Editor’s note: There’s few things better on a cold day at home than a warm drink. Here’s a simple recipe and 10 suggestions for how to take it to the next level.

Basic Homemade Hot Chocolate Recipe

Ingredients

1 tablespoon Cocoa powder

2 tablespoons of sugar

2 tablespoons of water

1 cup of milk

(Optional) A tiny bit of vanilla

Instructions

 1. Combine sugar, water and cocoa powder in a small sauce pan. Put the pan on low heat

2. Stir for 1-2 minutes to prevent the mixture from sticking to the pan’s sides

3. Add in milk (and, if you want to, vanilla)

4. Mix until you reach the desired temperature

 Variations

1. For those who love coffee but don’t want the caffeine, add your favorite coffee creamer to your average cocoa-flavored cup.
2. For those who love the taste of Nutella, add spoonfuls of the Nutella into hot milk or add a small amount to your basic cocoa for a light Nutella taste.
3. For some color and fun, great for younger kids, use different flavors of marshmallows and different food coloring for a little hot cocoa time fun!
4. For all the mint lovers out there, add some peppermint bark or even straight mint to create minty, chocolate bliss.
5. If you love to make things from scratch and want a different flavor without too much work, use white chocolate instead of milk or dark.
6. Melt white chocolate in with the sugar, water and cocoa, then sprinkle with crumbled oreos to create a cookies and cream hot cocoa.
7. Lightly roast your marshmallows and add crumbled up graham crackers to your finished drink for a cup of S’mores hot cocoa.
8. Add your favorite chocolate chip cookies in your cup for a different take on the ‘cookies  in milk’ concept.
9. For those who like some spice, sprinkle in some cinnamon in the finished cocoa.
10. For the peanut butter-chocolate lovers, simply put a spoonful of peanut butter in your finished hot chocolate.