Celebrate National Hot Cocoa Day with Cocoa Bombs and Marshmallow Flowers

Say a fond farewell to January and a friendly howdy-do to February with chocolate. National Hot Cocoa Day is on January 31 and National Dark Chocolate Day is on February 1, 2021. What a sweet way to begin the new year.

Did you know that Americans eat 2.8 billion pounds of of chocolate per year? We absolutely love it! Some consider it the “fifth food group” and eat it in some form every single day. Chocolate releases endorphins which makes us feel happy, encouraging us to connect with our inner child. Remember sitting around a camp fire sipping hot cocoa and licking a double scoop chocolate ice cream cone? Make those memories come alive on these special chocolate holidays.

When we think about hot cocoa Hershey’s immediately comes to mind. Hershey, Pennsylvania is where Milton Hershey built his first chocolate factory. Did you know that there is a road in Hershey that is called “Chocolate Avenue”? According to Wikipedia, this road is located near the site of the original Hershey’s Chocolate Factory and is lined with street lamps that are shaped like Hershey’s Kisses. The first Hershey chocolate bar was introduced in 1900 and the tagline was “There’s a smile in every Hershey Bar”.

Cocoa Bombs are a splendid way to treat yourself on National Hot Cocoa Day and makes a festive gift for your friends too!

Something else that will make us smile are cocoa bombs! They are all the rage these days and with good reason. Yummy chocolate shell surrounding cocoa mix and tiny marshmallows.  Add to hot milk or coffee to make a delicious and delightful cocoa that is as much fun to make as it is to drink! Find them at your local candy shop or bakery or you can make them yourself. You can add multi-color tiny marshmallows, white, milk or dark mini chocolate chips and sprinkles to your homemade bombs. Another fabulous trend is the Hot Cocoa Flower Marshmallow Bombs that look like a closed flower, then open up into a pretty marshmallow flower when placed in hot cocoa.

Dark chocolate gives us even more good reasons to celebrate.  According to Medical News Today, it is good for our hearts because it contains polyphenols, which help reduce LDL cholesterol and lower blood pressure. It also contains many nutrients including fiber, iron, magnesium, copper, potassium, phosphorus, zinc.

Incorporate more dark chocolate into your diet with luscious dark chocolate hot cocoa mix for National Hot Cocoa Day or incorporate some dark chocolate chips into your homemade cookies and brownies.

Do you eat chocolate everyday or just as a special treat? What is your favorite hot cocoa flavor? Do you prefer mini marshmallows or the big fluffy ones?