Hot Cocoa for Winter
Hot cocoa bars and hot cocoa bombs were all the rage for the holidays, but, it's still winter and there's nothing like a cup of hot cocoa to warm you up on a cold winter day. Welcome back to 10 on the 10th, a group of bloggers sharing ideas and inspiration for under $10. Our theme this month is 'Winter Blues' - anything Winter or blue and I've got just the thing!
While hot cocoa bombs sound delicious and hot cocoa bars look amazing, often the ingredients didn't really thrill me. People were using pre-made cocoa mix and from my experience, anything you buy pre-made tends to have extra ingredients that don't sound very appetizing. Here's a list of the ingredients of a popular brand of hot cocoa mix:
Sugar, Corn Syrup, Modified Whey, Cocoa (Processed with Alkali), Hydrogenated Coconut Oil, Nonfat Milk, Less Than 2% Of: Salt, Dipotassium Phosphate, Mono- and Diglycerides, Natural Flavor.
Some of those ingredients make me raise an eyebrow (especially the cocoa processed with alkali), so let me present a homemade version of hot cocoa mix.
The ingredients are simple:
1 & 3/4 C granulated sugar1 & 1/8 C cocoa
1 & 1/2 tsp. table salt
Measure the three ingredients into a bowl.
Stir until well-mixed:
Use about 2 Tbsp. of mix for each cup of hot milk. I like it chocolate-y (I may have just created a new word) so make them 'heaping' tablespoons. Add some marshmallows, whipped cream, and a peppermint, if you so desire, and drink up!
Apologies for this photo. We haven't had a good, sunny day in ages and while I was trying to get this shot, the whipped cream melted into the hot cocoa...ugh! Here I am, Keepin' it Real at the Cottage - You're welcome! Lol
Store the rest of the recipe in a tightly-sealed jar.
Make it pretty! I used a piece of denim (trying to stick with the 'blue' part of the theme) and tied a ribbon around the jar. Be sure to add the directions on a tag and you have a nice little gift.
Here's how much it made:
The jar on the left was a salsa jar and the mix is up to the 12 ounce mark. The jar on the right was a pesto jar and is 8 ounces.
To break-down the cost:
4 lb. bag of sugar - about $4
8 oz. container of cocoa - about $3
26 oz. container of salt - about $.40
Even if you used all of the ingredients - and clearly, you won't, the cost is under $5 for approximately 20 ounces of mix. That's pretty economical and I know what's in it!
Because this is !0 on the 10th, you might want to make yourself a cup of hot cocoa and visit my friends to see what they have to share with you. The links are all listed below:
I hope you'll pin, share, comment, and follow. If you click on those 3 little lines at the top left of the blog (on the Home page), you'll see where to find me...or click on the icon below to share.
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Ann,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this recipe...I usually drink the mix but I will definitely give this a try and what a great idea for a Christmas gift for next Season....Thanks so much for stopping by!! Stay safe, healthy and happy!!
Hugs,
Debbie
You're very welcome, Debbie. It's very simple and I will definitely be making it into gifts!
DeleteThis is my favorite hot beverage - there's nothing like cocoa on a snowy morning!
ReplyDeleteThat's for sure...with extra chocolate!
DeleteAnn, I forget how easy it is to make hot cocoa and really, it is soooo much better for you without all those preserving things. And the alkali??! I'll have to look at our packages... Thank you for hosting today and I love your mini hot cocoa bar; the melted marshmallows and small peppermint candy are perfect just as they are. <3
ReplyDeleteHappy 10th,
Barb :)
We've been looking much closer at ingredients lately and I've found many things can be made at home with less ingredients. It was fun hopping with you!
DeleteAnn I couldn't agree more about most pre-made hot cocoa's. I'm not a big fan of chocolate, weird I know, but my husbands family makes their own and I do like it much better than store bought. I will have to give yours a try! When I made chocolate bombs this year for Christmas I added home made cocoa to them. So much better! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
ReplyDeleteWe have stopped using so many pre-made foods and it's amazing how much better we feel! I like to be able to read my ingredients!
DeleteI am a huge cocoa fan around this time of the year. I always love trying out new recipes. I am going to save yours to try next. Thanks for sharing Ann.
ReplyDeleteI must say, it is pretty delish! Thanks for stopping by, Terrie!
DeleteWonderful idea for a winter sweet gift! I like your denim topper and tag. Pinned.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Allyson. I think I will be making more for gifts!
DeleteWow, that list of ingredients really makes you think. I love the way you packaged this.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Julie. Very often, I'm finding that 'less is more'!
DeleteOoh, now I want to go and have some hot chocolate. That looks so good. I love the way you have packaged it too. Hot cocoa bombs are a big trend here too.
ReplyDeleteI plan to try hot cocoa bombs in the future and I will be happy knowing exactly what is in them.
DeleteThank you so much for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again soon!
Thank you for the recipe Ann! Although I am in love with cocoa, I try not to have much of it during the week as it increases the weight.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean, Maya. Although, I do often find with fewer 'extra' ingredients, I don't see as much weight gain!
DeleteLove this Ann! I did take apart my hot chocolate bar but all the spoons and sprinkles are still in the cabinet for winter days ahead! This would make an adorable gift and I think it would be fun to take to my neighbors right now. It's fun to get a little surprise for absolutely no reason...especially these days! Thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you like it, Denise. The holidays may be over, but hot cocoa season isn't!
DeleteMy pleasure, Marilyn.
ReplyDeleteOh wow Ann !! Thank you for the recipe. My boys love cocoa. We'll give this a try.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing with us at Meraki Link Party.
Have a wonderful week.
Naush
My pleasure, Naush. I hope they enjoy it!
DeleteMy grandmother used to make cocoa mix for us this way too. Except I don't remember the salt being part of the recipe - but she probably didn't tell us that part. Thanks for reminding me of that special time as a kid. I am going to try your recipe out this winter. #HomeMattersParty
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy I reminded you of a special time, Donna. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
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