Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix
The perfect blend of chocolatey flavor with one little secret ingredient makes this the Best Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix Recipe around. Rich, chocolatey flavor that’s perfectly creamy….great for cold winter nights and fantastic as a homemade gift.
Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix
Who loves Hot Cocoa? {Me…I’m raising my hand over here.} I used to be addicted to the packets of instant hot cocoa that our office used to buy in bulk. Sometimes, if it was really cold and I was too lazy to run out at lunch, I’d fill up on the stuff by trying out different ratios….sometimes in my coffee…sometimes in half and half.
Sometimes it didn’t turn out so well and I’d have to go out anyway to forage for food. My best creation was a half packet of hot cocoa in about 1 cup of coffee with a splash of half and half. Like a hacked up homemade Mocha Latte.
But it wasn’t the best because…..well, the hot cocoa mix was filled with I don’t even know what. Plus, I had some stellar hot chocolate in my lifetime and once you have something so amazing it makes your toes curl you can’t go back to the packet….you just can’t.
What is Hot Cocoa?
Hot Cocoa or Hot Chocolate, Drinking Chocolate or Chocolate Tea is a beverage consisting of melted chocolate or cocoa powder mixed with heated milk or water and sugar. It can be topped with just about anything you like, we love a dollop of whipped cream.
The best hot cocoa (or should I call it hot chocolate…it can get confusing) I ever had was in the chocolate capital of the world….Hershey Park. Yeah, they sell the good stuff there. It’s like melty, liquid, chocolate crack.
And they only have it there in the winter because who wants to be sipping that stuff when it’s 90 degrees in the shade during the summertime. Am I right? But in the winter….when you just spun around on a ferris wheel in 32 degrees and your face feels like it’s going to crack in half if you try to smile….that’s when you need a big cup full of this molten heaven.
How To Make Hot Cocoa Mix
I have no idea what they put in the Hershey’s hot cocoa but I had to make something better than the store bought packets and so….I spent a few days pondering on exactly how to make the Best Hot Cocoa Mix recipe ever.
I started by trying out some recipes I found on the internet…and I tested sooooo many recipes until I found one I could start with.
This one from Alton Brown was my favorite so I adapted it a bit to make it even better….I added something super special to the mix that was a bit of genius, if I do say so myself. I whisked in a bit of Vanilla Powder, which is just powdered vanilla which you can buy using this link (affiliate), to the mix taking something already pretty amazing and making it completely bonkers, insanely delicious.
- Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl.
- Whisk together to combine.
- Transfer to an airtight container.
- Store for up to 6 months.
That’s it…..it’s sooooooo easy!
Hot Chocolate vs. Hot Cocoa….are they the same thing?
The short answer…..yes….and no. Technically, Hot Chocolate is made by melting chocolate shavings in hot milk and Hot Cocoa is made with cocoa powder. But you can make hot chocolate with cocoa powder and chocolate shavings so, in essence, they are the same.
Hot Chocolate has a thicker, richer consistency where Hot Cocoa is a bit thinner and the added sugar makes it quite a bit sweeter.
Hot Cocoa is so easy to make you’ll want to make a big batch to last all winter but I urge you to double….no, TRIPLE the batch and give it to your friends.
Or give it to people you want to be friends with. OR mail it to your favorite celeb crush and THEY will want to be friends with you. Bonus points if you send along some of these homemade Gingerbread Cookies with Royal Icing made from scratch.
Hot Chocolate Bar
If you decide to keep all your Hot Cocoa Mix to yourself, you can use it to create an epic holiday Hot Chocolate Bar. To set up your Hot Cocoa Bar, simply make the entire recipe for Hot Cocoa in a slow cooker or crock pot for guests to serve themselves.
Our favorite mix-ins for Hot Cocoa are:
- Homemade Marshmallows (They’re so easy, it’s scary!)
- These super fun Snowman Toppers are so cute.
- Mix in a bit of Bailey’s, Frangelico or Chocolate Liquor
- Serve with cinnamon sticks, candy canes, or Biscotti
We also use this Hot Cocoa Mix to fill out festive Hot Cocoa Bombs! They’re super fun to make and even more fun to melt.
Either way….make a gigantic batch of the Best Hot Cocoa Mix and ruin your kids forever because they’ll never let you buy it at the store again. It’s simple and spectacular.
Looking for something a little more special? We love this Birthday Cake White Hot Chocolate! It tastes just like a birthday cake!
Want more fun food inspiration? Follow us on Instagram!
Get the Recipe: The Best Hot Cocoa Mix Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup dark cocoa powder
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 1/2 cups powdered milk
- 1 tablespoon Powdered Vanilla
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 cup dark chocolate chunks
- 1 cup mini Marshmallows
Equipment
- 1 whisk
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, both cocoa powders, powdered milk, vanilla, salt and cornstarch until combined.
- Transfer the mixture to an airtight container. Layer with chocolate chunks and marshmallows.
- Store at room temperature indefinitely.
- To make the cocoa:
- Whisk 2 1/2 heaping tablespoons cocoa mix with 1 cup hot water or steamed milk until dissolved.
- Serve immediately.
55 Comments on “Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix”
This looks good. I’m wondering about the cornstarch though? What would happen if I left that out?
It would not get as thick and creamy.
Homemade holiday gifts are the best!
This is so comforting! I need to try this ASAP!
Yes! You really do!
Do you use non-fat dry milk or whole powdered milk?
I use whole powdered milk but non-fat dry milk will work, too!
This hot cocoa mix turned out so well! It is so creamy and delish! I am absolutely adding jars of this to my Christmas baskets!
I’m so glad you loved it!
Can’t WAIT to try this!!! I can’t stand the packets anymore either. š Question….do we stir/mix in the chocolate chips and marshmallows too for each serving, or are they just to make the gift jars look pretty? Thanks!
You can stir the chocolate chips and marshmallows in, too! Plus, they’re pretty. š
Just had my first cup a minute ago…..and it is AMAZING. Thank you!!!!! š I didn’t even add the chips and marshmallows, since I don’t have them yet, but oh wow. It’s a winner!!! Will be perfect for my half-coffee-half-cocoa drink too. š
I made this today and it is delicious!!! Ā The best hot chocolate I have ever had. Ā
Where did you get the jars? Ā I would love to give as gifts for Christmas. Ā
They’re Weck Canning Jars, you can get them online or at Crate and Barrel.
Hi Kelly, I love your recipes. In regards to the Hot Cocoa Mix, is powdered sugar, what we refer to as icing sugar?
Yes, it is.
Hi Kelly, is powdered sugar the same as icing sugar. Love your recipes
It is! Thank you so much!
Hi
I’m a little confused about the cocoa powder. You have two listed in the recipe. I have the dark chocolate cocoa what would the other cocoa powder be? And aren’t they both unsweetened? Thank you so much.
Stephanie
They are both unsweetened! Thank you!
Ummā¦.. cocoa powder is cocoa powder. There is no ādarkā or regular. There is regular cocoa powder and then dutched and then black/ extra dutched powders but thatās it.
You can only delineate between actual chocolate that is not in powdered form by using dark or milk as it is in reference to the milk added to make the couverture. Then there are % of dark cacao depending on the % of cacao verse coco butter in it.
Anyway, while companies may use ridiculous marketing, please use your soapbox to write actual ingredients that exist since the recipe as written makes no sense.
I really hope you actually keep this comment and donāt moderate it away so folks can actually learn something.
That’s actually incorrect. Hershey’s sells a cocoa powder and a Special Dark Cocoa Powder….whether marketing or not, those are the products you find on the shelves and what consumers/readers will find in the stores. I try to keep things simple as most individuals are not as informed in the processing of cocoa powder. It’s a recipe for Hot Cocoa…..plain and simple.
Kellie,
Love this recipe! And in your ingredients, you are right for using the term dark when referring to the Special Dark. It’s a cocoa that falls outside the three main categories of cocoa, being natural, dutched, and black. Special Dark is a combination of natural and dutched, so its not quite as dark as a black cocoa, but its easier to sub out for either natural or dutched because of the way its a blend of the two without having to worry about adjusting your levening agents in baked goods. I have a recipe handed down from my Gran that I put my own spin on, she used natural, I use Special Dark. Its amazing and it works so well in your hot chocolate recipe. Keep up the great work, Kellie. You’re a rockstar!
Thank you so much!
Just wanted to chime in here. I might be misunderstanding, but I looked this up myself, a whiel back; it seems that Hershey’s Special Dark WAS a blend of natural and dutched cocoa, but now it’s purely dutched:
https://www.hersheyland.com/products/hersheys-cocoa-special-dark-100-cacao-cocoa-8-oz-can.html
A lot of people are unhappy about this, but they recently reformulated it, as you can see by the comments on their official product page. :\
I just wanted to let you know since you said you were using it for baking–I think WILL be different for leavening now!
I hope you have a nice holiday, Deb (and everyone else reading this!) š
Thank you so much for the information…..the more you know! š
Thank you Kellie! I appreciate this cocoa recipe and your use of common consumer language. It makes cooking and gifting approachable. I did actually have a dark colored and a light colored cocoa in the pantry. They were from different companies and probably different processes- who knows. They both went in the mix and it’s delicious. Now this fam is on the third batch at least!
Thank you so much! That makes me happy your family loves it as much as we do!
Have you thought of swapping out the corn starch for Instant Clear Gel? Might need some adjustment in the recipe amounts but you wouldn’t have to worry about getting the starch to a specific temperature to get it to activate? I L-O-V-E your combination of cocoa powders; Special Dark is a secret I always keep in my baking pantry. It makes my chocolate bakes super-rich. Thanks for this recipe, it’s amazing!
Forgot your rating…Can I give it ten stars! Keep up the great work
You sure can! š Thank you so much!
You’re welcome! Thanks for the tip but Instant Clear Gel is hard to find for some readers so I wanted to use something that’s easily accessible.
Do you have a powered milk brand that you recommend?
I usually use Cardinal but I’m not married to it. š
Hello! Are you using Dutch processed cocoa?
I use a mix of unsweetened cocoa powder (not dutch) and Special Dark which is a blend.
How many jars do you get from 1 batch and what size? I would love to give as gifts and will need more than 1 batch of jars, so this info would be helpful when ordering the jars. I can’t wait to try this, it looks so yummy!
It makes about 6 cups (including the chocolate chips and marshmallows called for in the recipe card) so I use 8 or 16 ounce jars (depending on my mood) and then just load them up with extra chocolate chunks and marshmallows to top them off.
Can I substitute Splenda instead of powdered sugar for this recipe??
I suppose you could, I can’t say for sure because I’ve never tested it.
Hi Kelly! Could cornstarch be replaced by arrowroot or tapioca powder, since those are thickeners as well?
Sara
Yes, absolutely. You can also use tapioca powder.
Sorry, you did say tapioca powder. š
Great hot chocolate. Not too sweet, great chocolate flavor. Better than the store purchase stuff.
I would wondering if anyone has tried it with powder coconut milk? I was making it for gifts, and they can all have milk. If you are giving it as a gift you might consider a mini whisk. This would also make a great after dinner and kids in bed drink.
I have not tried that personally. Thank you so much for trying and the mini whisk is a great idea!
Is there a significant difference if vanilla powder is not used? If so, what do you use for powdered vanilla? Most reasonably priced powdered vanilla has reviews that it is mostly sugar. Pure vanilla seems to be priced at around 15.00 an ounce. That’s a lot of change for something one can use to complete a recipe only twice.
You can use vanilla coffee creamer as a sub for powdered vanilla. it’s not exactly the same but it’s still really good!
Thanks for posting this. I used it as a general guide to mix up what we have around the house (King Arthur black cocoa, Droste (dutched) cocoa, Bobās Red Mill powdered milk, some Oteker vanilla sugar + some confectioners sugar.) Even without marshmallows and chocolate chunks, it made a lovely cup of hot cocoa & I was very glad to make use of what we have already. Thanks again!
Thank you for your comment!
I doubled the cocoa in the recipe and reduced the sugar to 3/4 of a cup and although flavour-wise it’s quite nice it’s still veeeery sweet, probably because of the natural sugars in the powdered milk.
It’s definitely sweeter because of the powdered milk, for sure!
Looks great and I want to make it for neighbor gifts. Ā How do you get to the mix to make to hot chocolate when the marshmallow and chocolate chips are on top? Ā If I mix them in, how much mix to make a cup?
We usually push the toppings to the side and measure out the cocoa mix, then add the extra stuff on top before pouring in the hot milk.
Hi your recipe sounds fantastic and I have everything for it but was wonderin, if I leave out the powdered milk(giving as gifts & they are allergic to milk)would the recipe still work or should I adjust/substitute?
Hi! You can leave it out but you will need a powdered non-dairy creamer as a substitute or it won’t have the creamy consistency that helps it blend into the milk.