10 Festive Ingredients To Add To Your Christmas Morning Coffee

The countdown to Christmas is coming fast, and that means the year is almost over, too. We're never sure how the months go by so quickly, but then it always does. No matter what traditions or plans you have or if you're celebrating independently or with family and friends, it doesn't hurt to make a festive cup of coffee to pair with your Christmas morning breakfast. It's a great way to slow down and relish the day, which also passes too quickly. Sit down, take a sip, and savor the moment with a merry caffeinated drink. 

If you need some guidance on what that entails, we have several flavorful and even colorful ideas to ensure your drink is as jolly as can be. You'll find a range of flavor profiles, some of which you can mix with others in the list. We'll share what makes each option so special in a cup of coffee and give you insights on how to include it or, potentially, what to pair it with. Cheers and wishing you a wonderful holiday season. 

No need to head to Starbucks or Dunkin' for a peppermint mocha, as the flavor is a very common creamer option in stores. Just pour some peppermint mocha creamer in your coffee, and you're ready to go. However, you may spot a range of delicious holiday or limited-time coffee creamers this time of year. We went to a few chain grocery stores and found anything from gingerbread to eggnog-inspired to sugar cookie creamers on the shelves and refrigerator aisles. 

Adding a cheerful glug or two of the flavorful liquid is one of the easiest ways to give your cup of coffee a festive boost. Plus, if you purchase it prior to Christmas, you can make each day slightly celebratory by incorporating it into your drink in the days leading up to December 25. A lot of the creamers work in both hot and iced coffees, so it allows you to have fun with what you make. Find holiday creamers made from milk and heavy cream-based, almond milk, non-dairy blends, and more, so you can purchase something that fits your dietary needs and your flavor preference.

Cookie butter is so good that you could just eat it by the spoonful from the jar — we certainly do. But if you can wait a few moments, the spread can enhance a Christmas coffee with its spiced notes. This often comes from cinnamon and nutmeg, but it may vary based on your specific cookie butter spread. If you make homemade speculoos cookie butter, you can ramp up the spice level with cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and cardamom, or add them to taste.

Stir a spoonful of the spread into a hot cup of coffee or espresso and give it a thorough mix until it melts and is fully incorporated. Once mixed, you can keep it as a hot drink or pour it over ice if you prefer a chilled sipper. For an iced coffee, spread a bit of the cookie butter on the inside portion of the glass to act as a flavorful decoration. Swirling cookie butter in coffee is one of the best ways to use the scrumptious spread and a simple way to make your Christmas morning special. For extra jolliness, top your coffee with whipped cream and crushed speculoos cookies or a sprinkled of powdered spices.

Plopping a cinnamon stick into a cup of coffee is one of many creative ways that you can use the spice. If you're brewing a full pot of coffee, we suggest adding a stick or two directly into the pot so the coffee can brew over it and have a little longer to steep, allowing a more prominent spiced flavor and aroma to shine through. You can then remove the stick and place it in one of the cups of coffee as a functional garnish. Alternatively, simply place a cinnamon stick directly in your hot coffee mug for a festive touch that also doubles as a stirring spoon. 

This option won't impart as much flavor, simply because the cinnamon and coffee don't have too long to infuse, but at least you won't have any bits and bobs that you might have if you added ground cinnamon directly to your cup — we do it pretty frequently, and it ultimately sinks to the bottom. No matter how cinnamon-y it actually makes your beverage, the dried stick will still add a jolly appearance for Christmas.

Give some added life to any leftover cookies from Christmas Eve or any that you plan to put out for Christmas by incorporating them into your morning coffee. One of our favorite ways to do so is using cookie crumbles as a garnish, particularly for a coffee that includes frothed milk or whipped cream. This is because they act as a floating device, so the cookie crumbles don't sink to the bottom and inevitably turn to mush. This option works with anything from gingerbread cookies to snickerdoodles to sugar cookies, or whatever you may have on hand. 

We recommend actual cookie crumbles and not large chunks or pieces, as those can easily fall to the bottom. Place the cookie(s) in a small plastic baggie and smash them up with the bottom of a glass until they are fully broken up but not a fine powder. You can create some scrumptious pairings, like topping a cookie butter latte with speculoos crumbles, a gingerbread latte or cappuccino with crushed gingerbread cookies, or a plain latte with pfeffernüsse bits. That said, any cookie that you make or buy for Christmas that brings you happiness can be included (chocolate chip cookie, butter pecan, etc.) — it still provides a festive touch that you associate with the holiday, and that's all that counts.

A peppermint mocha screams winter and seasonal merriment, and this coffee drink is easy to achieve at home with a specific ingredient: peppermint extract. Try using cocoa powder and peppermint extract as your base, then adding sugar to taste. For a more complex flavor, you could heat bittersweet dark chocolate with coffee in a pan until fully melted, then add a drop of peppermint extract once you pour it into your mug. For the easiest option, though, you can't go wrong with peppermint extract and chocolate sauce. You can customize your peppermint mocha with your milk of choice or make it as minty or chocolatey as desired. 

Skip the chocolate aspect and just make a peppermint latte for a more potent, simpler beverage that invokes a wintery feel in every slurp. Or try frothing milk, peppermint extract, and a touch of vanilla before adding it to the coffee for something more elevated that still hits on the holiday notes. Whichever option you decide to make, start with a small amount of peppermint extract and then add more if desired; you can't take it away. A drop or two can do it until you do a taste test. This exhilarating extract works in both hot and iced coffees. For another level of mintiness, include some crushed candy canes in your frothed top or simply pop a candy cane to use as a stirrer.

Eggnog is marvelously festive on its own, so it's the perfect addition to your cup of coffee on Christmas Day. The eggnog acts like milk or creamer to give your drink a lift and holiday feel with that touch of creaminess. We think it's especially tasty in an iced coffee and a great plain milk alternative. You can make a hot version with hot coffee or espresso and then gently warmed eggnog; you don't want to fully heat the nog. Alternatively, you could use hot milk with hot coffee as the base, and then non-warmed eggnog to ensure a cozy, hot beverage. 

No matter which way you go, the nog imparts its spice, eggy flavor to create a heartwarming and enticing combination that tastes like merriment in a mug. Plus, it is a way to use up any leftover homemade eggnog if you don't want any to go to waste. Don't want rum in your morning sipper? You can make or purchase an alcohol-free nog, too. Now, the fun part is the ratios. You can add a splash of the stuff or pour it in more liberally for a half coffee, half nog scenario. It depends on the overall flavor profile and richness that you're trying to achieve. Top your coffee blend with a touch of added nutmeg and even a cookie rim garnish. 

We love adding powdered hot cocoa to our coffee anytime of year, but it's particularly jolly for Christmas. Plus, it's one way to achieve a mocha of sorts while utilizing what you have already purchased for holiday celebrations with family. Kids can get a regular hot chocolate, adults can create their mocha-ed version, and then everyone can watch Christmas movies together to start the day off. The packet works quite well in black coffee to create a milky and chocolatey lift, as powdered cocoa often has nonfat milk powder or whole milk powder added to the mix to give it a creamy factor. 

There are plenty of ready-made cocoas to use, too, whether you want a darker, richer option, milk chocolate, or perhaps something with marshmallows.  Rather than mix the packet into hot water, dump it into your hot coffee, and stir. Coffee is just hot coffee bean water anyway. For added milkiness, pour in a bit of your desired dairy product into the coffee and cocoa concoction; half and half or milk works great. Top your beverage with whipped cream, crushed candy canes, marshmallows, or toasted marshmallows for a smokier, more complex flavor.

A lot of chain coffee joints and restaurants offer seasonal drinks that have red and green sprinkles — you'll see it in anything from Starbucks' Iced Sugar Cookie Breve to Dutch Bros' Holiday Cookie Freeze. Make your coffee as desired and then top it off with the festive sprinkled addition. While the colorful sprinkles work well on iced drinks with whipped cream or cold foam, you could apply the same technique with a hot drink topped with whipped cream. It might not last too long, but that shouldn't be an issue since you're home and can drink it right away — rather than driving back home from your destination. 

Any shape works, whether you use the round, little nonpareils or want something more eye-catching like stars or snowflakes. Don't stop at red and green either. Some options come with white incorporated. But there are other shapes and colors like brown gingerbread people or colorful Christmas lights, too. They're all worthy prospects for your hot or cold java, as any of them brings on the holiday spirit to make a mundane Christmas morning into a merry affair.

Marshmallows are a staple in hot chocolates, but we want to vouch for their inclusion in coffee. Not just a regular 'mallow either. Give it a toasty touch over a flame like a stove or kitchen torch for more dimension and a smoky flavor to enhance your Christmas morning drink. You can even make or find vegan options, flavored ones (peppermint or cinnamon churro are terrific choices), or marshmallows that come in seasonal shapes — like snowmen. 

If you need an idea, we suggest creating a s'mores latte that you'll crave all winter long; it might even become a winter tradition. The pillowy, smoky goodness of the marshmallow pairs beautifully with the richness of a latte, but it works just as well in a cup of black coffee to give it a sweet and creamy addition. Top your delicacy with a bit of crumbled cookie or graham cracker, or give it a drizzle of chocolate sauce. 

The toasted marshmallows work just as well on an iced coffee or cold brew, except they act more like a garnish, so have a spoon ready. For something more involved, make a toasted marshmallow coffee milkshake that uses strong coffee, ice cream, cooled, toasted marshmallows, and a few other ingredients as the scrumptious base. 

A candy cane is one of the simpler ways to give your java a merry touch. It has the colorful red and white stripes — although there are options that come in other colors, too — that make your mug feel like the holidays. A full-sized one works wonderfully, but the mini ones are especially adorable. You can hang it on the side of the mug and then plop it in to give you coffee a touch of minty flavor. Top your coffee off with whipped cream, and then start sipping as you watch a Christmas movie and cozy up with your warmest blanket; it's the perfect way to start the morning. 

A candy cane works well with a basic latte, but it is the ideal match for peppermint mochas or lattes. Actively stir the cane around so it can slowly dissolve in the hot beverage. You can eat whatever is left. While you could melt the candy cane in milk as part of your peppermint latte, it doesn't offer the jolliness of actually seeing it in your coffee; if you go this route, garnish your coffee with a mini candy cane for extra measure.