Recipe: Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix

Note: I'm not much of a chef or baker, but there are a few quick, simple recipes I like to make for sweet treats. Please keep in mind that these recipes reflect only my own experience, and that if you choose to follow them you do so at your own risk!

There's nothing like a cup of hot cocoa on a cold winter night, but I'm not fond of store-bought mixes--instant just-add-water varieties usually skimp on the powdered milk, while mixes meant to be added to milk are often far too intense for my taste. I used to make my own homemade hot cocoa one cup at a time, but I recently mixed up a bulk batch of my particular blend. It's a snap to put together, and makes a nice holiday gift when packaged in a decorative container--I wrapped an empty cocoa canister with William Morris wrapping paper in a color scheme that coordinated with the brown lid, then added a pretty label from Martha Stewart Crafts.

Ingredients

- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 cups powdered or granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

To make the mix, sift the cocoa, sugar, and salt into an empty cocoa canister or other container, then stir with a fork until well blended. You can use either powdered sugar or granulated sugar, but powdered sugar dissolves a little quicker in hot milk.

To make a cup of cocoa, add 1 tablespoon of mix to 1 cup (8 ounces) of hot milk. Add 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla or peppermint extract if desired, stir, and enjoy!

Makes approximately 48 servings