Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix

I have a secret to share with you. So you walk into your favorite Starbucks and order your favorite coffee, maybe a pumpkin spice latte–as soon as their available. I love to go to Starbucks, and order my favorite drink, too.  Oh, so that’s not the secret part. I actually don’t like coffee.

Yep, I’m not sure how I got to be this old without learning to like coffee, but it happened. So for years when I would go to Starbucks in the winter, I would order their hot cocoa. Ok, not very grown-up sounding, especially when I ordered it at the kids temperature, but it was my go to favorite! So much that a cannister of their hot cocoa mix found it’s way into my Christmas stocking!  YUM!

Definitely a treat! When the cannister started running low, I decided to experiment and create my own homemade hot cocoa mix that would be similar to theirs.

I looked at the ingredients and directions on the Starbucks hot cocoa mix cannister Combined that with the homemade hot cocoa recipe on Hershey’s baking cocoa container and came up with a mix I love!

Now I’m sharing that mix with you!

The Recipe

1 cup sugar
2/3 cup Hershey’s baking cocoa powder
Dash of salt

Mix ingredients together until very well combined.

Makes approximately six 12 oz. servings

For 1 mug hot cocoa:
Combine 1/4 hot cocoa mix with 1/4 cup hot water.
Stir to create a syrup. Fill mug the remainder of the way with your choice of milk (my favorite is unsweetend almond milk). Stir well and heat through.

For a small 8oz mug : Follow direction above using
1/8 cup water 1/8 cup hot cocoa mix

Over the years I’ve tweaked the recipe to a scant cup of sugar and a very heaping 2/3 cup baking cocoa.

Wonderful served top with whipped cream and a sprinkling of cinnamon and nutmeg

Other serving suggestions: Add a bit of your favorite seasonal creamer with the milk. Mine are Natural Bliss Pumpkin Spice and Natural Bliss Peppermint Cocoa

I hope you’ll experiment with this recipe and let me know your favorites.

 

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