Christmas

Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix

by:
February  1, 2014
4
4 Ratings
Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix
  • Serves 10 to 12
Author Notes

While I normally want a cup of coffee or tea in the afternoon when I get home from school, there are certain times when I'll get a strong craving for mug of hot, chocolatey milk instead. This has happened on many occasions in the past few weeks when I've been caught in the rain, ending up completely soaked and in need of something super comforting to warm me up. It's not really a time when I want to be chopping up chocolate for some super fancy drink so I'll inevitably turn to store bought hot cocoa mix (trying to ignore the slightly questionable ingredients on the jar). After drinking my fair share of watery, super-sweet cocoa it left me thinking that there must be a way to make my own, better version.

Turns out my inkling was right! The mixture I made up is way tastier than any store bought cocoa mix I've ever tried. It has a deep chocolate flavour thanks to the addition of finely blended chocolate which I added along with the cocoa. On a whim I mixed in some coconut milk powder for extra flavour and creaminess (if you can't find it or don't like coconut, I've also found that skimmed milk powder or malted milk powder have the same effect). I put in a smidge of cornstarch too, helping to thicken the liquid when cooked just enough to give it a little extra body - kind of faking the denser texture of cream.

What I love the most is that this basic hot chocolate mix can be customized to your liking: perhaps add a little espresso powder or some ground cinnamon for extra depth of flavour, then top it all off with a few marshmallows and you'll have the perfect winter treat. —Izy Hossack

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Hot Cocoa Mix
  • 3 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate
  • 2/3 cup Dutch Process cocoa powder
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup powdered coconut milk, powdered milk, or malted milk powder
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • For one serving of hot chocolate:
  • 1 cup milk of choice
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons hot cocoa mix (see recipe above)
Directions
  1. Hot Cocoa Mix
  2. Break the chocolate into large chunks and blend in a food processor until mealy.
  3. Add the cocoa, sugar, powdered milk (whichever kind you're using), salt, and cornstarch to the food processor. (If you don't have a food processor, finely grate the chocolate instead -- then stir in the rest of the ingredients by hand)
  4. Blend until combined.
  5. Scoop the mixture into a jar (make sure you scrape around the edges of the food processor bowl to dislodge any chocolate that may be stuck there) and screw on the lid.
  1. For one serving of hot chocolate:
  2. In a small pot combine the milk and hot cocoa mix.
  3. Whisk together gently over a medium heat until well mixed and steaming. Pour into a mug and serve.
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Izy Hossack
Passionate about cakes, roasted vegetables and anything involving Maldon salt or maple syrup. Izy is a student living in London, UK who spends her spare time blogging and rambling on topwithcinnamon.com

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29 Reviews

shortnsweet
shortnsweet December 2, 2016
hi, what size is the jar in the picture, and does the recipe make enough to fill just a jar of that size? going to make several batches of this as christmas gifts (going mostly homemade this year for financial reasons) so i'm just trying to plan how much of each thing i need. thank you!!
 
Michelle
Michelle July 23, 2016
Once the mix is ready, can it be made up in the microwave vs stove top pan described here?
 
Izy H.
Izy H. July 23, 2016
Probably yes! I don't have a microwave though so I wouldn't be able to instruct
 
Samantha B.
Samantha B. December 22, 2014
can you use this mix with hot water instead of hot milk?
 
Judy L.
Judy L. December 22, 2014
Hi, question for you:
How many jars will this fill, and what size?
Thanks!
 
Anna
Anna December 19, 2014
This is my Christmas gift for 2/3 of my list this year - saved the bank account and my sanity, given I hate buying presents...! It was scientifically tested by my official hot chocolate drinker in the house (age 3) and enthusiastically approved :)
 
Gemma /.
Gemma /. July 10, 2014
Gorgeous pictures and yummy recipe! =)
 
Bit
Bit February 27, 2014
There is a MUCH easier and better way for a more natural 'hot chocolate'! Use a bar of Lindt 80% chocolate that you slowly dissolve in a pint of whole milk while heating that on the stove without boiling it. Add some natural honey to get to desired sweetness and voila. No need for half that processes stuff mentioned here!
 
Gina M.
Gina M. March 15, 2014
Great idea...except that chocolate bars don't hang around for too long in my house :-)! That's why I love the idea of a mix that didn't come in a box with who knows what ingredients. Looking forward to trying both recipes...
 
Rachel H.
Rachel H. February 26, 2014
So, I have never used powdered milk, and have none of these at my home currently. That being said, which of these is the yummiest?
 
Izy H.
Izy H. February 26, 2014
I love using the powdered coconut milk but it can be annoying to get your hands on a box of it. I'd say second best is the malted milk powder (like ovaltine) and then regular milk powder which is the most plain.
 
Cindy
Cindy February 26, 2014
Trust me, I've been making my own hot cocoa mix a long time, and this (and all like recipes) are way cheaper, healthier and easier to make than store bought mixes. BUT, eliminate the cornstarch. This ingredient is put in for a thicker creamier cocoa. It's completely unnecessary and it coagulates in the bottom of the cup en mass and triggers my gag reflex when I get down to the bottom of the cup. Truly disgusting. Eliminate the cornstarch and it's good to the last drop.
 
Izy H.
Izy H. February 26, 2014
I know what you mean about the kind of cloying texture which is why I've only used a very very small amount for the recipe - 2 tsp - which when divided between the 15-ish cups of hot chocolate you'd make with a batch is a tiny amount! I find it doesn't have that weird super thick texture that cornstarch thickened hot chocolate usually does, just slightly more creamy! But then again that's just my preference haha :)
 
Tonya
Tonya February 26, 2014
Izy until I read this I didn't even know that powdered coconut milk existed. Do you have brand suggestions? Thank you.
 
Izy H.
Izy H. February 26, 2014
Yes!! It's an amazing ingredient. I use the maggi brand (yellow box). I can get it in the supermarket here in London but otherwise you can buy it online
 
raganmom
raganmom February 26, 2014
Can Splenda be used instead of sugar?
 
Izy H.
Izy H. February 26, 2014
If you're used to the flavour it'll be fine :)
 
JohnneB
JohnneB February 27, 2014
Have you, or Izy, figured out the amount of Splenda to use in the recipe? As a type 2 diabetic, one is always having to convert these recipe gems.
 
Poojitha
Poojitha February 26, 2014
Hi Izy: Can I use Ghirardelli's unsweetened cocoa powder instead of Dutch-processed? I just have that at home
 
Izy H.
Izy H. February 26, 2014
Yep, that'll be fine!
 
Shay
Shay February 26, 2014
ART-Rex I would love to have homemade coffee creamer, my favorite is Coffee Mate but it contains corn syrup solids (hfcs) and partially hydrogenated fats, (bad stuff). So...get to work on it.
 
ArtoriusRex
ArtoriusRex February 26, 2014
Consider it a quest accepted. =)
 
Tonya
Tonya February 26, 2014
Here are some recipe ideas. http://www.mrshappyhomemaker.com/2013/03/homemade-coffee-creamer-over-20-flavor-varieties/

or https://deliciouslyorganic.net/homemade-coffee-creamer/
 
adwillis
adwillis February 20, 2014
Would this kind of mix work for cold chocolate milk?
 
Izy H.
Izy H. February 22, 2014
hmmm I don't think so because there's solid chocolate in the mix which requires heat in order to melt it so it mixes with the milk. You could definitely make it with warm milk and then chill it until cold, if you wanted.
 
Gayle
Gayle February 18, 2014
How long do you think this will keep? Seems like a really nice gift.
 
Izy H.
Izy H. February 18, 2014
it'll probably keep for a long time (as all the ingredients are shelf stable), I'd say 2-3 months in an airtight jar
 
diaday
diaday February 17, 2014
Back in the day when I was a kid, my mom made homemade hot chocolate. Her recipe is like yours, minus the bittersweet chocolate, and she used powdered milk as that's what was available. I used this recipe when my kids were growing up...so much better than the packaged stuff! It's fun to see "old" recipes recycling with added new twists.
 
ArtoriusRex
ArtoriusRex February 14, 2014
I love both this recipe and the idea. Staying away from the junk our stores call Hot Chocolate Mix is a great idea. I'm thinking of developing a similar analog for coffee creamer. -Artorius @ www.artoriusrex.com