Hot Chocolate on a Stick

If you're looking for a last-minute gift for neighbors or co-workers, listen up my friends! This is the sweetest (pun intended?), easiest neighbor gift that I've discovered in quite some time. Essentially, this is a multi-project project, but feel free to omit the superfluous elements, if you're short on time. 

But you know that any project that begins this way needs to happen in your house too.

Now, I don't like to play favorites, but I packaged these Hot Chocolates on Sticks differently for different people in my life. For my co-workers (Hi! I love you!) I made personalized mustache cups, and included the cocoa stick within. I used Dollar Store mugs (Tip: if you go this route, make sure the mugs are relatively free of defect; things often end up at discount stores for a reason) and washable, food safe porcelain pens. As I type this post, I am wearing this mustache shirt, so mustache mugs seem an obvious choice for me.

Making your personalized mugs is as easy as it seems on Pinterest. You heard it here first.

For my neighbors, and other folks with whom I don't spend many hours every day, I packaged the hot chocolate sticks in cellophane bags, accented with glittery gift tags and hand-written instructions.

Hot Chocolate on a Stick

from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients 

½ cup heavy cream
14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk (1 1/4 cups)
3 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (chopped chocolate bars or chips)
3/4 cup unsweetened baking chocolate wooden sticks

Directions 

1. Line an 8" x 8" pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
2. Heat the cream and condensed milk over low heat until steaming. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate; allow it to gently melt.
3. After about 10 minutes, return the chocolate mixture to low heat to completely melt the chocolate. Whisk vigorously until the mixture is thick and shiny. 
4. Pour the chocolate mixture into the pan; shake the pan gently to level. Sprinkle with cocoa, if desired. Set aside overnight to slowly set up.
5. Run a knife around the edge of the pan and turn out onto a clean cutting surface.
6. Slice into 1 ¼" cubes. Heat a knife in hot water and wipe dry before each cut, for smoothest cuts.
7. Stick a lollipop (or cakepop) stick into the center of each block.
8. Roll in cocoa or crushed peppermint candy, if desired. Add marshmallows. 
9. Wrap in waxed paper, parchment, or plastic wrap to store.