Skip to main content

Make hot chocolate spoons

Create some tasty hot chocolate spoons and get creative with the toppings.

Back to Activities

You’ll need

  • Access to a fridge
  • Small, empty and clean yogurt pots
  • Disposable wooden teaspoons
  • Spoon
  • Access to a fridge
  • Plate
  • 300g of cooking chocolate
  • Toppings, such as sprinkles, mini marshmallows and fudge pieces
  • Personal protective equipment, such as oven gloves
  • First aid kit, including for burns
  • Tinfoil
  • Oil
  • Access to a stove or microwave
  • Large microwaveable, heatproof bowls
  • Saucepan

Before you begin 

  • Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. There's also more guidance to help you carry out your risk assessment, including examples.   
  • Make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely. 
  • Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help. 
  • Check for allergies, intolerances, fasting, food-related medical conditions, eating disorders, food sensitivities or dietary requirements, then adjust the food items used as needed. This may include making sure there’s no cross-contamination of packaging and no cross-contamination during the storage, preparation, cooking and serving. 
  • You may need to use separate chopping boards, equipment and utensils, such as tongs or toasters, for different dietary requirements, allergies and foods.
  • If you’re unsure, check with the young person and their parents or carers. You can check with the adult directly if it’s a volunteer or helper.
  • Some people may not like certain food textures or tastes and that’s OK. People don’t need to use all the ingredients if they don’t want to, and no-one should be made to try foods if they don’t want to. You can try to find an alternative for them. 
  • Take a look at our guidance on food preparation. 
  • You could run our kitchen hygiene activities before this session.
  • Always have a hand washing station, washing hands regularly throughout this activity, and taking extra hygiene precautions when handling food. If you're using gloves to prepare food, treat them like your hands. Wash any gloves before using them and in between if necessary.
  • Spray and wipe down all working surfaces and tables with anti-bacterial spray before and after use, and wash any equipment you’re using in hot soapy water.
  • Take extra hygiene precautions when handling raw meat, such as regular hand washing.
  • Keep raw and ready-to-eat foods separate, having separate equipment for raw and cooked meat, and washing up equipment as soon as it's been used. 
  • Make sure food is properly cooked before you serve it. Always cut through poultry and meat to make sure it's fully cooked, especially when barbecuing food. Make sure it's cooked slowly and thoroughly, and not just done on the outside.
  • Always follow cooking instructions and never use food past its use-by date. 
  • Keep food out of the fridge for the shortest time possible.
  • At the start of this activity, remind everyone of kitchen or indoor cooking safety rules and how to act safely. Always tie hair back, tuck in neckers and loose clothing, and wear closed toe shoes. Take a look at our kitchen safety tips.
  • You may want to run a demonstration on how to use the equipment safely, such as for cooking or chopping ingredients. You could use our kitchen safety activities before this session.
  • Make sure any cooking equipment or heat sources, such as ovens and hobs, always have adult supervision, including during free time and arrival times. If anyone struggles with sensing danger, you should consider providing extra adult supervision. This could be especially helpful at unstructured times, such as breaks or waiting to cook.
  • Remind everyone to keep their fingers away from any knives. You may want to use blunt, child-friendly knives, or you could also have ingredients pre-chopped.
  • If you’re using a gas stove, tabletop hob plates or a mini oven, make sure it’s on a stable heatproof surface and in a clear and open area, with plenty of ventilation. Gas appliances and sources can increase risk of carbon monoxide exposure. Take a look at our guidance on different cooking methods and carbon monoxide.
  • You may want to put child-safe locks on cupboard doors to prevent access by young people, especially for cupboards containing matches, cleaning products or chemicals.
  • People can work in small groups or as a whole group to bake or cook. Each group should have adult supervision.
  • You may want to be in groups, but everyone to use the same cooking source, rather than having each group have their own.
  • You may wish for groups to make or prepare the ingredients in a wider, more spacious area, then invite each group into the kitchen to cook one at a time. 
  • Remember the groups not using the kitchen or cooking will still need to be supervised, always following the Yellow Card. 
  • Make sure you have all the ingredients ready. You may want to pre-chop or pre-measure some activities.

   

Planning and setting up this activity 

  • Remember to give a safety briefing for the cooking equipment and methods you’re using. You may wish to demonstrate the methods or activity before you all start cooking. 
  • An adult should always be assigned to and supervising each group during this activity.

Ingredients

  • Oil, for greasing
  • 300g of any type of cooking chocolate
  • Toppings for your spoons, such as mini marshmallows, sprinkles or mini fudge piece 

Prep time:  15 minutes 

Setting time: Overnight 

Makes:   6 

Running the activity 

  1. Gather everyone together in a circle and explain that you’re going to make hot chocolate spoons. 
  2. Everyone should wash their hands, then ask everyone to get into groups. Gather the equipment and ingredients they need. 
  3. Break the chocolate up into chunks and put into the large, heatproof, microwaveable bowl.
  4. Melt the chocolate. You can do this can be done in the microwave in small 20 second bursts, stirring between bursts until the chocolate has melted. You can also do this on the stove, by boiling some water in a saucepan and placing the chocolate in a glass bowl over the water to melt it slowly.
  5. For both melting techniques, make sure to always have adult supervision, place items on heatproof surfaces, and always use the oven gloves when handling hot items.
  6. While the chocolate’s melting, dab the kitchen roll in the oil and wipe it around the inside of the yoghurt pots. This lines the pots to make the chocolate easier to take out once set.
  7. When the chocolate is melted, spoon it into the yoghurt pots.
  8. Put one wooden teaspoon in each pot of chocolate.
  9. Place any toppings on the chocolate that you want.
  10. When everyone is finished, place the yogurt pots on a plate and cover it with tinfoil. Place them in the fridge overnight to set.
  11. Once set, remove the chocolate spoons from the pots.
  12. You can then stir them into a warm mug of milk to make hot chocolate. 

Reflection

This activity gave everybody the opportunity to try something new and develop their skills while making a tasty treat. Have you ever made hot chocolate spoons before? How did you find making them? We got to use lots of toppings. What did you choose and why? Did you make lots of different flavour combinations? Which one was your favourite to make? 

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

You must run your activities in line with the Safeguarding Code of Conduct for Adults (Yellow Card) and report any concerns to the UK HQ Safeguarding Team.

Cooking

Teach young people how to use cooking equipment safely. Supervise them appropriately throughout. Make sure it’s safe to use and follow manufacturers’ guidelines for use.

Food

Remember to check for allergies, eating problems, fasting or dietary requirements and adjust the recipe as needed. Make sure you’ve suitable areas for storing and preparing food and avoid cross contamination of different foods. Take a look at our guidance on food safety and hygiene.

Hot items and hot water

Kettles, cookers and microwave ovens produce a lot of heat by the very nature of them. Caution is needed when in contact with items that have been heated and young people should use them under adult supervision. Use on a suitable surface, protecting it if necessary. Never leave hot items unattended and make sure there’s a nearby first aid kit, with items to treat burns/scalds.

Rubbish and recycling

All items should be clean and suitable for this activity.

Electrical equipment

Inspect cables for any damage before each use. A responsible adult should supervise people using equipment, and people should follow instructions on how to use them correctly and safely. They should be properly maintained and stored. Be extra cautious of trailing cables and water when using electric equipment.

  • To make this activity easier, you break up or pre-melt the chocolate for everyone to use. 

Make it accessible

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.