If you’re from the Midwest like me, you know winter hardly ever ends around February. The snow and sludge last into a grey drudgery that creeps into the early spring months of March and April. Lucky for us, that means the hot chocolate season lasts a little longer serving as the perfect excuse to indulge in a nice velvety cup of hot cocoa richness. Here are the 5 best places to escape the persistent winter weather, and slip into creamy bliss.
Katherine Anne Confections
Want something a little bit bolder than your typical cup of cocoa? Then welcome to Katherine Anne’s. Situated in Logan Square with an extensive online selection, this little boutique of bite-sized desserts churns out the richest and most decadent chocolates. Try your hand at a green tea and grapefruit caramel, or Manhattan cocktail truffle and you won’t be disappointed. Their hot chocolate flavors are no different. Elevated from the class of cocoa, Katherine Anne’s adopts a more decadent approach: selling drinking chocolate. Different than a powdered mixture of sugar and cocoa powder, Katherine Anne’s pours hot milk or cream over real chocolate pieces; creating a thicker, but oh so luscious texture. My personal favorite is the sweet and toasty salted caramel that’s flaked with bits of fleur de sel or the gingerbread, spicy and sweet it tastes like cookie dough in a cup. Don’t forget to top it with one of their spongy homemade marshmallows!
Only Child Chocolate Co
Sometimes we all lose our inner child, but it’s okay because Yana Yakhnes has got you covered. Rekindle backyard spelunking adventures of childhood, with Dino Dig an interactive cocoa experiment. A warmly spiced cocoa mix leaves you searching for nutty and toasted white chocolate skeleton bones, which come together to resemble a dinosaur. Remember when your parents said don’t play with your food? Well, ignore them and sift through this mixture of fun and flavor.
Bombobar
Sometimes, it’s not about what’s in the cup it’s about what’s on top. At least that’s the mantra behind Bombobar’s seriously stacked hot cocoa cups. Here in the West Loop, you get your cocoa and then some. Try the Chocoholic, which floats a waffle bowl above your cocoa filled with moon pie, caramel, Oreo, and Stroopwafel treasures. Or maybe you like your chocolate with a little vanilla, so the cookies n’ cream’s oreo whip cream and chocolate drizzle are more up your alley. Either way these cups are called Hotter Chocolates for a reason.
Clementine’s Naughty and Nice Creamery
A local St. Louis favorite, Clementine’s Creamery has been churning out naughty and nice ice cream flavors for over seven years. This year, however, they added another saucy sweet to their menu’s accolade, the Tik Tok trended hot chocolate bomb. The hot milk’s slight fracturing of a perfectly tempered chocolate shell resembles the hatching of an egg, and add’s a little theater to your everyday mug. If you’re feeling sweet opt for the classic Milk Chocolate Bomb, dusted with red glitter and filled with Valrhona chocolate. In the naughtier mood…well then the Chocolate Cherry Bomb’s mixture of cherry vodka and chocolate liqueur is sure to tickle your fancy.
Xo Marshmallow
When the weather warms up, we’ve got you covered. Xo Marshmallow, the world’s first-ever Marshmallow cafe, is selling frozen hot chocolates to pair with that perfect spring weather (that we know will get here eventually). Sick of just chocolate? Try the Luck O’ Charms frozen mint white hot chocolate, topped with an adorably shaped clover marshmallow. Though if you’re a die-hard chocolate fan, there’s also the original Frozen Hot Chocolate.
All in all, Hot Chocolate, is more than just a winter food: hot or cold, toppings or plain, drinking versus cocoa, it’s a great big world out there. So don’t wait to try them all.