Frozen whipped cream cubes for holiday hot chocolate! Make ahead and keep in the freezer for festive drinks all season long. A new Christmas dessert, sponsored by International Delight.
When the weather turns cold and the holidays are upon us, there’s nothing like snuggling up with a cup of something warm, creamy and delicious. Like Hot Cocolate! Today we’re pouring a mug of the good stuff and topping it with festive whipped cream cubes. These fun little toppers start with homemade whipped cream that’s frozen and then punched with a cookie cutter. Didn’t know you could freeze whipped cream? Why, yes you can! Once cut out, these whipped cream toppers are ready to float happily on your next cup of hot cocoa. Make a batch now, store in the freezer and enjoy festive holiday drinks all season long. They’re the perfect treat for snow days, unexpected neighbor visits, cookie exchanges and just chilling by the fireplace.
To make things even easier, we used International Delight’s new Hot Chocolate! For years, International Delight has brought us seasonal favorites like Pumpkin Pie Spice, White Chocolate Raspberry and now they’ve added a delicious new Hot Chocolate to the holiday lineup. Your family will love to warm up with the taste of milk chocolate, made with real milk, sugar and cocoa. Just heat in the microwave for a rich, creamy treat that you can enjoy in seconds. Toss in one of your pre-made whipped cream cubes and show this holiday season who’s boss!
WHIPPED CREAM CUBES
a recipe by Carrie Sellman
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Baking Tray
Parchment Paper
Festive Cookie Cutters
Chill metal mixing bowl and beater/whisk in freezer for 15 minutes. Pour cream and sugar into bowl and mix on medium speed just until firm peaks form.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper and spread whipped cream out into an even layer. Freeze for several hours or overnight until completely firm.
Using a cookie cutter that is smaller than your mug, cut out shapes from the solid whipped cream.
A few tips to make the cutting process go smoothly! Between each cut out, dip the cutter into a bowl of hot water to clean off any excess whipped cream that builds up on the cutter. Shake off excess water and proceed to the next cut. Also, if your sheet of whipped cream starts to thaw and get soft, pop it back in the freezer for a few minutes to become solid again. Last but not least, my gingerbread man cookie cutter had a plunger which helps release the cutout. And it left those cute little imprints!
Place shapes on a separate baking tray lined with parchment paper. Once all your shapes have been cut, place tray in freezer to solidify the shapes. Once your cutouts are completely solid again, repackage into a freezer-safe container to store.
Whenever you’re ready to enjoy a cup of hot cocoa, simply heat up a mug of International Delight Hot Chocolate and top with your adorable whipped cream cube. Use a spoon to lower it into the mug, so it doesn’t flip over. Serve with a cinnamon stick or peppermint stick for extra fun!
Be sure to hop over to InternationalDelight.com and share how International Delight helps you capture the spirit of the season for a chance to win a holiday brunch for friends and family hosted by International Delight!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight. The opinions and text are all mine. Recipe and photography by Carrie Sellman for TheCakeBlog.com.
YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY:
Hot Chocolate Cake
Birch Log Cake
Christmas Cupcake Wreath
Easy Poinsettia Cakes
Pie Crust Cookies
What a great idea! The kids will love this and it won’t make a huge mess 😀
I cannot wait to try this! Thank you for sharing! 😄
This is brilliant! I prefer whipped cream over marshmallows in my hot chocolate, and these little guys are adorable!
Where can I find the cookie cutter with a plunger?
There’s a link to purchase the cookie cutter set in our supply list above. Enjoy!
I was going to ask the same question!
Maybe Pampered Chef???
Hi Cathy – they were purchased on Amazon. There’s a link to the cookie cutter set in the supply list above. Here it is again in case you can’t find it above: Festive Cookie Cutters
These are adorable! What a great idea! We are huge fans of hot cocoa so these are definitely going onto our to do list! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks Gwen, hope you enjoy!
A very fun idea. Thanks very much (I had no idea you could freeze whipped cream)
Thanks David! Yes, freezing whipped cream works surprisingly well!
Carrie, this is such an adorable and easy idea! i can’t wait to try it!
Love this, very clever idea! Going to try this.
Ahh love this cant wait to try this!
Going to pour the whipped cream straight into ice cube trays and see how that works
I guess this is probably taboo on a baking site, but will this work with store bought (tub) whipped cream topping?
Yes, it would probably work just fine! If you try it, let us know how it goes!
This is wonderful for people with corn allergies. Marshmallows are made from corn… so those kids – and adults – get left out. What a wonderful and fun substitution!!
Wow this is so unique, I LOVE it!! I like how you made this whipped cream from scratch. It much more healthy and allergy friendly. Great idea, I’m sure this is a hit during Winter!
Love this! How long can they be left out before losing their shape? I’m thinking of doing this next week for a cookie exchange 🙂
Sorry Christy, I’m not sure. They sat out for quite awhile while I was photographing this post, without losing their shape. But I haven’t pushed the limits to see how long they’d last. Enjoy your cookie exchange!
What a great idea! Was wondering how you got the faces on them.
Thanks Amy! My gingerbread man cookie cutter those cute little face imprints! You could probably replicate the look using a toothpick. Or you can go the easy route and get some Festive Cookie Cutters like the gingerbread man I used.
This might sound like a silly question. Do you think I could use these to put around the bottom of a hot chocolate cake?
That is a fun idea Cherie, but I’m afraid they won’t hold up that well for you. Whipped cream in general can lose it’s shape when used as a garnish on cakes or cupcakes. You could add some gelatin to your whipped cream to help stabilize it though.
We also have this Hot Chocolate Cake which uses homemade marshmallow fluff around the bottom, which is another fun alternative. =)
I just came across the plunger cookie cutters at Michaels and just had to get it in order to create these. I have been having some issues. I just pulled it my tray from the freezer and for some reason it won’t ‘cut.’ I keep trying but wont hold shape. It just moves. What am I doing wrong?
This is such a fantastic idea – love it! It looks adorable, too. thank you!!
Was curious how long it takes for these to melt or loose shape of left out at a hot cocoa bar?
How long will they stay fresh in the freezer?
Just saw this on Pinterest. It’s such a cute idea and since I don’t like marshmallow, it’s a wonderfully fun replacement!