Wherever you are in the world, a winter’s day is the ideal time to enjoy a mug of hot cocoa, and never more so than on December 13th’s National Cocoa Day.

Not to be confused with drinking chocolate, which is made using ground chocolate, hot cocoa is made from cocoa powder. Not only does it have lots of health benefits and contain less calories but it also has very little fat. The cocoa is generally combined with either water or hot milk.

This day of national celebration honors all uses for cocoa and not just as an ingredient for hot drinks.

So along with a steaming hot cup of cocoa, enjoy a slice of decadent Moroccan chocolate cake or a batch of warm Dutch cocoa cookies straight from the oven, and much more.

Cocoa for Connoisseurs is a collection of hot cocoa beverage and bakes from around the world.

What began with the Mayans in 900AD has gone global. This year, why not celebrate National Cocoa Day with a cocoa beverage, bake or bite from around the world?