Icy Dollops

So yesterday in my post I talked about a hot chocolate bar with toppings like mini marshmallows, chocolate chips, and peppermint pieces. But I left out one special topping because I felt it needed its very own post (and subsequent Pinterest pin), it was just THAT good. Not to mention my #1 fan and party guest demanded it! When you’re a kid and you go to a diner for breakfast and the waitress asks you what you want to drink, the no fail answer is hot chocolate, at least it was for me. And then she asks you a question that makes your eyes light up and a grin spread across your face all the while as you give her this incredulous “do you even have to ask” look. The question? “Do you want whipped cream?” Because I ask you, what is hot chocolate without whipped cream? If you’ve never made your own whipped cream I urge you, beg of you to try it, it’s so simple and once you’ve had the real thing you’ll never go back to the can again or dare I say it…the tub. Most of that stuff isn’t even good, let alone real dairy. All you need is heavy whipping cream, confectioners sugar, and a mixer (or a whisk if you’re hard core and have arms like Madonna). The measurements and ratios vary depending on the amount of whipped cream you’re making and the desired sweetness. But I promise you, you’ll figure it out. Just put the two ingredients into a bowl and whip, rotating the mixer and letting as much air into the cream as possible until stiff peaks form. Translation: when you lift the whisk out of the cream little white baby mountain peaks should rise from the bowl and stay there, that means it’s done. So back to my genius idea that prompted me to dedicate an entire post to it. (I’m discovering that I write the same way I clean house, one minute I’m unloading the dishwasher and the next I’m in my closet going through my scarves and thinking, how did I get here? I get distracted easily…which is why this post is so long and my house is so disorganized!) I knew I wanted fresh whipped cream for the hot chocolate bar but didn’t want to stand there scooping out dollops of cream for all my guests. The solution? Frozen whipped cream! Simply put the whipped cream into a piping bag (or invert it into a ziplock like I do, it’s mess free!), cut the tip off (or if you want to be fancy, attach a piping tip like the star tip), and pipe small dollops (you have the dollops of daisy sour cream jingle in your head don’t you, don’t you?!?) of cream onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Pop it in the freezer for at least an hour and when it’s time to serve the cocoa, not only do you have ready made single serve fresh whipped cream, but it’s the perfect cool down to make that hot chocolate deliciously drinkable!