TICKET CHOCOLATE SPICED APPLE CIDER HOT CHOCOLATE/RUSTIC BAKERY GINGERBREAD MUG TOPPER

When it comes to warming up on a freezing day, there are few better ways than with a hot spiced apple cider. But Ticket Chocolate has managed to improve the old classic by combining it with rich and creamy white chocolate — and then made it even better by putting it on a stick!  But Ticket Chocolate’s Spiced Apple Cider Hot Chocolate on a Stick isn’t something you eat. You use the stick to stir the mixture of couverture chocolate, dried apples, cinnamon, and Ticket’s secret blend of spices into hot milk or water. The result is a seasonal treat that’s as fun to make as it is to drink. They’ve even included a cinnamon stick embedded in the chocolate that will melt right into your mug. 

Spiced apple cider, also known as Wassail, has been a harvest-time tradition for centuries. For Ticket Chocolate owner Tyler Geertsen, it was a family tradition as well. “Each Christmas Eve,” he says, “this luscious, aromatic mixture would be slow-simmered on the stove and then cheerfully enjoyed by all as we listened to stories and awaited the arrival of a certain jolly old elf!”  This mixture is, of course, non-alcoholic, but if you decide to mix in a little whiskey, rum, or even apple brandy, we’re definitely OK with that. 

These luscious sticks are handmade in Ticket’s home kitchen in Northern California from the finest couverture chocolate, which is ideal for melting. It’s also ideal for long-term storage if you don’t get around to using your chocolate cider stick this winter — store it in a cool dry place and it’ll keep for months. Head on over to www.ticketchocolate.com to see more of their mouthwatering sweets, from chocolates of all sorts to cookies, salted caramels and much more. 

The stick alone is pretty dazzling, but we thought we’d add a little something to make it even more special — namely, Rustic Bakery’s Gingerbread Mug Topper. Designed to perch on the edge of your mug, this jolly gingerbread person, complete with scarf, will put a smile on your face as you sip your appley, chocolatey mug of deliciousness. Made with enriched unbleached wheat flour and delicious, wholesome ingredients like molasses, cane sugar, cocoa powder, sea salt, and a bespoke set of spices, the mug topper is almost too cute to eat — but too tasty to pass up. 

The mug topper is just one of many holiday-themed baked delicacies offered by Rustic Bakery, After you’ve had a bite, we don’t think you’ll need any additional incentive to check out the dozens of baked goods they’ve got at www.rusticbakery.com, but just in case… use the code VICES10 at checkout to get 10% off your first order.