Living in Santa Barbara, we all know that we don’t get real winters. But, even so, our wimpy bodies aren’t used to the cold (anything under 70°) and so we turn to Ugg boots, down jackets, and, of course, a nice, hot cup of Starbucks coffee. But some people, like me, absolutely despise coffee and think that it tastes like warm gasoline. And so we turn to the wonderful invention of Hot Chocolate. But, even though it always tastes amazing, the same drink over and over again, can get kind of boring.

And so, I bring to you, three twists to the classic hot chocolate recipes.

#1: Nutella Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons Nutella
• 1 Cup hot milk
• Whipped Cream (optional)
• Mug or cup with lid

Directions:

1. add Nutella and milk to mug
2. mix with spoon as much as possible
   
3. close the lid
4. shake it up
   
5. (optional) top with whipped cream
6. enjoy!

#2: Hot Chocolate on a Stick

Ingredients:

• 16 oz of chocolate (anything but chocolate chips)
• ⅓ cup cocoa powder
  
• ¾ cup and 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• ⅛ tsp salt
• (optional) toppings
• piping/ziplock bag
• molds (ice cube tray, dixie cups, mini muffin pan)
• sticks (lollipop or popsicle sticks)

Directions:

1. chop up chocolate into small pieces
2. melt chocolate until smooth
   
3. add cocoa and sugar and mix until combined
4. place chocolate mix into bag and cut one corner
5. fill molds and tap on counter to settle mixture
6. add toppings and insert stick
7. allow to harden in fridge or freezer

to make the hot cocoa, add to 1 cup of hot milk and stir until melted

#3: White Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:

• 4 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• 8 oz white chocolate

Directions:

1. stir together milk, vanilla, and white chocolate in medium saucepan
2. cook over medium, low heat, stirring occasionally until it comes to a simmer
3. remove from heat and serve immediately