It's that time of year again. There's a definite bite to the air in the mornings and evenings, and it's time to keep a stock of hot chocolate in the house.
A couple years ago, I found a recipe to make my own mix, which I think ends up more cost effective in the long run. The biggest advantage I found was that I could make different flavors if I wanted to, and could make sugar/fat free mix that I was ok with letting my kids have several times per day. This also can be an easy gift, if you put it in a nice container, or dress up a jar with piece of fabric over the lid.
The basic recipe is as follows:
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup splenda (or 1 1/2 cup white sugar)
1 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1 cup non-dairy creamer powder
Mix all the ingredients well. Store in an airtight container.
To drink: Add 3 heaping spoons to a cup of hot water, to taste.
Variations:
Most of the variations I did with this included using flavored creamer. There are different flavors available sometimes around the holidays, such as Gingerbread, that make great flavors for hot chocolate. You can also change the flavor a bit by using darker chocolate powder. Hershey's puts out a "special dark" cocoa powder every so often, and using that for some or all of the chocolate gives a darker, richer flavor.
Here are a few of the variations I've done:
Gingerbread: Use Gingerbread flavored creamer, and add use some of the darker chocolate powder, if available.
French Silk: Vanilla Cinnamon flavored creamer, with darker chocolate powder. (I want to try adding just a little instant espresso to this, but haven't found it yet. I'd probably only add about a Tablespoon to a Double batch of the mix.)
Chili - Use a regular (unflavored) creamer, and add just a touch of chili powder. Start small - about 1/2 tsp for the batch, and mix it well. It's surprisingly good. (I wouldn't use the "chipolte" chili powder for this, because it adds a smoky flavor.)
Extra chocolate - use a chocolate flavored creamer. You can also substitute part of the regular chocolate powder with the darker chocolate for this, for a "triple chocolate" version.
One that I'm hoping to do this year is an orange and/or orange spice. I found someplace with an orange powder, and I'll mix some of that in, possibly with some cinnamon. I love the chocolate orange flavor, so for me at least, this sounds tasty.
Another thought that I've had, but haven't tried, would be to use some unsweetened kool-aid mix, specifically a black cherry flavor, and mix that in for a "black forest" version.
Have fun with this, an enjoy. If you find any great combinations, please feel free to share them with me. I'd love to have new ideas to try.
A couple years ago, I found a recipe to make my own mix, which I think ends up more cost effective in the long run. The biggest advantage I found was that I could make different flavors if I wanted to, and could make sugar/fat free mix that I was ok with letting my kids have several times per day. This also can be an easy gift, if you put it in a nice container, or dress up a jar with piece of fabric over the lid.
The basic recipe is as follows:
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup splenda (or 1 1/2 cup white sugar)
1 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1 cup non-dairy creamer powder
Mix all the ingredients well. Store in an airtight container.
To drink: Add 3 heaping spoons to a cup of hot water, to taste.
Variations:
Most of the variations I did with this included using flavored creamer. There are different flavors available sometimes around the holidays, such as Gingerbread, that make great flavors for hot chocolate. You can also change the flavor a bit by using darker chocolate powder. Hershey's puts out a "special dark" cocoa powder every so often, and using that for some or all of the chocolate gives a darker, richer flavor.
Here are a few of the variations I've done:
Gingerbread: Use Gingerbread flavored creamer, and add use some of the darker chocolate powder, if available.
French Silk: Vanilla Cinnamon flavored creamer, with darker chocolate powder. (I want to try adding just a little instant espresso to this, but haven't found it yet. I'd probably only add about a Tablespoon to a Double batch of the mix.)
Chili - Use a regular (unflavored) creamer, and add just a touch of chili powder. Start small - about 1/2 tsp for the batch, and mix it well. It's surprisingly good. (I wouldn't use the "chipolte" chili powder for this, because it adds a smoky flavor.)
Extra chocolate - use a chocolate flavored creamer. You can also substitute part of the regular chocolate powder with the darker chocolate for this, for a "triple chocolate" version.
One that I'm hoping to do this year is an orange and/or orange spice. I found someplace with an orange powder, and I'll mix some of that in, possibly with some cinnamon. I love the chocolate orange flavor, so for me at least, this sounds tasty.
Another thought that I've had, but haven't tried, would be to use some unsweetened kool-aid mix, specifically a black cherry flavor, and mix that in for a "black forest" version.
Have fun with this, an enjoy. If you find any great combinations, please feel free to share them with me. I'd love to have new ideas to try.
Looks yummy. Thanks for sharing! Miss chatting with you :)
ReplyDeleteI will have to try this. I love the idea of a homemade hot chocolate...especially without all the sugar. I wonder if there is a way to make it pepperminty. Perhaps a coffee grinder and some peppermint sticks, although that would add some sugar. I bet this time of year there are pepperminty creamers.
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