Hot Cocoa Bar Essentials

Well it’s officially a Winter Wonderland here in West Michigan! It’s oh so pretty and has me wanting to drink coffee and hot cocoa for daysssss. Good thing I created a Hot Cocoa bar just for that! Today I’m going to show you everything you need to make one yourself. Oh, and in case you missed my Holiday Home Tour you can check it out now and then come back to see all the details!

The great thing about doing a Hot Cocoa bar (besides the yummy drink) is there are endless ways to personalize it and make it your own! In fact, you don’t even need a fancy tray or bar cart – having a designated place on the counter would suffice. Even an old dresser or credenza would make be a fun place to set up a designated cocoa stations. BUT if you do have a tray or bar cart it’s nice to not have to take up valuable counter space. The tray I found at At Home was $40! Can’t beat that!

Here’s a quick snap shot of some essentials and then I’ll break it down:

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Pretty Bowls- Use these to fill with all the fun toppings! Any container will do but I love how pretty and sweet these bowls are from Target.
Spoons – For stirring of course!
Mugs – This is where your personality and decor style can really shine! I love the gold and black mugs I found at At Home but any mugs will do of course. Matching – not matching – the skies the limit!
Hot Cocoa – I used a can powder for our hot cocoa bar but there are so many options. A Keurig on the bar or counter with hot cocoa pods would work great. Ive even seen recipes for crock pot hot coca which would be fun if you’re setting this up for a crowd. I love the idea of an electric kettle to instantly add hot water or milk to the cocoa powder if you choose that option. And there are so many cute electric kettle options!
Toppings- Again, the options are endless. I kept it simple with pink marshmallows and chocolate pretzel rods but you could add candy canes, whipped cream, chocolate chips, caramel syrup, and chocolate syrup
Flowers – While this certainly isn’t essential, I think it’s fun to add some height, personality, and a pop of color with a decorative vase.
BONUS – A framed printable to place in your designated hot cocoa bar space is a sweet way to let everyone know they can help themselves. You can include all the toppings in the frame, or just simply a ‘happy holiday’s printable, or a winter related graphic.