Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix

Ditch the store-bought and make your own homemade cocoa mix to keep in your pantry. It’s also perfect for gifting as a homemade holiday gift.

Are you a homemade gift lover? I am such a fan of them, especially consumable gifts.

I am known for bringing homemade bourbon caramel sauce, homemade vanilla extract, hot chocolate bombs, and this homemade hot chocolate mix to folks around the holidays.

I don’t know about your family, but when our family/families started having kids, we stopped buying gifts for the adults and just focused on gifts for the kids, so when we go visit friends and family for these gatherings, I always like to bring something for the host as a thank you for having us.

I love bringing these kinds of gifts to hosts because they’re a nice gesture and they don’t always have to be used right away.

In fact, my homemade vanilla extract has been steeping the same beans since I photographed that recipe in 2014. Check that one out, for sure!

Another reason I like homemade hot cocoa is because with kiddos, playing outside in the snow is 100% on our radar when cold weather comes around.

The first year we had a child old enough for playing in the snow, he out-of-the-blue requested hot cocoa upon coming back inside.

Of course, we didn’t have any, so I did a quick Google of “homemade hot cocoa mix” and was met with Alton Brown’s recipe.

I was a bit bummed to find that I needed dry milk powder, which of course I didn’t have on hand, so we forewent that and just used sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. And it was less than stellar.

Turns out a hot cocoa mix recipe with powdered milk is the only way to go.

From that day on, I vowed to get some powdered milk and throw this less complicated recipe (seriously, he’s got so much going on in his original one) up here on my site for snowy days, cozy evenings, and homemade holiday gifts alike.

Of course, you can scale this recipe for hot chocolate mix if you’re looking to gift it away, have more folks in your home who may want some hot cocoa, or just think you’d be better served with a boatload of homemade hot cocoa mix in your pantry vs a smaller amount (that’s us).

On the ingredient list is:
•dry milk powder
•powdered sugar
•Dutch processed cocoa powder (or regular unsweetened)
•salt

That’s it. That’s all you need to get the best homemade hot chocolate mix happening on standby in your pantry all winter.

And since salt is really not much of an ingredient, this is essentially 3 ingredient hot cocoa mix. How is that for easy?

Pro tip: back when I still worked in the lab, I would sometimes use half a hot cocoa mix packet with a cup of coffee for an afternoon pick-me-up/treat. It was most excellent.

That said, you could also use coffee.

Just don’t leave out those marshmallows… Mmmmkay?

Hot cocoa without marshmallows is so sad!

The thing I love most about this homemade hot cocoa mix is that it’s not too sweet. It’s the perfect balance of chocolate and sweetness, and if you’re feeling like it could be more chocolatey, add some chocolate syrup or use some sweetened almond milk.

Cater your mix to your needs. And make it your best cup of cocoa ever.

SIFT FOR THE BEST TEXTURE

Just oneeee major point here: you’ve got to sift those ingredients. Cocoa tends to be very chunky, and tossing it into powdered sugar (which can also tend to clump up) is just going to make matters worse.

Sift sift sift!

You’ll only have to do this once, and all should be well and good inside the container you’re keeping your mix in.

HOW TO MAKE A SINGLE SERVING

If you’d like to make homemade hot chocolate mix single serving style, use 3 and ½  Tablespoons of powdered milk, 2 and ½  Tablespoons of powdered sugar, 1 and ½  Tablespoons of cocoa powder, and just a pinch of salt.

Then, use your 8 ounces of preferred liquid.

Keep for yourself, gift out, make for neighbors who are shoveling your driveway… Anything goes in homemade hot cocoa land.

Just seriously, don’t forget those mallows!