Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix

I don't know about you, but I can't stop thinking about all the lovely Fall treats and options that I feel so much more inclined to make these days. With how hot it was here in Utah all Summer, I find myself, probably for the first time in my life, really looking forward to the cooler weather of Fall.

I'm not going to go so far as to say I'm looking forward to Winter, because frankly, dealing with doctor appointments, school trips to and from Aidan's school every day, and just the day to day doings of life, I'm not looking forward to being in my third trimester (in other words, even clumsier than I already am!) in the snow and ice. I'm sure it will just be awesome. Yeah, that's what it will be.

Ahem. Anywho.

Now that cooler weather is here, I'm actually able to think of making warm drinks for me and the kids. Aidan is a big hot chocolate (warm really) fan and he must get this from me because I could really drink it every day - when I'm not excessively hot from weather/pregnancy/etc.

What I don't always have on hand is good chocolate to chop up and melt in some hot milk - which is frankly my favorite way to have hot chocolate. That said though, sometimes what I really want is some really good hot cocoa. I can't stand any of the hot cocoa mixes they sell in stores though, so that leaves me with measuring and mixing together cocoa from scratch myself.

That can become rather tedious when I just wish I had the convenience of the mixed packets, so I've come up with a perfect solution in this homemade hot cocoa mix. It is rich, creamy, decadent and infinitely drinkable. It is really nice to make the mix yourself from scratch because you can make it in bulk and customize it to your heart's desire. The mix I make below uses powdered milk so that I can just take it anywhere if we want and mix it with very hot water.

HOMEMADE HOT COCOA MIX

12 oz non-fat dry milk (powdered milk) - great resource for more info here - any brand
3/4 Cup unsweetened cocoa powder - I used dutch processed
1 1/4 Cup packed light brown sugar
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

Combine all ingredients together well. It will be a little grainy and lumpy from the dry milk and the brown sugar, but should mix fine. I like to dump everything into a big bowl and whisk well to combine. Store in an airtight container.

Makes enough hot cocoa mix for 10 - 12 6 oz servings, depending on how rich you like your cocoa.

To mix a serving, heat 6 oz of water to very hot. Pour into a heat proof cup with 3-4 Tablespoons of mix in the bottom (it mixes a lot easier and smoother this way and is easier to heat the water in bulk if you are making more than one serving at a time). Stir well and enjoy!

Options:

- 1 T vanilla powder - boosts the flavor, you could also add just a small splash of vanilla extract to your cocoa after you've heated it and stirred it in

- 1 T ground cinnamon - gives a slight spiced flavor for a Mexican cocoa effect

Substitute Non-Dairy Powdered Creamer for part or all of the dry milk powder above for a richer, creamier texture and taste

- 4 T mix to 6 oz very hot water

- You can make the mix without the powdered milk and use regular milk instead. If you do this, you will have a much smaller amount of mix and will only need to use 2-3 Tablespoons of mix per 6 oz cup of hot milk.