It's officially cozy season! Or rather, unofficially cozy season. Perhaps the first day of winter is the first official day? Either way, the temperatures have been dipping low lately and I've been craving all the comforts of warm food and drink. What better way to enjoy it than by creating a DIY hot cocoa bar? I'd have to say adding cute touches with dollar store supplies and the goodness of vitality oils is the way to do that. Let's make a deliciously simple hot cocoa bar together.

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What really makes this hot cocoa bar special are the ultra easy to make risers using dollar store wooden crates. It makes it so easy to display everything in a cute way. Of course you can glue them in any configuration that works best for your space. 

I chose to paint them in Velvet Finishes' paint in the color tranquil because it dries fast, dries smooth, and is the prettiest color. I'm planning on keeping my hot cocoa bar up well past the holidays so I chose a color I enjoy having out at all times. And while the adorable red trucks are holiday ornaments, they're perfect for the whole winter season.

In the glass jars, I chose three different mug fillings - instant cocoa mix, chocolate chips, and chocolate cookies. There's so many options though! Peppermint chips and marshmallows would be equally delightful. And to bring something different to the hot cocoa bar experience, I crushed chocolate chip cookies and graham crackers and filled salt and pepper shakers with it. 

What are your favorite hot cocoa add ins?

For flavorings, I went through my vitality oil collection and chose my favorites for hot cocoa season: cinnamon bark, ginger, nutmeg, peppermint and thieves blend. I've already tried them all and have mixed and matched too. They're all delightful!

Vitality oils are ultra concentrated sources of flavor. For a mug of hot cocoa, you'll just need a tooth pick dipped into the oil and swirled into the cocoa. A full drop would be too much. To make this convenient, I took the top off of a salt and pepper shaker and filled it with toothpicks. 

Supplies: