Frothy "Almond Joy" Hot Chocolate

Inspired by a candy bar favorite, this rich & decadent Frothy "Almond Joy" Hot Chocolate is the perfect addition to a cozy weekend brunch...

Thank you to Blendtec for sponsoring this recipe post. The recipe and opinions in this post are 100% mine.

If you ask me, cold winter weekends were just made for warm, cozy brunches at home. I mean, who wants to bundle up, get everyone in the car, and brave the freezing temps for breakfast out at your favorite brunch spot? And you have no reason to when you can stay at home with a huge stack of homemade waffles, your family's favorite toppings, and mugs of this warm & rich Frothy "Almond Joy" Hot Chocolate.

I do have to confess that I have always been more of a packets of hot cocoa mix kind of gal. I mean, it is easy, peasy, right? You dump the packet into a mug, pour in hot water or milk, stir, & done. 

But while the instant stuff is great in a pinch (or when you are feeling lazy), cozy weekend brunches at home with the family call for something a little more decadent. I do save the good stuff- like this Frothy "Almond Joy" Hot Chocolate- for more special occasions... or sometimes just because. ;) And you know what? Making hot chocolate from scratch really doesn't take that many more steps than making the packet stuff, and it happens to be 10 times better. Trust me on this...

Almond Joy Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal

With its chunks of dark chocolate, coconut, & toasted almonds, this Almond Joy Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal only tastes like a decadent breakfast treat...

I have a confession to make, you all- About 90% of the time my house is a cluttered mess. I know most people on the outside of the blogging world probably think that all bloggers have immaculate, perfectly decorated homes with fresh baked cookies sitting on the kitchen counter, and Pinterest perfect laundry rooms... But guess what? Most of us don't! ;) Because so many of us work at home while chasing little ones or do our blogging in addition to a job outside the home, our houses usually are the first to suffer. While I am glad to be doing something that I love while still being able to stay at home, blogging is not as easy as most think that it is. There is so much that goes on behind the scenes. But for more on that, you should check out my post on The Truth About Starting A Blog...

Back to the messy house issue- Yesterday morning I had a complete and total meltdown over the state of chaos our home has been in the past month or so. Why? Because there are four people living in this home! Yes, four people does mean more mess, but it also means more hands available to help clean up said mess. After having this realization and thus blowing up at my husband (it happens), I headed to the gym to work off a little of that steam and the tons of delicious food and good wine and beer I had consumed while visiting Harrisonburg, Virginia for the weekend with my family.