Spiked Hazelnut Hot Chocolate – Cocktail of the Week

Some snow this morning and chilly temps means we are all heading to the couch, blanket in hand, ready to cozy up with a warm drink.

We all know nothing makes you feel warmer than a nice little buzz!

Weather like this screams for hot chocolate, so why not have some fun with it?

Maria Ziesche, Flickr

Sure you could go with a packet of Swiss Miss and a shot of vanilla vodka or creme de cacao, but let's kick it up a notch!

Ingredients:

1.5 oz Frangelico hazenut liqueur
8 oz. milk
2 tbls. Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread
whipped cream (to garnish)
toasted hazelnuts or cocoa powder (to garnish)

Heat the milk and Nutella in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until it is well blended. Be careful not to let it boil, or it will taste funky. When it's well blended, and warm enough for your liking (I'm not a fan of super-hot bevs) pour it into a big mug, and stir in the Frangelico. Top with whipped cream and toasted hazelnuts!

(Obviously for the kiddos and teetotalers, leave out the booze, and the hot chocolate is still amazingly good.)

Switch it up:

Use caramel liqueur or Irish cream instead of Frangelico.
Add marshmallow vodka to give you a little bit of the traditional hot chocolate taste.
Use a fruity liqueur like Chambord for a 'fruit and nut' hot chocolate!