‘Tis the season! It’s time for hot cocoa, peppermint sticks – and lots of holiday treats!
My kids LOVE hot cocoa. We make it a lot during the winter – and they are used to good, old fashioned, homemade hot cocoa. I decided to start experimenting with a hot cocoa mix this year so that we could have something that was super easy to make on the fly, as well as something we could package up and use as gifts for the holiday season.
So this is a recipe for a dry mix – and it is doubled, so it makes a huge batch. We have been able to use it for after school snacks as well as have enough to make substantial amounts of holiday gifts!
In another post, I will show the labels and 8×10 sign that you can print or buy to set up your own warm beverage bar.
Ingredient for the dry mix:
- 10 cups of dry milk
- 1¾ cups of coffee creamer
- 1¾ cups of cocoa
- 7 cups of powdered sugar (or your favorite natural sugar substitute, like Stevia)
- In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients with a whisk or fork until all are mixed together. Make sure to store this in an air-tight container, or divide into batches for gifts. This can be used for up to 8 months.
To make a cup of cocoa, carefully whisk 1 cup of very hot water with 1/3 cup of the hot cocoa mix – serve hot with your favorite hot cocoa toppings like marsh mallows or whipped cream. You could also add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla to your cup of cocoa for a burst of extra flavor.
You can also use toppings like peppermint sticks and chocolate chips – so many options – what are your favorite toppings for hot cocoa? Do you usually use an instant mix, or do you opt for homemade hot cocoa?
To see the free “Hot Beverage Station” printables that go with this recipe, read on!
I used 2 heaping tablespoons of the instant espresso in a mug of hot water.
Add 2 tablespoons of your sweetener of choice – (honey or sugar):
To download these labels and view the tutorial on how to cut them out, click here.
In the winter months, my skin suffers terribly from the cold, dry air. I also feel like I wash my hands 10 times more than usual to ward off the sick bugs to which we’re all exposed. Just today alone, I think I washed my hands every 2 minutes due to the fact that my youngest was battling the dreaded stomach bug. (It’s the worst when the iPad becomes victim…and then you’re stuck cleaning out the USB port with a toothpick.) So by January of each year, my hands are just so dry and cracked.
mixture.
