The other day, my daughter poured so many marshmallows into her hot cocoa, it looked like a mountain of snow. She smiled with delight at her sugary summit. And so did I, because it sparked an idea to create a playful assortment of candy critters that could accessorize your hot chocolate cup — ski bunnies, iceberg penguins, and winter cardinals on snowy branches.

I can’t see myself making these every time my kids enjoy hot cocoa, but these would be so much fun at a winter-themed party with a hot chocolate bar. Childhood memories of ice skating, skiing, sledding, and snowball fights just got a little sweeter, when you add in a cup of hot chocolate and a few of these candy critters.

• Yogurt covered almonds
• White candy melts
• Confetti decorator hearts (pink)
• White decorator balls
• Mini marshmallows
• Black food coloring pen
• Blue Airhead Candy

1. Heat 5-10 white candy melts for 30 seconds in a microwave-safe dish. Stir and repeat until smooth.
2. Using a toothpick, attach the pink noses and the white eye balls with dabs of candy melt. Cut triangles of marshmallows for the ears and attach them with candy melt.
3. Using the food color pen, add black dots to eyes and whiskers.
4. Cut thin strips of blue Airhead Candy for the skis, bending the front tips up slightly. Attach the bunnies to the skis with dabs of candy melt.

Create a mountain of snowy whipped cream on top of your hot chocolate and send your ski bunnies down the slope!

• Mini peppermint patties
• White candy melts
• Confetti decorator hearts (orange)
• Black food coloring pen
• Stacker marshmallows (flat rectangles)

1. Heat 5-10 white candy melts for 30 seconds in a microwave-safe dish. Stir and repeat until smooth. Using a food-safe paintbrush or toothpick, paint circles of candy melt on the peppermint patties to make the penguin belly.
2. Place an orange heart at the top of the candy melt circle for the beak. Allow it to dry and harden.
3. Using a toothpick and more candy melt, attach the orange heart feet on the bottom and add the eyes.
4. Make black dots on the eyes with the food color pen.
5. With a pair of scissors, cut the stacker marshmallows to look like mini icebergs. Attach the candy penguins to the marshmallow icebergs with small dabs of candy melt.

Place your penguins adrift on their marshmallow icebergs, inside a steamy cup of hot cocoa.

• Red Gobstopper Heart Candies
• Black candy melts
• White candy melts
• Confetti decorator hearts (orange)
• Pretzel sticks

1. Heat 5-10 white and black candy melts in microwave-safe dishes for 30 seconds. Stir and repeat until smooth. With a toothpick, put a dab of black candy melt on the upper left of each candy heart. Allow the candy melt to cool and harden slightly for a minute before inserting the orange heart beaks.
2. Add black candy melt eyes and thin white candy melt lines at the base of each beak.
3. Make the snowy pretzel branches by securing bits and pieces of broken pretzel sticks to whole sticks with white candy melt. Add extra dabs of candy melt along the branches to look like more snow. Secure the cardinals in place with additional candy melt.

Adorn your cocoa cups with winter cardinals, singing from their sweet & salty snowy branches.