December 29, 2015
I can’t even count how many different variations of homemade hot cocoa I have made. Whether it be just chocolate dissolved in milk, one cooked over the stove with cocoa powder, milk and sugar, or even my Nutella version with just warm milk and Nutella, they all have one thing in common: they are always deliciously chocolatey.
I had never made a hot cocoa mix before because I always had the necessary ingredients to whip some up on hand, but for a recent Secret Santa gift exchange with my book club, I wanted to add something special to the gift, and a homemade hot cocoa mix became my gift of choice. I played around with many different recipes I found on the web and in the end, adapted my version from Alton Brown’s Hot Cocoa Recipe. It was the simplest, that produced the best results in my opinion… after I added chocolate chips, of course ;).
Fast forward a few weeks to when I walked into Target and was hypnotized by the Christmas decorations and gift wrapping options they had. (I promise this is not a sponsored post, Target always does that to me though…).
I first found the adorable little jars pictured above and got the idea to make hot cocoa mix holiday gifts for the neighbors. One thing led to another, and I ended up walking out with tags and yarn and bells and sequins along with the jars and the ingredients to make a huge batch of the homemade hot cocoa mix I had previously tested out. I couldn’t wait to get started on this fun little project!
The cocoa itself was easy to make, but I hadn’t planned wisely in regards to quantities and I kept running out of one ingredient or another, which was what slowed me down. The end results were worth it though. Every time I would make a new batch, my husband and I would “test” it. Whether we used water or milk, we loved every sip.
Whether you use this hot chocolate mix to store for those times you need a chocolatey fix or you make it to gift friends and family, it’s one you’ll come back to over and over again.
Simple. Quick. Delicious.
- 2 cups Powdered Sugar
- 2 cups Powdered Milk
- 1 cup Cocoa Powder
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch
- 1 tsp Sea Salt
- Cayenne Pepper to taste (optional)
- 1 cup Mini Chocolate Chips
- Sift all the ingredients together except the chocolate chips.
- Stir until fully combined.
- Add the chocolate chips and stir to incorporate evenly.
- To prepare, bring 3/4 cup milk or water to a boil. Add1/3 cup of the Hot Cocoa Mix and whisk to dissolve completely. Top with whipped cream or marshmallows and enjoy!
RMAU
Hi! Your jars are so cute! I can t wait to make them! What brand of cocoa mix or hot chocolate mix did you use? Thanks!