I use a process that I learned while working as a server at Cracker Barrel. Add all of your powder to the bottom of your mug. Add just enough hot liquid (water/milk/whatever) to make a paste and whip it together with a fork. Once all of the powder is wet and no more clumps add the rest of your liquid while stirring vigorously with the fork.
Always works for me. No clumps and everything is nice and smooth.
One of the older servers taught me that and she made the best hot chocolate in the place.

I would switch from the powder to actual chocolate. It makes a world of difference and really isn't that much work. I grind up chocolate with a parmesan grater and then just add it to warmed milk. I have a Capresso milk frother and the whole process takes 3-4 minutes for the best hot chocolate you've ever had. So worth it!

Calorie count be damned, you can achieve creamier milk by simply using a thicker milk, like whole milk, half and half or whipping cream. The trouble with powder-based cocoa is that it's too fine to thicken cream or milk. You could try a combination of powder and chocolate bars or chips, but if you want only powder I think you'll have to add an additional thickening agent that does not dilute (like adding more cream would do). Marshmallows might help, if you're patient with their melting.

I use brown sugar instead of plain white. It's an easy way to make the flavor more complex with no additional effort.

We make these, sans sticks. It requires some chocolate melting up front, but then provides hot chocolate blocks that keep for a really long time: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/cocoa-blocks-recipe

i know it sounds gross, but salt. not enough to taste it, but enough to fully bring out the flavor of the chocolate.

Check out the Spilled Milk podcast about hot chocolate...they have a yummy recipe that I really like.

http://www.spilledmilkpodcast.com/2011/12/22/episode-54-hot-chocolate/

@jennifer, I really like that idea. I've made these as gifts, but I make hot cocoa for my kids for breakfast a few times a week, and doing them without sticks seems like a good no-fuss solution.

Add cornstarch. Not enough to reach pudding consistency, a la cioccolata densa, but 1 teaspoon per mug or so. Second, as @mettle said, do add a pinch of salt. And a bit of coconut milk is also good, if you don't mind the calories.

I know you asked for recipes using cocoa powder, but stella parks has what looks like an awesome recipe (i need to try it out..) : http://bravetart.com/recipes/HotCocoaMixGF

you use chocolate, but they are ground up, so I don't think it will take much effort to melt

Tip #1 is key: be sure to stir the cocoa powder and sugar thoroughly into a little water or milk until it is a nice, wet paste. THEN add the rest of the liquid. You could use evaporated milk for a richer drink, but personally I don't think I'd love that. Bottom line: there are two kinds of hot chocolate drinks: cocoa, which is basically hot chocolate milk, and hot chocolate, which is super rich melted chocolate. Cocoa is more like a beverage--it's mostly milk. Hot chocolate is more like dessert--it's mostly chocolate. Choose the one you really want in the moment, because they simply are not the same thing.

I've been making pretty great cocoa, and the difference seems to be Penzeys cocoa, and I use a lot. It's great. I also use higher fat content milk, or adding a little cream if I'm using the skim I usually have on hand. Definitely make the cocoa-sugar-milk paste first. I also add a little ginger or a tiny bit of cayenne pepper. The best I've made was with a ginger syrup I had left over after making candied ginger.

I myself always use ground/grated chocolate but if you insist on using cocoa powder, you can make a cocoa syrup/sauce first: mix the cocoa powder with hot water (and sugar if you want) into a syrup, then you can use that syrup to make your hot chocolate. The syrup will stay good in the fridge for up to 1.5-2 weeks. Making the syrup/sauce will eliminates the clumpy dryness of the cocoa powder. Also, adding a tiny bit of whole cream to your milk will make it silkier. The pot you use to warm up the milk will make a difference, I use a 'milk warmer pot' - thick bottom, tall and very narrow pot. It is made especially for this purpose. Other regular pot might make the milk taste like it's burnt because it has too much of a wide heat surface underneath.

add a pinch of salt! It helps bring out all the flavors. Also buy quality ingredients like your milk and chocolate or powder. I love 365 brand from whole foods. It's organic and it does taste rich, just make sure you use that suggested measurements. Your ratios could be off.

Using real chocolate, brilliant! Don't you need a double broiler, though? And salt is a great idea. I recommend the artisanal salt from The Meadow. Get their Icelandic ones and grind it up in a mortar and pestle.

I whip my cocoa powder and sugar together with just enough cream to make a paste then add the hot milk while continuing to whip...also, make sure you are using good quality cocoa. Carnation and Hershey brands are pretty poor quality and tend to be grainy.

Definitely try the Cook's Country recipe! It uses ground-up white chocolate chips and nonfat dry milk along with the cocoa powder, and it's seriously delicious. I agree that melting real chocolate into milk is ultimately the best method, but I swear this powdered mix gives it a run for its money. I make a huge batch at Christmas and give out jars of it as gifts!

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/BEST-EVER-HOT-COCOA-MIX-50117626

Cook it on the stove and whisk it as you cook. Add equal amounts sugar and cocoa (I use dutch process black cocoa) and put them in the pot. I like to add just a few chocolate chips for that extra chocolate flavor. Then pour in whole milk to taste. Turn the heat on low and whisk thoroughly until heated through and steaming (but not boiling!). The whisking makes a nice foam on top. Pour hot straight from the pot into mugs.

I've also heard that adding unsweetened evaporated milk helps make it extra creamy, but I've never tried it.

I like to add a little spices - cinnamon, nutmeg, maybe allspice. My gentleman grew up in Jamaica and that's how his family did it.

I always use powdered cocoa. If microwaving, add salt, vanilla, and powdered milk (even if you already using milk), and if you are making on stove top, brown the milk a little and top with a bit of cream.

I use good quality Mexican chocolate (I use the mayordomo brand), 2% milk and the immersion blender to make it extra frothy.

Add an egg to it and use real chocolate (well, I use chocolate chips and cocoa powder or some semi-sweet Trader Joes chocolate). You will never have a richer cup of chocolate in your life. I used the recipe from The River Cottage Family Cookbook.

Sometimes I like to change it up and add a wee bit of spice: cinnamon, cardamom, chili powder, or all three together.

We are all such chocolate nerds, it's wonderful!

I always make my cocoa from cocoa powder, and never have this problem. I don't think the difference is in higher-fat milk, because I use soy milk!

The real difference might be this: I make my cocoa on the stove. Just put milk, touch of salt, spoonful of cocoa and sugar in the pot and whisk as it warms up. It's done the second it starts to simmer. Add a dash of cinnamon, chili powder, vanilla, or almond if you want it fancy.

a wee pinch of salt is a good idea. i am with _malea_ about penzey's cocoa powder. 2 T of it (the dutched kind works best w/ my method), however much sugar you like (i use at least a tablespoon of vanilla sugar and recommend it highly if you have it) and 3-4 T of half and half. put the dry stuff in your mug, and then add the half and half. use a whisk and make a slurry, and then add scaled whole milk. it's plenty thick and plenty creamy and not at all powdery tasting. it's also not real figure-friendly, so i don't make it very often.

I always use cocoa powder for our family's cocoa (to take in a thermos when we go out cross-country skiing, or back at home after a chilly walk along the lake shore.) We really like this method, it's easy to multiply for the number of servings you need, and there's no hot milk crusty pan to wash/scrub. It's hard to find really good cocoa powder where I live, but this seems to work well with Cadbury's or other brands commonly found in grocery stores.
Mix up 1 tsp cocoa powder, approx 1 1/2 tsp sugar (you can always sweeten to taste afterwards) and thoroughly stir in just enough milk or evaporated milk to make a smooth paste in each mug. Then add and stir in about 1/4 mug of milk to each mug, and microwave until really hot, almost boiling. (Cocoa powder needs to be brought to a high temperature to get rid of the slightly powdery, chalky taste.) Then fill up each mug with more milk, stir again, add a drop or two of vanilla extract, and microwave to your preferred serving temperature. It sounds like a lot of effort, but it's actually quite quick, no extra pots or utensils to wash, and is easily adaptable.

If you use real chocolate you'll get something richer, but I think that's only because chocolate contains fat in addition to cocoa. Plain cocoa powder will give you a more pure chocolate flavor. Using a higher fat content milk, or supplementing low-fat milk with a bit of cream, will help make it richer and thicker, or as others have suggested you can add a thickening agent like corn starch or egg (which would make it custard-y). A pinch of salt would help deepen the flavor, as would a dash of vanilla or almond extract.

Never had this issue. I've always made it stovetop in a double boiler using cocoa powder & whole milk.

I definitely think that using real chocolate is the only way to go. And you definitely need whole milk too. :)

I haven't tried his recipe, but Alton Brown apparently has a wonderful hot cocoa powder mix that includes powdered milk and cayenne pepper. It's available here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/hot-cocoa-recipe/index.html. I plan to try it soon as temps drop here!

Here's my lazy technique:

Buy your favorite unsweetened cocoa powder (I'm a fan of Ghiradelli's, but Hershey's natural or the more expensive stuff works too). In an old container put in a bunch of cocoa powder, then add your own sugar stirring it up. Give it a sniff. If it smells tasty you are good to go. You can experiment with the amount of cocoa to sugar ratio.

Put milk in a mug and heat for 1:11 in the microwave. Add about 2.5 spoon-fulls of your mix to the milk and stir it up (the more sugar to cocoa in your mix, the easier it will mix into the milk). If you want to be sanitary about it, squash the chocolate blobbies that aren't dissolving well using the spoon and a chopstick (a finger works too if you were raised in a barn like me). Put back in the microwave for :48 seconds. Stir in a little bit of vanilla if desired and enjoy.

The Cocomotion is an amazing contraption: it's a heated stir plate that warms your milk + cocoa mix to 194ºF (perfect drinking temperature once you pour into a mug). It's genius. It is one of the only unitaskers I have in my kitchen, and it's totally worth it.

My favorite is:
2 parts Ghiradelli's ground sweet chocolate
1 part good quality dutched cocoa powder
a pinch or two (or more) of cinnamon, salt, cayenne

Mix with hot milk, and add a teeny splash of almond extract at the very end.

A pinch of salt and a pinch of instant coffee powder. You won't taste either, but they'll make the chocolate flavor much richer.

Add powdered milk to your cocoa mix (which, yes, should include salt and sugar). My hubs makes an amazing, rich hot cocoa mix--and it always includes evaporated milk. AND it is made even better mixed with a little cream with your hot milk too.

This isn't quite what you're asking for but I discovered this method the other day on hisxhers.com and it worked wonderfully. Melt butter, sugar, and ice cream of your choosing on the stove. Add water to thin to desired consistency. So simple! I used a dark chocolate & marshmallow ice cream and it was perfect.

Godiva powder, hot milk - in a pot on the stove - no sugar - no salt - yum

Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips, milk, and heavy cream. Heated in the microwave and whisked at two minute intervals. Pour into mugs and top with marshmallows. DEElicious!

Oh I am so happy to have found this post! My kids and I started our own from scratch hot cocoa mix company to benefit cancer research and I got some great info from this. I'm obsessed with making it as creamy as possible, and as a homebrewer of beer would be with finding a way to provide complex flavors. It's really an art form!! Because we sell the mix dry, we can't do certain things, but after knowing nothing about chocolate 6 months ago, I am so obsessed lol. Glad to have found all you other choco-files! :)