Homemade Hot chocolate is a delicious treat for children who are cold and coming in from playing in the snow. Well, it’s a delicious treat for adults who are warm inside as well.
I like having something on hand that has the type of ingredients that I can be happy about. Yes, there is sugar, of course, but I want to be able to give my children something that does not have preservatives, artificial flavoring, and other ingredients that I disagree with giving to my children.
Having a homemade hot chocolate mix on hand is great, because you can grab it right out of your cupboard and not have to start from scratch. This means your older children or teens can make this for themselves as well.
I make a large batch that will last all winter and store it in a few large mason jars.
This makes a great gift as well. One year I worked with my grandmother to make jars for all of her friends. We made the mix and then added marshmallows to the top. She wanted to add a small piece of cloth under the jar ring. Then we wrapped the jar with a ribbon. They were beautiful gifts that fit her budget that she could feel good about giving to her friends.
It also goes great with a gift of Homemade Vanilla Extract.
Homemade Hot Chocolate Ingredients
There are not a lot of ingredient to this recipe, but the more that’s done ahead of time, the better in my house. There’s always bread to make, meals to cook, shop orders to work on.
Not spending money on cocoa mix that has all kinds of ingredients I don’t want in it, and not spending time making my own every time is a great bonus.
Note: You can add more or less sugar depending on taste. I tend to add less if I am incorporating chocolate chips into the mix.
Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix
Equipment
- 1 8 ounce mason jar (2 if adding chocolate chips)
- 1 blender , optional – if adding chocolate chips
Ingredients
- 5 cups powdered milk
- 2 cup unbleached sugar (1 cup if adding chocolate chips)
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups chocolate chips (optional) , chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Add powdered milk, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla extract to an 8oz mason jar and shake well.5 cups powdered milk, 2 cup unbleached sugar, 1 cup cocoa powder, 3 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- If adding chocolate chips, put them in a blender and blend until they are small bits. Divide mix into two jars and divide chocolate chip crumbs between the two jars.3 cups chocolate chips (optional)
To Make:
- Add 4 Tablespoons to an 8oz mug and add hot water.
- Optional, add 4 tablespoons to a blender, add 8oz hot water and blend so that hot chocolate is frothy,
Notes
As stated in the instructions, we add chocolate chips so I only add 1/2 cup sugar instead of the full 1 cup.
The four tablespoons will look like a lot in the mug but it’s mainly powdered milk. I use powdered milk because I wanted my younger kids to have a mix that they could just add warm/hot water to. This will depend on how much milk you always have on hand and how old your kids are.
If you’re using milk to make your hot chocolate, leave out the powdered milk and double the recipe as needed to fill your mason jar.
