Homemade hot chocolate is easy to make and tastes much better than prepackaged mixes. Hot cocoa is great for any time of the year to chase off the chill of a cold, rainy day or to indulge a chocolate craving. It's especially nice as a Christmas morning tradition, or a special drink for kids on New Year's Eve.
Hot chocolate can be dressed up in all kinds of ways. Whether you go the classic route and include marshmallows, or try something unique like peppermint or even chili powder, there are so many wonderful ways to enjoy a cup of cocoa. Kids will love it if you give them free reign to experiment with their hot chocolate- just be prepared for some interesting concoctions!
If the idea of making your own hot chocolate mix is intimidating, don't be nervous. This recipe is surprisingly simple, with few ingredients. It can easily be whipped together in no time at all. You can even increase the recipe to make some mix to store. This recipe will make sure you never go back to store-bought hot cocoa mix!
Bookmark this recipe so that you can return to it whenever you want a delicious cup of hot cocoa. If your kids are old enough, teach them how to make this recipe. They'll love being able to make their own hot cocoa whenever they want! Just make sure they're aware of kitchen safety rules.
Hot Chocolate Mix Recipe
Ingredients (makes 6 servings of mix):
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 teaspoon salt
whole milk
Directions:
1. Combine sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, mini semisweet chocolate chips, and salt in a bowl. Mix well.
2. In a medium saucepan, warm 8 ounces of milk for each cup of hot cocoa (do not boil). Remove from heat and divide evenly into mugs.
3. Add 2 Tablespoons of the mix into each cup of milk (3 Tablespoons if you like your cocoa extra chocolatey).
4. Top with large marshmallows or whipped cream sprinkled with cocoa powder.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©iStock.com/shininghope.