A hot chocolate bar is something that everyone loves. But I have always thought it is too much work when hosting a party. That was until my neighbor across the street threw one together for a party we were having and I was surprised how easy it really was. So, here’s some quick tips to throw one at your next winter gathering.

#1 Gather your ingredients

The beauty of hot chocolate bars is that you can add whatever you would like. Here’s what I included in mine:

Of course, you don’t have to buy a coffee urn, you can just use an insulated thermos.

hot chocolate ingredients — Piles of crushed candy canes, Andes mints and mini marshmallows.

#2 Make chocolate dipping spoons

Dipping spoons add that special touch that is a definite crowd pleaser. There’s not very difficult. Check out this website for the details. But basically, you warm chocolate chips in 20-second intervals in the microwave, dip plastic spoons in the melted chocolate and then sprinkle with crushed sweets. I would give it a few hours for them to dry.

My kids had fun. Check out this video:

#3 Assemble hot chocolate bar

All you will need is a small table to set up your hot chocolate bar. I added a couple of decorations and put all of my dipping spoons and hot chocolate packets in bowls. I preferred using hot chocolate packets so I didn’t have to mess with mixing my hot chocolate with the water. That way your guests can just do it themselves. Just make sure you have a garbage can close by to put their wrappers in. At the last minute, my neighbor gave me some chocolate dipped marshmallows to add to the bar. It was a hit! And for the non-chocolate lovers, make sure you add some apple cider packets as well.

I received so many compliments from my guests. They kept saying how fancy the hot chocolate bar was. Little did they know it didn’t take much effort at all.