Hot Cocoa Cold Brew Coffee

Iced coffee in December sounds like a contradiction and yet here we are and I am completely unapologetic about it. I am a year round iced coffee person and the second the holiday season hits I want my cold brew to taste like Christmas. This hot cocoa cold brew is exactly that. Smooth cold brew stirred with chocolate syrup and vanilla, topped with a fluffy homemade hot cocoa cold foam and finished with mini marshmallows. It is rich, chocolatey, and festive in the most satisfying way and it has genuinely become my favorite holiday drink order to make at home every single morning in December.

The hot cocoa cold foam is what makes this recipe stand out from just pouring chocolate syrup into cold brew and calling it a day. Heavy cream, cocoa powder, a little sugar, and a tiny pinch of salt frothed together until thick and creamy and piled right on top of the cold brew. That pinch of salt is small but it does something really important — it enhances the chocolate flavor and keeps the foam from tasting flat. The foam melts slowly into the drink as you sip it and gives you this rich chocolatey flavor in every single sip from the first one all the way to the last.

The chocolate syrup drizzled on the inside of the cup before anything else goes in is the aesthetic detail that makes this look like something from a specialty coffee shop. Takes three seconds and makes the whole drink look absolutely stunning in a glass. Layer in your cold brew and vanilla syrup, add ice, pour on the cold foam, and top with mini marshmallows for that hot cocoa moment that makes this feel genuinely festive. It is cozy and cold at the same time which is exactly what I want from a December morning coffee.

This hot cocoa cold brew coffee is the holiday drink recipe for the iced coffee people, the ones who refuse to switch to hot drinks just because it is winter, and anyone who has ever wished their morning coffee tasted more like Christmas. Five minutes, everyday ingredients, and a coffee that makes getting out of bed on a cold December morning feel like a very good idea.

Hot Cocoa Cold Brew Coffee

A festive iced hot cocoa cold brew made with smooth cold brew coffee stirred with chocolate syrup and vanilla syrup, topped with a homemade hot cocoa cold foam made from heavy cream, cocoa powder, and a pinch of salt, and finished with mini marshmallows. Rich, chocolatey, and ready in five minutes. The holiday coffee drink for year round iced coffee lovers.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Servings 1

Ingredients

  

For the cold brew base:

• 1 cup cold brew
• 1-2 Tbs chocolate syrup or 1 tbsp cocoa powder + 1 tbsp hot water
• 1-2 tsp vanilla syrup optional, but balances the chocolate
• Ice

For the hot cocoa cold foam:

• ¼ cup heavy cream or half & half for lighter foam
• 1 tsp cocoa powder
• 1-2 tsp sugar or vanilla syrup
• Pinch of salt tiny — enhances the chocolate flavor

Optional toppings:

• Mini marshmallows
• Cocoa powder dusting
• Chocolate drizzle

Instructions

 

• Drizzle your cup with chocolate syrup
• Add 1 Tbs chocolate syrup and 1/2 Tbs vanilla syrup to the bottom of your cup.
• Add cold brew and stir to combine.
• Add ice and a splash of milk

To make the chocolate cold foam:

• In a small bowl add heavy whipping cream, cocoa powder, vanilla and salt and froth until thick and creamy.
• Top your cold brew with the chocolate cold foam and top with mini marshmallows or chocolate sauce or chocolate shavings. Enjoy!

Keyword coffee, holiday