winter! Pop them in the freezer and you're ready to go.

Hot Cocoa Clouds (and our other favorite hot cocoa hacks!)

I don't know about you, but I can go for a cup of hot cocoa pretty much any time during the winter! My kids love it, too, but they don't have quite the same patience I do (imagine that?! 😂) so it's hard to wait for the hot cocoa to cool. Enter the cutest solution: frozen hot cocoa “clouds”!

All you need is some whipped cream, a silicone muffin tin, and your favorite cocoa toppings to make the sweetest “help it cool off faster” treat. Plus, you can make a huge batch of these to keep in your freezer all winter long. Here's how to make them, plus a few of our other favorite hot chocolate hacks and tips!

This is my FAVORITE recipe for homemade hot cocoa mix! You can whip up a big batch anytime to store.

How to make hot cocoa clouds

Grab a silicone muffin tray or individual silicone cups and a can of whipped cream topping. When I made these the first time, I noticed the whipped cream melts FAST. So, I would suggest popping the muffin pan into the freezer for an hour or so before making these so you've got some extra time, and just plan to work quickly.

Note: You do need a silicone pen so you can easily pop these out once frozen. I love this one from Walmart!)

Spray the whipped cream into each cup in a swirl. You can make these as short or tall as you'd like!

Next, add your favorite hot cocoa toppings! My kiddos love candy cane pieces so I crushed some candy canes and added those. There are so many toppings you can add!

Some of our other favorite toppings:

• Chocolate chips or chocolate shavings
• Sprinkles
• Mini marshmallows
• A swirl of chocolate syrup
• Orange zest

Then, just pop the whole tray into the freezer! Since you want these to be nice and firm, I would freeze a minimum of 4 hours but ideally overnight.

I love that these are so easy to pop out of the muffin pan so you can use them anytime. Once they're totally solid, you can transfer to a freeze Ziploc bag in order to use your pan for more traditional baking. 😉

Hot Chocolate Hacks

If you're making hot cocoa for a crowd or even just your whole family for a movie night, you HAVE to make it in your slow cooker!

The recipe I used for this one is super simple and uses ingredients you likely have in your pantry staples:

• 4 cups whole milk
• 3/4 sugar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Pinch of salt

Combine all the ingredients in your Crockpot and set to high until it warms up. Then, switch to the Keep Warm setting. This makes about 4 servings so you can double or even triple as needed!

Chocolate-Dipped Spoons

Another fun hot chocolate hack (okay, not really a hack but you get the idea!) is to make some chocolate-dipped spoons! What's better to add to your hot chocolate than more chocolate?!

Melt some chocolate in a cup or bag and dip plastic or wooden spoons in until the whole spoon-end is covered. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Then, add some candy cane pieces (I had these leftover from the hot cocoa clouds!) before the chocolate hardens.

These make the perfect stirrers and slowly add a bit of chocolate to your cup as it melts in the hot cocoa!

I love these spoons especially for hosting in the winter. They make the CUTEST addition to a hot cocoa bar set up like the one Laurie made a few years ago!

I can't wait to hear what you think if you try any of these hot chocolate hacks!

P.S. My friend, Laura, made some homemade frozen marshmallows for her hot cocoa last year! They take a little more time but they're so adorable.