'Tis the Season for Starbucks' New Hot Cocoas

It’s a veritable Christmas cookie Cocoa-copia.

By Ethan L. Johns
November 21, 2017

Image: Starbucks

First came the holiday cups, with their color-it-yourself design and message of giving and sharing. Then came the holiday coffee brews to go inside them and the snowman cake pops on the side. Now, Starbucks is bringing out the chocolatey guns, with four very special takes on every child’s favorite winter libation: hot cocoa.

Oh, did we mention that these are not just simple hot chocolates? Oh no; if hot chocolate and Christmas cookies got together to make a little flavor baby, these milky-rich delights would be what popped out of the pour spout. Tip me over, baby, because you’re about to hear me shout for joy as I dive headfirst into my molten chocolate swimming pool.

The pièce de résistance for this quadruple-cup carouse is the brand-new Toffee Almondmilk Hot Cocoa, which features steamed almond milk with a mocha sauce and toffee nut syrup, topped with a fluffy blanket of flagellated cream. You know that crunchy, blowtorched layer on top of caramel crème brulée? Starbucks picked that stuff off the delicious dessert, and sprinkled it on your hot cocoa. Hot dang.

The Toffee Almondmilk Hot Cocoa joins the coffee joint’s lineup of classics, which include Peppermint Hot Cocoa (made with peppermint syrup and topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings), Snickerdoodle Hot Cocoa (featuring a cinnamon dolce syrup and a cinnamon sugar dusting) and Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa (caramel sauce with turbinado sugar and sea salt? yes please!).

If you want to make these cocoas at home, you can buy the mix packets and special K-Cup pods at your neighborhood Starbucks.

Warm your icicle fingers and get them while they’re hot!

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About Ethan L. Johns

Ethan is the Food News Writer at Genius Kitchen. An expert on the Parisian bistrot, he likes bitters and salted butters, and is no fan of dessert unless it's made with fruit. His hobbies include reading up on the history of borscht and attempting to roll perfect couscous by hand. Twits & Instagram @EthanLJohns