Turn Instant Hot Chocolate Mix Into A Creamy Dessert Dip With One Easy Addition

The holiday season is the prime time to reunite with loved ones from near and far. It's the season for shared meals, traditions, and gift-giving, and it's an opportunity to reflect on all that we're grateful for. But even though the holidays are joyous and lovely on the outside, they can be stressful, especially for those who know how to cook. If you've been coerced into bringing one too many dishes to your engagements this season, we have just the trick that will allow you to impress your guests while not killing yourself in the process, and it all starts with Cool Whip. Add a hot cocoa packet to a tub of the iconic topping, mix it up, and serve the sweet, delectable dip with your favorite cookies for no-stress, guaranteed success.

This is one of the most creative ways to use Cool Whip, and it's a festive addition to any dessert spread. Really, all you need is some hot cocoa mix and thawed Cool Whip: What could be easier? Mix the two and you're ready to begin using it as a dip. If you want to add a bit more sweetness and hone in on that marshmallow flavor, you can combine the Cool Whip with some Marshmallow Fluff. If you do this, however, you'll want to mix them with an electric mixer because the Fluff will stick to your spoon. Then, add the hot cocoa packet (or packets, depending on how big your batch is) and mix it until it's nice and creamy.

While you could enjoy this dip as-is, if you're bringing it to a gathering, you'll want to spice it up with toppings. To further imitate a cup of cocoa, add a layer of mini marshmallows to the top, along with any of your go-to cocoa toppings, like festive sprinkles, crushed peppermint, or chocolate chips. You could even add some festive candies, like M&Ms, which come in green and red during the holidays, for some added color and bites of chocolate. One of our favorite ways to upgrade hot chocolate is by adding some torched marshmallows to the top, and you could totally do this over your hot cocoa dip. We did something similar with our gooey s'mores dip, and believe us when we say that it will make your contribution ten times more impressive.

Of course, if you're serving a dip, you need to serve it with things to dip it with. Nothing is really off-limits here, but some popular choices are Oreos, Golden Oreos, graham crackers, animal crackers, and Milano cookies. You could even go the extra mile and make your own cookies from scratch to offer beside the dip. Otherwise, we suggest you go with some juicy strawberries. This will bring a fondue-like feeling to the dip, and it will taste just as good as a chocolate-covered strawberry — if not better.