There’s nothing like a warm, cozy mugful of hot chocolate on a cold day. After playing outside in the snow, my little boys immediately ask for hot chocolate with lots of marshmallows. It’s such a nostalgic drink that’s perfect for sipping on a cold night, while snuggling under blankets, watching movies and eating popcorn. And since my little boys love hot chocolate so much, I’ve been keeping plenty of my homemade hot chocolate mix on hand. It’s quick and easy to make, and so much tastier than store bought powdered mixes.
Looking for more recipes like this one? You’ll love this chocolate hazelnut cake, baked gingerbread doughnuts, and chocolate peppermint no churn ice cream.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Easy and Versatile. It takes just 5 minutes to make a batch of homemade hot chocolate mix, and you can vary it however you like. Adjust the amount of sugar to make it more or less sweet, choose your favorite cocoa powder, and add a few spices to complement and enhance the flavor of the chocolate.
Perfect for Gift Giving. I love sweet homemade gifts for the holidays, and a little jar or bag of your homemade cocoa along with a candy cane and a cute label is perfect for someone special in your life.
Long Shelf Life. If you don’t drink hot chocolate all that often, a jar of this mix stored in the pantry will keep all winter long.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
Dry Milk Powder.
- Dry milk powder is what makes homemade hot chocolate creamy and flavorful. I’ve been using a combination of regular milk powder (you can use whole or nonfat) + malted milk powder. The flavor notes from the malted milk powder are just delicious.
Cocoa Powder.
- Hot cocoa will only taste as good as your ingredients, so use a good quality cocoa powder. I like to use Rodelle Dutch-processed cocoa powder in my baking, so I always have it on hand. Drost is also fantastic.
- Dutch-Processed vs. Natural Cocoa Powder. Understanding the difference between types of cocoa powders is key to choosing one for your homemade hot chocolate mix. Dutch-processed cocoa powder is more mellow tasting, less bitter, and darker in color. Natural cocoa powder is stronger and more bitter, so if you like your hot chocolate to taste less sweet, you might want to use a natural cocoa powder. Experiment with different cocoa powders, or a combination of several, to see which you like best. Both types are just fine, it simply depends on what you prefer.
Powdered Sugar.
- What is hot chocolate without some sugar? I like to use powdered sugar in mine, but you can certainly use granulated sugar or another sweetener of your choice. The sugar can also be reduced to suit your preference.
Salt.
- A pinch of coarse Kosher salt balances the sweetness and enhances the flavor of the chocolate.
Spices.
- I’ve included espresso powder in my recipe. Espresso powder is bitter, so it’s a nice balance to the sugar, as well as deepens the flavor of the cocoa powder.
- You could add other spices, too, including cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cardamom, or even a little chili powder or cayenne pepper.
Instructions
It’s so easy to make your own homemade hot chocolate mix! Just sift all the ingredients into a bowl to remove the lumps, and whisk together until everything is evenly distributed. Alternatively, you can blitz everything together in a food processor to grind it up more finely, especially if the powdered milk is lumpy.
Yield and Storage
- This recipe makes 5 1/2 cups of homemade hot chocolate mix, which is enough for 22 servings.
- Your hot chocolate mix should be stored in an airtight container, such as a glass jar, in a cool dark place (like your pantry). It will keep indefinitely, but it’s unlikely to last through the winter, am I right?
- Homemade hot chocolate mix also makes a fantastic Christmas gift for the holidays. Scoop it into glass jars and top off with a few chocolate chips and marshmallows. Tie the jars with red and white striped twine, a candy cane, and a cute little gift tag.
Serving
- To serve your hot chocolate, I recommend using a ratio of 8 ounces whole milk to 1/4 cup homemade hot chocolate mix. You can make this with water instead of milk, but it’s much creamier and more delicious when made with milk. Almond milk or coconut milk are also fine substitutions for the whole milk. Use half n half if you like your hot chocolate extra creamy and rich.
- The best way to make hot cocoa is on the stove. Measure your homemade hot chocolate mix into a saucepan, then slowly add half the milk, whisking to dissolve all the lumps. Whisk in the rest of the milk. Warm the hot chocolate over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until hot. Pour into mugs and serve.
- Alternatively, you can warm your milk in the microwave, and then add it to your hot chocolate mix. The best way to do this is to heat your milk in a microwave safe glass measuring cup. Add the hot chocolate mix to your cups first, then slowly stir in the hot milk, stirring well to dissolve the powdered mix.
Hot Chocolate Variations and Additional Mix-Ins
- My boys love marshmallows in their hot chocolate, but I’m partial to a big swirl of whipped cream on mine.
- You could also serve with white or dark chocolate chips, candy canes, freshly grated nutmeg, marshmallow cream or even salted caramel sauce!
- A little vanilla or almond extract would be delicious in hot chocolate.
- If you’re feeling really indulgent, add a splash of good-quality dark rum or bourbon. Grown-ups only, of course.
Gingerbread Hot Chocolate Recipe
For a deliciously spiced cup of hot chocolate with all the flavors of gingerbread, whisk together these ingredients in a saucepan, warming until hot. Top with whipped cream and freshly grated nutmeg. Serves 2.
- 2 cups (16 ounces) whole milk, or milk of your choice
- 1/2 cup hot chocolate mix
- 2 teaspoons molasses
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ginger
- pinch cloves
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Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry milk powder
- 1 ½ cups dry malted milk powder
- 2 cups powdered sugar or confectioner's sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 1 tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 tbsp espresso powder
Instructions
To Make
- Sift all the ingredients into a large bowl. If the powdered milk has lumps that are too large to pass through a mesh sifter, blitz it a few times in a food processor to grind it up more finely.
- Whisk together thoroughly so that all the ingredients are evenly dispersed throughout the mix.
- Store in an airtight canister or glass jar. This hot chocolate mix will keep indefinitely in your pantry.
- This recipe yields 5 1/2 cups mix, which is enough for 22 servings (1/4 cup dry mix per serving).
To Serve
- My recommended ratio of liquid to mix is 8 ounces of whole milk to 1/4 cup powdered mix. You can make this with water instead of milk (since there is powdered milk in the mix), but it's much creamier and more delicious when mixed with milk. Almond milk or coconut milk are also fine substitutions for the whole milk.
- The best way to make hot chocolate is on the stove. Measure your hot chocolate mix into a saucepan, then slowly add half the milk, whisking to dissolve all the lumps. Whisk in the rest of the milk.
- Warm the hot chocolate over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until hot. Pour into mugs and serve with marshmallows and whipped cream.
- Alternatively, you can warm your milk in the microwave, and then add it to your hot chocolate mix. The best way to do this is to heat your milk in a microwave safe glass measuring cup. Add the hot chocolate mix to your cups first, then slowly stir in the hot milk, stirring well to dissolve the powdered mix.
Notes
- Instead of the malted milk powder, you can substitute just plain powdered milk.
- The salt is optional, but it balances the sweetness of the mix and enhances the flavor of the chocolate.
- The espresso powder is optional, but coffee complements chocolate beautifully, and it adds much more depth of flavor.
- It’s normal for some of the hot chocolate mix to settle at the bottom of your cup, especially if you’re sipping it slowly. Just stir it back up with a spoon.
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