Hot Cocoa Party- Recipes & more printables

12.18.14- 

  Just can't stop thinking about the hot cocoa bar that was up in our back yard last week.  Still so much to share & talk about with you.  This vintage mini bread loaf pan was the thing that started it all & got my head spinning about this hot cocoa bar.  I wanted to fill up each little compartment with the usual toppings to a good cup of cocoa & some unusual as well. 

-From top left to right: cinnamon, big marshmallows, mini tiny marshmallows, cinnamon sticks, sea salt & toasted coconut.  Bottom left to right: Peppermint sticks, more mini tiny marshmallows, mini marshmallows, choc. mint pieces, chili powder & white choc. chips- 

I wanted the girls & their friends to try some new & different combinations to their hot cocoa {or at least think about it} So I wrote up some recipes to have out for them to follow.  You can get the FREE printables yourself, HERE, Here & Here. 

I also offered all sorts of sizes of cups & mugs for the guests to choose.  Having smaller sized mugs on hand is nice because it invites a lot more refilling & trying different flavors & combos.  I love having smaller sized mugs in the cupboard, great for lots of things when you entertain.  You can find them at cooking stores. 

 It was great to just sit back & watch the mixing, stirring & giggling begin.  Love putting a party together & watching everyone enjoy themselves.  

A terrific little topper to the party was creating these word stencils for the kids to stamp their hot cocoa with.  Hot Stuff, sweet, enjoy, yum, yum & let the kids take their pick.  Use a paper cutting machine to cut out the words & then cut out the stencil to the size of the mug for easy stenciling.  
A few tricks to make this work.  

1- You need the hot coca or whip cream filled up close to the top of the mug. Try to have a smooth surface to stencil on. 

2- Use a small sifter to sprinkle on cocoa, cinnamon or chili powder, for a bit of a kick. Be sure not to be standing over the other mix-ins. You don't want chili powder or cocoa all over the marshmallows.  

3- Experiment & have fun! This might not work perfect the first time so try, try again.  Keep sipping & stirring more cocoa.  That's the fun part, right?  

A fun way to put a stamp on a great party.  Love how the ship cream & mini tiny marshmallows 

{you can find them in bottles by the hot cocoa section in the groc. store, I found these at Target} 

 look with the enjoy cocoa stencil.  

Hope this has inspired you to host your own hot cocoa bar & try to make the delicious French frozen hot cocoa recipe.  I'd love to hear what you think. 

Enjoy! 

{M}