Custom DIY Hot Cocoa on a Stick Wedding Favors

Guests love favors that they can take home and enjoy in the days or weeks after your wedding, and we have just the thing! This recipe, adapted from King Arthur Flour, is easy to make – and oh-so-tasty! With only a handful of ingredients, these favors will be easy to make, and still look amazing. Package in clear boxes or cellophane bags tied with colorful twine and watch the child-like joy in your guests’ faces as they enjoy these sweet treats. You may want to leave some out at your coffee bar for guests to enjoy during your reception, because they are not going to want to wait to break into these.

Recipe for Hot Cocoa on a Stick

Yields 36 – 48 blocks (It all depends on how large you cut them)

Ingredients:

½ Cup Heavy Cream

14-Ounce Can Sweetened Condensed Milk (1 1/4 cups)

3 Cups Semisweet Chocolate (chopped chocolate bars or chips)

3/4 Cup Unsweetened Baking Chocolate

Plastic or Wooden Sticks (We used personalized swizzle sticks for a special touch!)

Line an 8" x 8" pan with parchment paper.

Heat the cream and condensed milk in a crock pot, on a low setting, until steaming – about 1-1.5 hours.  

We chose to use a crockpot so that we could work on some pretty packaging while the cream and condensed milk were warming. It also helped to keep the chocolate from burning, and keeps a nice even temperature throughout the entire process.

Once the cream and condensed milk are steaming, add both the semisweet and unsweetened chocolate. 

Stir gently to mix and cover the crockpot. Allow the chocolate to gradually melt with the lid on for about 10 minutes. 

Remove the lid and whisk vigorously until the chocolate has melted completely and the mixture is thick and shiny. 

Pour the chocolate mixture into the pan lined with parchment paper. Shake the pan gently to level. Set aside overnight to slowly set up, and then pop in the fridge for a bit to firm up before cutting. (If you want yours to set up more quickly, place in the refrigerator for a few hours until firm.)

Lift out of the pan using the parchment paper, and then turn out onto a clean cutting surface.

Cut off any rough edges to get make sure all of your cubes are smooth. Slice into ½” cubes. (You will need 2-3 blocks for each mug of milk at this size, but they melt more easily than larger cubes. If you would rather just cut them larger, that works too!) Heat a knife in hot water and wipe dry before each cut for smoothest cuts.

Stick a plastic or wooden stir stick into the center of each block.

Swirl into steaming hot milk – make sure it is steaming!

Add marshmallows if desired. Enjoy!

If you're feeling adventurous, we love these variations:

While the chocolate is melting, add a few drops of flavoring oil if you like; hazelnut, coffee, and vanilla are popular flavors.

Once you pour the mixture into the pan and smooth it out, sprinkle with cocoa powder.

After cut, roll in cocoa or crushed peppermint candy.

Add marshmallows to the top of each block using a dot of melted chocolate under each marshmallow, or add before your chocolate mixture sets up all the way.

Note: Hot cocoa on a stick will keep at room temperature for two weeks in an airtight container. If you are making them for your wedding and you want to keep them longer, put them in an airtight container and pop them in the fridge or in the freezer, where they will keep up to 30 days.

Speaking from experience, these are absolutely delicious - so much more smooth and creamy than powdered cocoa! You can also get really creative with your packaging! To order custom printed plastic or wooden swizzle sticks, click here.

Ideas for Winter Wedding Centerpieces

The winter months will soon be here and Jack Frost will be nipping at our noses. It is time to start planning your winter wedding and thinking about winter wedding centerpieces. Winter weddings leave you with many color options. You can do the traditional red and green or silver and blue but really any color is expectable as long as you give it a little winter flair. Here are a few ideas for winter wedding centerpieces.

Flowers: Popular wedding flowers for winter weddings are roses, carnations, calla lilies, poinsettias and hydrangeas. With most of the flowers listed you can choose from a large color pallet and make beautiful flower center pieces. Red roses make the most beautiful centerpieces but can also be very expensive. Adding a few white and/or red poinsettias to your tables would be much more cost efficient and with a little ribbon or color stone accessories they can be the most gorgeous centerpieces.

Candles: Using candles of various shapes and sizes on a mirror or large plate is an excellent way to create a unique centerpiece. Candles add a sense of sophistication to any atmosphere and are also very romantic. Position your candles on your table and then you can add different color Christmas tree bulbs to the arrangement to give it a sense of whimsy and also add that winter feel.

Christmas bulbs: I love the variety available when using Christmas bulbs for centerpieces. For a winter themed wedding they would be a welcome part of any centerpiece. Just filling a glass bowl with different color Christmas bulbs can make lovely centerpieces. This is easy and economical.

Pine cones: Pine cones are also a great item to use for center pieces. You can add pine cones to your small trees, flowers or around your candles depending on what kind of centerpiece you decide to use. Placing pieces or pine branches, pine cones and holy pieces around a few small votive candles can make a dramatic and beautiful center piece that will keep your guest talking for weeks.

Pine Trees: I would love to walk into a reception hall that was completely decorated with Christmas trees. This is probably not in everyone’s budget. You can purchase small inexpensive pine tress for your tables and add decorations or simply spray them with a white coating and add twinkle lights. Adding a beaded snowflake ornament to your tree centerpieces can work as your decoration and favor. Simply add a card to each table asking your guest to take an ornament home with them and you have killed 2 birds with one stone.

No matter what centerpiece idea you come up with, just be sure to keep it unique to your winter wedding theme. Happy planning ladies!

Carrie

DIY Winter Wedding Favors To Impress Your Guests

Every bride and groom dreams of a wedding reception that their guests will ooh and ahh over the minute they walk through the door.  Choosing the right wedding favor for your guests will go a long way in making this dream come true.  Your wedding favors are the time to say that heartfelt thank you to loved ones and to capture the atmosphere of your big day.  For your winter wedding favors, make your vision a reality with these unique DIY favor ideas that are sure to impress your guests.

1) Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm...

Nothing says from the heart more than an edible homemade treat.  Great winter treat ideas are items like hot cocoa mixes, gift wrapped cookie trays, chocolate covered peppermint sticks, or Russian tea cakes (a.k.a snowballs).  When making edible treats for guests, be sure to do your research on the ingredients included in your recipe.  Find out how long your ingredients will hold and if they will freeze well.  This way you will know how far in advance to start your baking.  It is also best to leave out any extra ingredients associated with common food allergies like peanuts.  Be sure to clearly write out your ingredients on a label for your loved ones.  Russian tea cake image courtesy of ohhowposh.com.  Get the recipe here.

2) Tree Saplings

Great for a more rustic winter wedding, tree saplings are eco-friendly and are a unique twist on the everyday wedding favor.  For winter, give your guests a pine tree sapling so they can plant it in remembrance of your special day.  Such a wonderful story for your friends and family to tell others, your loved ones will think of you as they watch their tree grow over time. Don't forget to plant one yourself and watch as your tree blossoms right along with your marriage.  Image via Nancy Gould Photography.

3) For the holidays

Holiday themed winter weddings are becoming increasingly more popular and have opened up a whole new can of adorable favor ideas.  Think ornaments, extravagantly wrapped gifts, Christmas trees, and stockings.  Be creative and play off of common holiday songs and poems like the The Twelve Days of Christmas or Favorite Things from The Sound of Music.  One great DIY holiday favor idea uses the poem The Twelve Days of Christmas.  Assign each guest table with one of the days from the poem.  At your guest place settings for that table leave them the gift for that day (ornaments are a great way to pull this off and are reusable).  For the first day/table, you would give your guests a partridge in a pear tree.  For the second day/table, leave your guests a turtle dove, etc., etc.  (If you do not have assigned seating you could always opt to use all the days of Christmas at each table instead of splitting up the days but that choice is yours).  12 Days of Christmas Ornaments courtesy of Crate and Barrel.

To see other winter favors ideas, check out our collection of winter wedding favors and as always....

Happy Planning!

Allie

Must Have Winter Wedding Favors

Winter is just a few months away and many people are planning Winter Weddings. Today, more and more couples are bypassing the busy spring and summer months in exchange for a whimsical winter wedding. You can create your very own Winter-Wedding Wonderland with winter themed wedding favors.

Wedding Favors serve a variety of purposes - you can thank your guests for attending the wedding, the favors can serve as a special reminder of your wedding day, or they can showcase your interests and/or wedding theme.

Consider a less-is-more approach to your color palette: Silver and white are classic colors and would add some serious glamour to your winter wedding. Use some adorable favors such as the snowflake place card holders or Silver Snowflake Votive Candle Holder.

From snowflake bookmarks to winter-themed place card frames, there is a long list of favors to choose from for your winter wedding! You can find favors to match a glittery snowflake design or go with a more traditional favor.

Another great favor option is a winter-themed bottle stopper. Many guests will be entertaining during the holiday season, and their parties will almost certainly include a bottle or two of wine. Send guests home with a unique bottle stopper from your wedding, and not only can you help keep their leftover wine fresh, you can also create a conversation piece at their next gathering.