My hot drink of choice, as many know, is coffee. However, this time of year when it’s cold outside, I crave a hot chocolate. I especially crave one after being outside all day either snowboarding or snowshoeing. This time of year we don’t find excuses to stay inside, instead we find excuses to go outside. When I return from shivering and also working hard all day on the slopes, I crave a hot chocolate.

However, most hot chocolate from the packets are far too sweet for me, so I prefer to make my own. The fun part about making your own hot chocolate is that it’s SUPER easy and SUPER quick so you don’t have to wait long for a delicious drink. You can even spice it up and add an adult liquor to it so both you and the kids can enjoy it (just make sure they get the non-alcoholic one!)
Fairlife Milk
You can certainly make this with any type of milk you please. If you have a dairy intolerance, definitely make sure you honor that. If you don’t then let me talk to you about milk for one second. There seem to be 500 brands of milk out there on the market these days and while some are definitely better than others it can be confusing to know which ones are, in fact better for you.

I am not a milk drinker, and frankly don’t know many after the age of 12 that are. However, I am a hot chocolate drinker AND smoothie drinker AND milk taste tester for my clients drinker. So, when Fairlife reached out and asked if I would try their milk (on the house) I thought, why not?!
After tasting their milk and researching a bit about their company, here is where I landed with the brand.
Pros:
- Great Taste
- Higher protein content than milk
- Lower sugar content than milk
- Easy to find in local supermarket
- Reasonably priced


Cons:
The only downside to their milk is that I wish it was coming from grass-fed/finished cows as those are more likely to have higher quality milk.
Overall, I’d say it’s a good choice, but if you’re looking for grass-fed, grass finished, look elsewhere!

Orange Mint Hot Chocolate
Before you say ORANGE MOCHA FRAPPUCINO, this drink is not that, hah! I used to love Zoolander, so if you don’t get the quote, sorry bout it. Anywho, this combination may sound bizarre but it’s incredibly refreshing and something new for your taste buds.

This recipe actually happened by mistake. I had always planned on making a hot chocolate and when my intern Stephanie & I were making the recipe (after already having done 4 recipes prior), I made a mistake. I had poured the hot chocolate into 2 mugs and had planned on doing 1 that was peppermint flavored and 1 that was orange flavored. Well, I forgot which was which and dumped peppermint into the orange mug and vice versa. The mistake? Golden. It tasted like a refreshing holiday treat in a cup. Something unique AND delicious.

So, I present to you a wonderful holiday mistake: Orange Mint Hot Chocolate! However, if you aren’t into experimenting or you only have 1 of the flavors, this recipe will still work, just start with the base hot chocolate recipe and add flavor until it tastes like you want it, it’s that simple.
Pro Tip: Grab yourself a frother and froth your hot chocolate before drinking, it’s not necessary but definitely enhances the experience.
Print
Orange Mint Hot Chocolate
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 4 cups milk (any variety)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder (dark preferred)
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp orange extract
- 1/4 tsp peppermint extract
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, add water, cocoa, & sugar and whisk to combine.
- Add in milk, whisking to combine & froth.
- Cook until warm (test with pinky finger) but continue to stir/whisk until ready so that no milk layer forms on top.
- Turn off heat, add extracts, pour into separate mugs and top with your favorite marshmallows!
- Optional: Maybe even add in some peppermint schnapps to make this a fun adult beverage!

What is your favorite hot beverage this time of year?!
xoxo,
Sassy
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Pin Now, Hot Chocolate Later

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