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This Hot Cocoa Mix makes a smooth, creamy, chocolatey mug of the best cocoa ever! It’s a great gift for friends, neighbors, teachers, and coworkers.
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Hot Cocoa Mix Recipe
Making your own homemade hot chocolate mix is really easy and makes great holiday gifts. My mom used to make a big batch of this mix when we were little kids before commercial cocoa mixes became available. But this recipe is much cheaper to make and I like the taste much better! I like to keep this cocoa mix on hand all winter long so I can make a delicious mug of hot chocolate to warm up on cold days. This is my kids’ favorite after school treat on cold chilly days. There’s nothing more comforting than a plate of goodies and a steaming mug of cocoa. Try this recipe and enjoy creamy hot cocoa all winter long!
Ingredients in Hot Cocoa Mix
- 4 cups dry powdered milk
- Chocolate drink mix (I use Nestle Nesquik)
- Powdered sugar
- Powdered creamer (I use Coffeemate)
Single Serving Instructions
After making your bulk cocoa mix, it’s easy to whip up a single serving of hot cocoa. Simply add 3 heaping tablespoons of cocoa mix (¼ cup) to 8 ounces of hot water and stir until cocoa is dissolved. For a richer hot chocolate, stir the mix into hot milk (or almond milk if you’d prefer). If using a spoon to mix your hot chocolate isn’t quite cutting it, you can get fancy with your preparation by using a frother or even a hot cocoa maker to mix your hot cocoa.
Hot Cocoa in a Jar Gift
For gift giving, this recipe makes four pint-size jars or two quart-size jars of cocoa mix. Each pint size jar contains eight servings of mix (quart-size =16 servings). There are multiple ways to gift this mix. I usually have extra mason jars around, so I often use them to give this mix as a gift. There are lots of fun ways to decorate the jars from fancy to simple. I usually take the simple route with just a bow and the gift tag tied on. I’ve also put the cocoa mix in a decorative bag and placed it in a mug with some candy canes or cocoa stirrers. My daughter made the cute gift tags to go with the mix that I am giving out this year. Print them out on card stock and tie it on the jar with ribbon or twine. Be sure to also grab the Free Printable Gift Tags.
Hot Cocoa Mix With Marshmallows
We love marshmallows in our hot chocolate and will often add a big handful of mini marshmallows when the cocoa is hot and ready to serve. However, if you are wanting to add marshmallows to the actual hot cocoa mix, we recommend getting mini dehydrated marshmallow bits. These are the same kind of teeny tiny marshmallows that can be found in the store-bought mixes. Because they are dehydrated, they won’t go stale like regular marshmallows, and they can easily be added to the mix for long-term storage or for gifts.
In addition to marshmallows, you can never go wrong serving hot cocoa with Christmas cookies like these gingerbread cookies or dipped Ritz cookies. You can also try this cocoa recipe around the holidays with some of our favorite Christmas Treats like our tasty Christmas Crunch!
READ NEXT Christmas Dessert Recipes
Frequently Asked Questions
After preparing your cocoa mixture, it can last for up to 2-3 months in an airtight container in your pantry. For maximum freshness, try freezing your cocoa mix in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container. No matter how you store it, make sure that it is in a cool, DRY place. Humidity and/or moisture can make it clumpy and shorten the shelf-life.
Nope! All you need is a big bowl and a whisk to stir all your ingredients together.
Nope! Just use your favorite dry chocolate drink mix, no unsweetened cocoa powder or dutch process cocoa powder required.
I feel you can never go wrong with toppings on your hot cocoa, but some of the best ones to add are whipped cream, marshmallows, caramel sauce, chocolate chips, cinnamon, or cinnamon sticks. They all add to the great flavor of this hot cocoa.
Yes, but wait to add in the flavoring until the hot cocoa is prepared. Then, just add a few drops of vanilla extract, peppermint, almond, raspberry, or any other favorite flavors and stir in well.
Absolutely. Instead of the chocolate drink mix, use your favorite chocolate protein powder. This will also increase the calcium levels.
More Delectable Hot Chocolate Recipes
If you’re like me and you can’t get enough of that hot, creamy goodness during the cold months, try some of these scrumptious hot cocoa recipes:
- Unicorn Hot Chocolate Recipe
- Candy Bar Hot Chocolate
- Peppermint Hot Chocolate
- Mexican Hot Chocolate
- Vegan Hot Chocolate
- Frozen Hot Chocolate
How to Make Hot Cocoa Mix
Hot Cocoa Mix
Ingredients
- 4 cups powdered dry milk
- 4 cups chocolate drink mix I use Nestle Nesquik
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 cups powdered creamer I use Coffeemate
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl until well blended.
- Store mix in a sealed container.
- To serve, mix 3 heaping spoonfuls into 6 to 8 oz of hot water.
Notes
Recipe Tips:
- For gift giving, this recipe makes four pint-size jars or two quart-size jars of cocoa mix. Each pint size jar contains eight servings of mix (quart-size =16 servings). There are multiple ways to gift this mix. I usually have extra jars around, so I often use them to give this mix as a gift.
- There are lots of fun ways to decorate the jars from fancy to simple. I usually take the simple route with just a bow and the gift tag tied on. I’ve also put the cocoa mix in a decorative bag and placed it in a mug with some candy canes or cocoa stirrers.
- My daughter made the cute gift tags to go with the mix that I am giving out this year. Print them out on card stock and tie it on the jar with ribbon or twine. Be sure to also grab the Free Printable Gift Tags.
Nutrition Information
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This looks declicious! I really like to make homemade gifts for my family.
I LOVE giving edible gifts at Christmas! these are such a great idea and the hot chocolate looks so smooth and creamy!
This was so delicious and simple, it is now a permanent fixture in my cupboard!
This is seriously the best cocoa recipe ever!
Food presents are the best. I liked that this one pointed out to include the directions. Thank you!
I made this last night, and doubled the chocolate, and did 2 cups of powdered sugar to make it a little sweeter. I found that it needed 5 scoops of the mix for 6-8oz of water to get it to taste more like a rich hot chocolate. It’s not too sweet though. Perfect for adding your own chocolates to!
I add twice the chocolate and a full cup of the sugar, to have a nice chocolat flavor.
Love this! This is the perfect homemade Christmas gift 🙂