
Go ahead and stock up on packets of hot cocoa mix — we’ve got a few tricks up our sleeves. No, we’re not suggesting that you warm up with mugful after mugful — where’s the fun in that? Instead, check out these 19 recipes that put the powder to good use in unique ways. Spoiler alert: they may be even sweeter than its intended sip-able form. From baked goods to, ironically enough, frozen treats, we’re loving all the creative ways to get more hot chocolate action in our lives.
1. Hot Chocolate Pound Cake: With over a half pound of butter, a block of cream cheese and a whole lotta chocolate action, you know this pound cake has got to be good. (via My Invisible Crown)
2. Hot Cocoa Pudding: Hot cocoa mix makes this pudding extra creamy, and likely an excellent contender for frozen hot chocolate pudding pops. (via Simply Gloria)
3. Hot Chocolate Krispie Treats: You’ll love the sweet cocoa flavor featured throughout these squares. Once summer rolls around, you can sprinkle some graham cracker on top to make a campfire-esque treat. (via Crazy for Crust)
4. Hot Chocolate Macarons With Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting: Marshmallow cream frosting sandwiched between chocolate shells earns these macarons high marks in the flavor-pairing department. (via Tried and Tasty)
5. Mexican Hot Cocoa Cake: Cayenne and cinnamon add an extra layer of welcome warmth to these baked-in-a-Mason-jar cakes. We recommend cuddling up with your personal-sized treat next to the fire. (via The Vintage Mixer)
6. Best Ever Hot Chocolate French Toast: Well good morning, gorgeous. Talk about a sweet remedy for a snow day. (via Half Baked Harvest)
7. Hot Chocolate Cookies: Enjoy the subtle chocolatey flavor of these marshmallow-studded cookies. While delicious on their own, the addition of a mini chocolate bar and dollop of fluffy ‘mallow buttercream on top adds that finishing touch. (via Cookies and Cups)
8. Hot Cocoa Monkey Bread: At first glance, this may resemble your run-of-the-mill monkey bread. Trust us, it’s anything but. Gooey marshmallows and plenty of chocolatey goodness set it apart with only six ingredients. (via Food Network)
9. Hot Chocolate Popcorn Balls: We love these marshmallowy popcorn balls as an alternative to the usual caramel-enrobed kernels. They’ll also make #easygifts this holiday season. (via Blahnick Baker)
10. Hot Cocoa Pancakes: Wash down a short stack of these chocolate pancakes with a steaming mugful of cocoa or a cuppa joe — it all depends on your sweet tooth level. (via My San Francisco Kitchen)
11. Hot Chocolate Puppy Chow: Nibble on this Chex mix, and you just might find that hot cocoa packets taste even better in snack form than as a sip. Who knew? (via Sweet as a Cookie)
12. Chocolate Snow Ice Cream: Now this is one sweet perk of living (or visiting) an area that gets snowfall. You’ll need a few cupfuls of freshies to enjoy this no-churn chiller. (via Coordinately Yours)
13. Hot Chocolate Icebox Cake: We’re thinking the hot-chocolate-infused whipped cream frosting would taste just as good spooned in a mugful of steaming cocoa as it does slicked between the layers of rich chocolate cake. (via Beyond Frosting)
14. Starbucks Hot Cocoa Chocolate Chip Muffins: Bake up a big batch of these double chocolate muffins to have on hand for grab-and-go breakfasts or an afternoon pick-me-up. (via Amanda’s Cookin’)
15. Hot Chocolate Popcorn: There’s more than meets the eye going on flavor-wise here. White chocolate and mini mallows are cleverly disguised by fluffy corn and a dusting of the powdered stuff. (via Cookies and Cups)
16. Frozen Hot Chocolate: DIY your own glass of pure bliss for just pennies per serving. It may be frozen, but it’s just as sweet even when the mercury plummets. (via Picky Palate)
17. Hot Chocolate Cookies With Marshmallows: These are just the treat you need to make it through a long winter. (via Dine and Dish)
18. Hot Cocoa Waffles: We’re adding these to our ever-growing weekend waffle rotation, STAT. (via Babble)
19. Basic Chocolate Oatmeal: Once you have this basic brekkie recipe down, it’s time to start playing around with variations. From flavors inspired by peanut butter cups to peppermint patties, your tastebuds won’t fall asleep on you any time soon. (via Chocolate Covered Katie)
What’s your favorite way to enjoy hot chocolate other than in its intended sip-able form? Share with us below!
Welcome to Selfmade Finance School, our new money series with Block Advisors to help small business owners with their tax, bookkeeping, and payroll needs year-round. This week, we explore the tax implications of bringing family members into your business.
The question for today is this: Does hiring your family members make sense for your business? Let me be clear. This is not a piece about whether hiring your family members makes sense for your relationships with those family members. As someone who is part of a family business, I could fill up a lot more than 600 words on my opinions about that. For today's purposes, we focus on whether it makes sense from an overall "good business and tax implication" perspective. As it turns out, there is a decent amount of tax nuance when it comes to employing your family. Let's break it down based on relationship to the employee:
You X Ventures for Unsplash
Spouses Who Are In Business Together
Personally, if I had to be in business with my husband, it would not go well. However, many couples build viable, strong businesses together and I say, good for them! Depending on how you have your business entity structured, it will make a big difference on the tax treatment of you and your spouse working as partners. Because a business jointly owned and operated by a married couple is generally treated as a partnership for Federal tax purposes, the spouses must comply with filing and record keeping requirements imposed on partnerships and their partners. The election to file two Schedule C (Form 1040) forms, (one for each spouse) permits certain married co-owners to avoid filing partnership returns, provided that each spouse separately reports a share of all the businesses' items of income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit. Under the election, both spouses will be subject to self-employment tax and on net earnings from self-employment and receive credit for Social Security earnings.
One Spouse Employs Another
If you have a dynamic where your spouse is an employee of your business, then your spouse's wages are subject to income tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare taxes. If you are self-employed (not a corporation or a partnership), your spouse's pay does not have to be included in your federal unemployment tax account (FUTA) contributions and payments. However, if your business is a corporation or a partnership you must include that spouse's pay in your unemployment tax contribution calculation.
Kobu Agency for Unsplash
You Employ Your Child
First, let's be clear. I work in my family business, but I am an adult, so I am treated just like a normal employee. However, if you, for example, run a family restaurant and want to hire your children under 18 to work for you, there are some tax benefits. But first, you should check with your state for rules on how many hours minors can work (in non-agricultural jobs) and reference the Fair Labor Standards Act for information on limitations on the kinds of work children can perform.
"This is an often overlooked or under-utilized strategy. Paying your children for true services they provide in your business can be a powerful tax-saving tool," says Cathi Reed, Block Advisors Regional Director. "If you are a sole-proprietorship or single member LLC, and the child is less than 18 years of age, the business is not required to withhold FICA or payroll taxes. The child can use his or her standard deduction against income you pay."
You Hire Your Parent
Oh dear. If you are brave enough to do this, know that you will need to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on your parent's wages and make the appropriate withholdings, but you don't have to pay unemployment taxes. Now all you have to do is convince your parent that you are the boss. Have fun with that!
Is Hiring Family Members Worth It For The Tax Benefits?
"There are some positive tax advantages to hiring family members. It's important to treat a family member like any other employee. Hiring your children can result in substantial savings for businesses. Make sure your child has real, age-appropriate work to do and a reasonable pay rate, comparable to other employees. Consult with a Block Advisors small business certified tax pro to ensure that you are complying with all requirements," advises Reed. "Block Advisors, a team within H&R Block, is dedicated to meeting the tax, bookkeeping and payroll needs of small business owners year-round. To start working with the tax experts at Block Advisors, visit blockadvisors.com."
In my opinion, you should not hire a family member solely because of the tax benefits. You should always hire based on whether that person is right for the job and keep in mind how this hire could materially impact your relationship with that person and others in your family. Finally, as I mentioned, make sure you have a tax professional on your team when making these determinations. As you can see, things can get a little tricky!
*All details were sourced from IRS.gov and blockadvisors.com
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect those held by Kestra Investment Services, LLC or Kestra Advisory Services, LLC. This is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations for any individual. It is suggested that you consult your financial professional, attorney, or tax advisor with regards to your individual situation. Comments concerning the past performance are not intended to be forward looking and should not be viewed as an indication of future results. Securities offered through Kestra Investment Services, LLC (Kestra IS), member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS), an affiliate of Kestra IS. O'Keeffe Financial Partners and any other entity listed herein is not affiliated with Kestra IS or Kestra AS Investor Disclosures: https://bit.ly/KF-Disclosures