Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix

Editor’s Note: If you’ve cooked this beloved recipe before, it might look a little different these days! We recently improved it to make it even easier to follow and more delicious.

I secretly love those little packets of hot cocoa mix. All winter, I’ve been sipping Theo’s drinking chocolate. I initially fell for it because it contains actual chunks of chocolate — it’s not just a dusty, dry powder. But I recently decided to start making my own cocoa mix. For my homemade recipe, I went with hand-chopped chocolate so it would be more in line with Theo’s delicious mix.

Here’s my recipe for homemade hot cocoa mix, plus a few suggestions for mix-ins that I’ve been loving lately. You can even use this mix in other fun recipes!

• It’s so better than store-bought. The best thing about making your own hot cocoa mix is that you have free control over what goes into it (and what stays out of it).
• It’s big on chocolate flavor. It contains actual chunks of chocolate and Dutch-process cocoa powder.

• Bittersweet chocolate: Use bittersweet chocolate (60% or greater) or bittersweet chocolate chips.
• Unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder: Look for unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, which is darker and less bitter than natural cocoa powder.
• Sugar: You can use either turbinado sugar, which has a light caramel flavor, or granulated sugar.
• Powdered milk: Powdered milk is milk that’s been processed into a dry, shelf-stable powdered ingredient.

1. Chop the chocolate and combine the ingredients. Finely chop bittersweet chocolate or chocolate chips. Place in a medium bowl, add unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, turbinado sugar, powdered milk, and kosher salt. Stir to combine.
2. Transfer to an airtight container. Store at cool room temperature for up to 3 months.

1. Heat milk and hot cocoa mix. Place 1 cup milk and 3 tablespoons of hot cocoa mix in a small saucepan. Place over medium heat and heat, whisking often, until starting to bubble around the edges.
2. Pour into a mug. Top with whipped cream and ground cinnamon if desired.

• Richer hot chocolate: If you want a richer hot chocolate more in the style of a drinking chocolate, use 3/4 cup milk instead of 1 cup.
• Flavor variations: Top off your hot cocoa with a pinch of ground espresso, cayenne pepper, ground ginger, or ground cardamom.

Store at cool room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

• Whipped Cream
• Fluffy Marshmallows
• Chantilly Cream
• Chocolate Syrup
• Coconut Whipped Cream