Tasty nibbles to pair with hot chocolate at Christmas

A mug of silky Velvetised hot chocolate is our go-to winter pick-me-up. Pair yours with these scrumptious nibbles

At Hotel Chocolat, we always look forward to the festive season for one key reason. Not only is it Christmas filled with fun, family, and fantastic food, it’s also a holiday brimming with opportunities to enjoy soothing, smooth hot chocolate.

The holidays offer a time for rest, recuperation, and embracing the best things about winter. For us, that means curling up with a good book and a warming cup of hot chocolate in hand. It means using our Velvetiser every day to whip up the creamiest drinking chocolates for friends and family. And it means indulging in some deletable Christmas chocolates and festive nibbles.

To help you make the most of hot chocolate season and discover the best festive flavour combinations, here are some tasty nibbles to pair with your Christmas hot chocolate…

Christmas hot chocolate and nibble pairings

With so many hot chocolate flavours to choose from, we think it’s only appropriate to specially select your nibbles according to your hot chocolate grade and ingredients. Some pairs are just a perfect match! Here are some that we feel are just heavenly. Sample these together and fall in love with how the flavours combine and melt in your mouth.

Try a different duo every day and see how your pairs compare.

Mince Pie Hot Chocolate

Our Mince Pie Hot Chocolate is perhaps our most quintessentially festive drinking chocolate in our collection. No treat embodies Christmas more than a mince pie — and this hot chocolate brings all those succulent, fragrant notes you get from a bite of the real thing.

Aromatic cinnamon ushers in those cosy feelings, while juicy raisin triggers nostalgic memories of Christmas cake and other festive desserts. Each sip is guaranteed to warm your cockles.

Pair it with…

Of course, the pairing for this hot chocolate is obvious. We recommend enjoying it with a real mince pie. Have a go at baking your own to fill your house with the most delicious baking smells.

And if you want to give your hot chocolate an edge with some vodka tipple, add a shot of our Velvetised Chocolate Cream.

Vanilla White Hot Chocolate

For those who prefer white hot chocolate, our 36% creamy white chocolate flakes are your ticket to a lighter chocolate beverage, with all the nuanced notes and full-bodied creaminess of a milk hot chocolate.

This is our luxurious house white chocolate with a hint of Madagascan vanilla. We can’t get enough of its silky texture — thanks to a lustrous high cocoa butter content, the secret to creating a truly creamy drinking chocolate.

Pair it with…

Stick with the festive theme and enjoy this hot chocolate with our adorable White Chocolate Penguins or White Chocolate Reindeer Sleigh Team. Of course, adults can enjoy these creamy chocolates, but if you’ll be treating your little ones to a mug of this hot chocolate, these playful Christmas characters are sure to make a great impression.

We also think that this hot chocolate tastes beautiful with our luxury biscuits — particularly our crumbly and sumptuously soft Chocolat Shortbreads.

Salted Caramel & Clementine Hot Chocolate

Embrace a harmonious blend of citrus and caramel notes in our Salted Caramel & Clementine Hot Chocolate.

It’s the ideal Christmas hot chocolate for those who adore the sweet flavours of dulce de leche, a rich cacao base, and the zesty aroma of clementine and Seville orange. Not too sweet, but based on a sublime festive flavour combination.

Pair it with…

Enjoy with a plain Caramel Chocolate Slab for an extra dose of golden deliciousness. For those who really adore oranges at Christmas, you could even pair this hot chocolate with a fresh, juicy clementine.

Alternatively, for a dose of chocolate and real orange, nibble on our Chocolate Orange Tangs — pure orange juice enrobed in our house dark chocolate.

Classic 70% Dark Hot Chocolate

This is our perfectly balanced dark hot chocolate. With a 70% cacao percentage, it’s not too sweet but not too intense. Smooth, elegant, and brimming with rich tones from West African cacao beans, it’s no wonder it has won awards in London and Copenhagen.

Pair it with…

As our Classic 70% Dark Hot Chocolate has a pure cacao base, it’s great for pairing with most flavours. We love dipping some of our Winter Pudding chocolates into this drinking chocolate. These chocolate renditions of classic Christmas desserts will add a new festive flavour to your beverage with each sip. From Apple Strudel to Treacle Tart, there’s a gorgeous array of treats to sample in this Sleekster.

Nutmilk 45% Vegan* Hot Chocolate

If you’re dairy-free or vegan, you can still spend Yuletide sipping delectable hot chocolate. Just try our luxurious Nutmilk 45% Vegan* Hot Chocolate, made with finely milled hazelnuts instead of milk. It exudes all the creaminess of classic milk hot chocolates, but it gets all it’s body and richness from this very special nut. And with 45% cacao, it still packs a punch in the chocolate department. Creamy, subtly nutty, full of flavour — this one is a special treat for anyone following a plant-based diet.

Whip up with your dairy-free milk of choice. we adore subtly sweet oat milk or hazelnut milk if you want to stick with a nutty flavour palate.

Pair it with…

Browse our vegan* chocolates to find a dairy-free treat that’s up your street. We think our Nutmilk hot chocolate and a bite of our Vegan* Festive Wreath is a rather grand pair — providing lots of crunch and a burst of caramel and succulent cherry. We also adore this one with our vegan-friendly Dark Chocolate Covered Ginger. Just one or two dips with add a dose of warming spice to your beverage.

Set up your Velvetiser, choose your milk, and away you go. Fill up your elegant Coffee Mugs , the richest, creamiest hot chocolate is on its way.

*Please note: we believe our dark and Nutmilk chocolate is suitable for vegans, however as it is made in the same environment as our milk chocolate, we cannot guarantee it is free from milk.

Giving the gift of hot chocolate this Christmas

Know another hot chocolate lover in your life? Treat them to the gift of gorgeous, high-cacao drinking chocolate this year. Take a look at our wide range of flavours and find their favourite. Or why not introduce them to our more unique drinking chocolates like Hazelnut Praline, Black Forest Gateau, and Chilli Dark?

The Velvetiser

You could even set them up with their own Velvetiser hot chocolate station. Imagined and brought to you by a chocolatier, this at-home hot chocolate maker will provide them with creamy, smooth, barista-grade hot chocolate at the touch of a button.

Explore our different Velvetiser colours and choose one that matches their kitchen decor. They’ll adore being able to whip up a mug of rich, decadent hot chocolate whenever the craving arises.

Velvetiser and hot chocolate hampers

If you looking to give a truly show-stopping hot chocolate bundle, our Velvetiser Experience Chocolate Hamper is the ultimate festive gift box for any drinking chocolate devotee.

For slightly less extravagant hot chocolate gifts, take a peek at our Moment For Yourself: Hug & A Mug Collection and Taste: Most Wanted Collection.

Christmas hot chocolate gifts and treats from Hotel Chocolat

For more festive treats, see our Christmas chocolate collection. Here you’ll find everything from Christmas Gift Boxes to Stocking Fillers.

Whether you’re browsing Christmas presents for family, friends, or colleagues, you’re sure to find the perfect chocolate gift for any recipient.