I know that it’s the weekend before Valentine’s Day, so I should be posting either a dessert that is in the shape of a heart, or a recipe for a romantic dinner. If my weekend baking goes well, you’ll see Valentine’s Day cookies on the blog next week, but today I wanted to share a recipe that will help you cuddle up next to your loved one. There’s nothing like sipping on a nice hot mug of cocoa when it’s cold outside, snuggled up with your significant other (or child).
Okay, so maybe that’s not exactly how I enjoy this drink every time I have it. Maybe I also like to sip on it while sitting alone at my dining room table, laptop in front of me, glancing out the window every few seconds, daydreaming about how one day I’d like to be lounging in a log cabin with this mug in hand, feet kicked up, snow falling outside, me warm inside…you get the picture.
In any case, this hot chocolate mix must make its presence into your home and replace any other store-bought packets. It’s creamier and richer than any pre-mix I’ve ever tasted. What a great gift option, as well! Just package some mix into small mason jars or cellophane baggies, then gift it with written mixing instructions. I’m sure you’ll make someone’s long winter much more enjoyable if you do!
UPDATE 12/16/2012: Thanks to reader, Miranda, you can download printable labels for gifting this cocoa mix. I recommend printing them on sticker paper. They will fit perfectly to half-pint mason jar lids.
Click above image to download printable labels.
- 3 cups nonfat instant dry milk powder
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
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Mix all ingredients into a large bowl. Pour half of the mixture into the bowl of a food processor and process until the chocolate is finely ground. Transfer to an airtight container, then repeat with the remaining mix. Store in the airtight container for up to 3 months.
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To make the hot cocoa drink, mix 1/3 cup of the cocoa mix with 1 cup hot milk.
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Source: Slightly adapted from Brown Eyed Baker, originally Cook's Country
merrill says
February 10, 2012 at 7:47 AMthis sounds great – i make hot chocolate on a stick sometimes but it is some work so this is a great alternative and will keep alot longer!
but I need a NON dairy version – my boyfriend is a choc-a-holic but is lactose intolerant. Any suggestions for a subsitution for the dry milk?
Nikki says
February 10, 2012 at 8:37 AMHi Merrill, I’m not sure about a substitute for dry milk. A Google search might help you more than I can. 🙂 Maybe there is a soy or almond milk powder out there that would work? I honestly have no idea.
Betty says
January 7, 2013 at 10:53 AMyou can sue the same amount of non-dairy powdered creamer.The creamer makes it a little creamier and you can get it in flavoers if you like a different taste.
Diane says
March 28, 2015 at 2:10 PMI would be careful about using non-dairy creamers as they are loaded with high fructose corn syrup. If you know of any non dairy creamer without high fructose corn syrup, I’d like to know where to get it.
Thanks!
Brandy says
November 30, 2014 at 3:11 PMMy husband is also lactose intolerant and I’ve used powdered or canned goat’s milk for several recipes because it’s naturally very low in lactose with great results. Nobody can even taste the difference. It’s right by the regular powdered milk at my WinCo. 🙂
Anna says
February 21, 2012 at 1:47 PMMerrill – you may be able to substitute in non-dairy creamer. I have had success using chocolate non-dairy creamer in the past and they come in so many flavors!
J says
December 20, 2012 at 1:36 PMI use DariFree non-dairy milk powder in other applications (haven’t tried this recipe yet). It’s lumpy if you mix it with cool water, but hot water smooths it out so I imagine it would be fine. I’m also gonna try just subbing the white chocolate chips for semi sweet (some cheap brands are dairy free). Might be a little rich so I’d try it on a smaller scale first!
stephanie says
July 23, 2013 at 10:37 PMI am also lactose intolerant (very sensitive, my daughter can do some things and be fine, I can handle milk products and it can effect me). I buy powdered rice milk and use just as you would dry milk powder. I’m assuming they mean non-instant. If they mean instant than I would use half of what they call for since the rice milk powder is non-instant. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001EO5TWU/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
I know it seems like a lot but we go through it. I use it to make bread and when making pancakes with bisquick and any other thing that calls for milk. They also have soy milk powder if he prefers soy.
I know you can get carob chips to replace chocolate chips, but I’m not sure about any white chocolate chips.
Nikki says
July 24, 2013 at 8:39 AMThe recipe does call for instant. 🙂
Cher Bales says
October 6, 2015 at 11:03 PMtry dried coconut milk. I buy mine at Wilderness Family.
jennifer says
March 4, 2012 at 6:38 PMCan I freeze this to make it last longer?
Nikki says
March 4, 2012 at 7:30 PMGood question! I have no idea! Maybe a Google search can tell you? Sorry!
Kathy says
October 17, 2014 at 11:37 PMI make mine a little different and in much larger batches. I store it in airtight cannisters and it lasts about a year. I do not use chocolate chips but rather Nestle’s chocolate milk mix. I also use a combination of powdered milk and non-dairy creamer. Finally I use regular sugar or Truvia instead of powdered sugar.
Delphie says
November 11, 2014 at 4:35 PMKathy, will you share your recipe? I’m trying to find a sugarfree or diabetic-friendly recipe using Truvia. My mom is diabetic and loves Truvia.
Kimi says
April 30, 2012 at 6:40 AMHi Nikki,can I ask what brand of nonfat dry milk powder and unsweetened cocoa powder do you used? Is it a dutch process of cocoa powder?
Nikki says
April 30, 2012 at 3:11 PMSure Kimi! For the nonfat dry milk powder, the brand is Village Farm (not that I”m stuck to that brand, it’s just what’s available in my grocery store). And, I use a blend of natural and dutched cocoa powder. Brand name is SaCo. I love it. Even though it’s not available in my grocery stores here in MS, I either stock up on it when I’m traveling or have my mom send me some. 🙂 Here is a link to a 3-pack of it on Amazon.
Kimi says
May 5, 2012 at 11:36 AMI can’t find SaCo on my grocery stores too,so I used Hershey’s cocoa powder I hope it’s fine. Thank you so much Nikki,finally I can make a hot cocoa mix for my boyfriend’s birthday gift. I love your blog :-*
kathy says
October 21, 2012 at 11:29 AMI also make homemade hot cocoa and I use Nestle Quick,Powdered Sugar,Dry Powdered Milk,& Non-Dairy Creamer.It’s sooo good.
Cheri says
July 12, 2013 at 12:55 PMWhat are the measurements for the nesquick version?
Vicki says
July 17, 2012 at 4:41 PMCan this be used in hot water instead of milk?
Nikki says
July 17, 2012 at 5:35 PMHi Vicki,
I think that’s going to be up to taste preference. Although I haven’t tried it, it seems like you could use water instead since the dry milk is included. But, it’s definitely not going to be as creamy. If you like your hot cocoa more watery, then of course. But, again, that’s totally up to preference. It should melt and mix the same just fine. 🙂
Jen says
September 28, 2012 at 4:21 PMIf you use water add powdered creamer to make it creamier 🙂
Anonymous says
March 9, 2013 at 12:39 PMI used whole dry milk instead of nonfat in my mix; then I just added hot water to make the hot chocolate. It tasted very good; but to cool it off and make it just a bit richer, I topped it off with cold lowfat milk, maybe 1/8 cup. This was kid tested, with a rating of “excellent”.
Marnie says
August 17, 2012 at 1:28 AMYum! This sounds delicious. I might also experiment and grind up some candy canes with it.. one of my favorite flavors of Steven’s Hot Chocolate is one they only make at Christmas with bits of candy cane. Anyway, thanks for this post. I’m going to give it a try as soon as it gets cool enough to even consider hot chocolate again here in AZ.
mary says
August 19, 2012 at 12:41 PMi have made this receipe for years, i mean i started back in the 70’s making this. i use nonfat milk powder(1 package) and then i use carnation powder cream. i always use dutch chocolate because it seems to make it richer tasting. as for the sugar i use just regular sugar. but now i have to watch my sugar intake so i use splenda baking sugar. i don’t use marshmallows but my husband does so i keep a bag of minimarshmallows in the freezer for him to use. i think the homemade cocoa mix is so much richer that the store bought ones. have a good cup of cocoa day.
Nikki says
August 19, 2012 at 3:12 PMThanks, Mary! 🙂
tiff says
August 31, 2012 at 10:04 PMThank you for this, I’m going to give it a try! 🙂 Found you on pinterest. I’m going to stay for a bit and look around your blog.
Heather says
September 9, 2012 at 4:25 PMCan you grind the chocolate by itself first and then mix it in? Or does the chocolate melt if alone in the food processor?
Nikki says
September 9, 2012 at 8:53 PMI think it is best to grind it all together so that the ingredients blend thoroughly. 🙂
Tammy Garrett says
September 10, 2012 at 7:42 PMThis hot chocolate was so much better then store bought. Thank you for sharing. Next time i try it, i will add crushed peppermint hard candies to see how that turns out.
Nikki says
September 10, 2012 at 8:02 PMGreat idea, Tammy! Thank you! 🙂
Melissa D. SC says
September 14, 2012 at 9:29 PMHello there,
Is the White chocolate used because of a taste preference? Would it work out to use, say, a semi-sweet or a milk chocolate chip?
Nikki says
September 14, 2012 at 9:36 PMYou can definitely give it a try! 🙂
Tanya says
September 28, 2012 at 10:45 AMJust wanted to let you know I am going to use your recipe for the hot chocolate served at my wedding!! So good! Thank you for sharing!
Nikki says
September 30, 2012 at 3:34 PMVery cool, and congratulations!
Jan says
October 6, 2012 at 4:39 PMCongratulations!!
If you still need a wedding favor idea …. you could make up a some of this and add the recipe, so the guests could enjoy another cup as the remember your wedding!!
Ching says
September 29, 2012 at 5:15 PMWill this still taste good if I mix it into hot water instead of hot milk?
Nikki says
September 30, 2012 at 3:33 PMThat depends on your taste preference. I haven’t tried using water because I like creamy hot cocoa. 🙂
Lindsey says
October 3, 2012 at 7:22 PMI can’t have regular chocolate, so have you ever just made a white chocolate version? What would you increase or decrease to do so?
Nikki says
October 4, 2012 at 7:23 AMHi Lindsey,
I have not made an all white-chocolate version. My guess, though, would be you need to increase the amount of white chocolate. 🙂
Amanda says
October 9, 2012 at 11:17 PMWill this work using a regular blender? I don’t have a food processor.
Nikki says
October 10, 2012 at 1:01 PMIt depends on the blender you have. Some blenders are better than others and will work just fine. I say give it a try! 🙂
Jennifer Mounce says
October 13, 2012 at 10:28 AMI would like to know how you made the Hot Cocoa mix. Thanks
Melissa says
October 14, 2012 at 9:41 AMThis sounds great! Thanks for sharing! I’m going to try this…I LOVE my hot chocolate!
jessica says
October 16, 2012 at 2:06 PMJust made it and its delicious, and i even only mixed it with water and it was still yummy. I’m sure its even better with milk. Going to give a jar of this with a mug to the kids teachers this christmas i think.
Kristen says
October 22, 2012 at 4:12 PMHi
I really want to give this a try but im not really sure what powdered sugar is. Is there an Australian equivilent?
Nikki says
October 22, 2012 at 8:08 PMHi Kristen,
It might be called “icing sugar” in Australia. It’s also called confectioners sugar here. Does this help? If not, I think you can do a quick Internet search to find a recipe to make it. I believe it’s just cornstarch and granulated sugar finely processed in a food processor. 🙂
Lindsay says
October 24, 2012 at 7:52 PMDo you use instant dry milk or just dry milk? I know the reconstitution ratio is different with the two.
Michele says
November 6, 2012 at 12:11 AMI’ve never use dry milk before so I didn’t know there was a difference till I saw your post. I checked my bag and I got instant. I made the mix tonight by the directions and my daughter loved it. So maybe what kind you use won’t matter 🙂
KM says
October 29, 2012 at 1:33 AMMe and my 9 year old daughter made this and it’s delicious. We did a batch with the white chocolate chips and then a batch with Guittard Green Mint Chips. Even more delicious! We found it needed a half cup more powdered sugar though. Thanks for the recipe…I consider it a Pinterest success!
Cheryl says
October 30, 2012 at 4:31 PMFor the person who needs lactose free hot chocolate mix, I use dried coconut milk all the time for making ice cream. It should work for this as well. You should be able to find the dehydrated coconut milk at the better grocery stores or other dehydrated nut milks–like almond milk. These are becoming more and more popular.
Nikki says
October 30, 2012 at 10:16 PMThanks, Cheryl! 🙂
Kathy says
November 4, 2012 at 4:30 PMWhat should I use in place of a food processor?
Nikki says
November 4, 2012 at 9:14 PMKathy,
Do you have another type of grinder or processor? A powerful blender?
whitney says
November 5, 2012 at 10:21 PMMade this today, so yummy! Will be making more for xmas gifts. Thank you!
Tiff says
November 12, 2012 at 7:26 PMThis will be perfect! Thank you for the amounts. I’ve been recently making the kids hot chocolate with hershey’s unsweetened cocoa and the ingredients in your recipe, minus the powdered sugar and using real milk. But I was wondering if I used powdered milk, how much I would need. Thank you! It’s so much better (and cheaper) than those little cocoa packets.
martha says
November 18, 2012 at 3:53 PMdid you use instant dry milk or regular dry milk.? does it make a difference?
Nikki says
November 20, 2012 at 7:16 AMInstant. 🙂
Martha says
November 19, 2012 at 1:59 PMDid you use instant powdered milk or regular powdered milk?
Does it make a difference
Nikki says
November 20, 2012 at 7:14 AMInstant. 🙂 I guess I didn’t know there were two different kinds.
Anonymous says
November 20, 2012 at 4:19 PMI have made this up with dry, non dairy, coffee creamer and used sweetened,vanilla, almond milk. I have made it with and without the cocoa chips. It was very good. I make it a cup at a time sometimes too. 1 cup heated sweetened, vanilla almond milk, 1 heaping tsp non dairy creamer and 1 level tsp powdered or regular sugar. I also made it with unsweetened almond milk and sweet and low or splenda. Just get creative and try things a cup at a time until you find what you like.
tara says
November 27, 2012 at 9:51 PMso is this INSTANT powdered milk or actual no fat mild powder (that is not in the granules ) because the instant is 19.00 a box here the powder is much more affordable
Nikki says
November 28, 2012 at 4:11 PMTara, I use the instant dry milk, and not familiar with no fat mild powder. Where do you live? The instant dry milk is not even half that price at my stores.
Rachel Ramey says
December 5, 2012 at 1:34 PMHot cocoa powder is creamier with WHOLE milk powder (in place of the nonfat), too.
I have not ever tried using the ground chocolate – sounds fabulous!
Stephanie M. says
December 7, 2012 at 1:39 PMThis recipe is so good that I’m having a hard time keeping milk in the house! It is so much better than the store bought packets and the single serve cups that are made for the cofee makers. I made a second batch adding cinnamon for more of a mexican chocolate flavor and it was to die for. In a pinch, after running out of milk, we used water and it was still delicious.
Nikki says
December 7, 2012 at 2:55 PMThanks, Stephanie!
Terri says
December 8, 2012 at 3:59 PMJust got done making it…used milk chocolate chips instead and put all the ingredients in my blender (Kitchenaid)and used the chop button then mix button.Instead of using milk in the cup,I used water (since milk is expensive),then had my husband drink it.He loved it and said it tasted kind of like dark chocolate.Marshmallows help sweeten it too!He LOVED IT!!
denise says
December 12, 2012 at 4:23 PMcan i make a big batch of this for a party and keep it warm on the stove? any tips? thanks!
Nikki says
December 12, 2012 at 9:21 PMI’m sure you can, but I haven’t done it myself, so no tips from my end. Sorry!
Rachel Ramey says
December 12, 2012 at 9:40 PMI would suggest a crock-pot for keeping it hot.
Madeline says
December 15, 2012 at 11:27 AMI made this for Christmas presents for some of my friends. They said it was amazing! Now I just need to make some for myself! Awesome Recipe! 😀
HW says
December 20, 2012 at 4:07 PMWhat would the portions be if I wanted to do just enough for 1 serving (or at a lot fewer servings)?
Nikki says
December 21, 2012 at 9:23 AMHi HW, this isn’t the type of recipe where you would want to make just one serving. You’re better off making up the entire batch, and if you don’t want to keep the large batch, what a great opportunity to share with friends! 🙂
heather says
December 21, 2012 at 9:04 AMWhat size jar did you use
Nikki says
December 21, 2012 at 9:35 AMHi Heather, Do you mean what size mason jar fits the printable labels? They are half-pint jars.
Liv says
March 2, 2013 at 5:25 PMMade this today, and I loved it because it really does have a great taste, I had all the ingredients in my pantry already, and there aren’t any chemicals in it like the carnations hot chocolate (which I used to drink all the time). I also started making my own granola because I like being able to pronounce all the ingredients 🙂
Nisha says
April 12, 2013 at 1:40 AMWhite chocolate chips was a surprise ingredient!
Mary says
September 17, 2013 at 1:48 PMHi Nikki! I just LOVE your recipe! I was wondering if it was okay if I shared a picture of your Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix with the link to your Blog to get the recipe. I would NOT share the recipe…people would have to come here to get it. I think my followers on my Facebook Page would LOVE this recipe! Let me know, and if you give me the okay, I’ll share!
New follower on FB, PInterest & here! Hope you’re having a great week!
Mary from Sweet Little Bluebird
Nikki says
September 17, 2013 at 6:29 PMSure! 🙂
Mary says
September 17, 2013 at 7:13 PMThanks, I’ll be sharing soon! Have a wonderful night! 🙂
mejaka says
October 12, 2013 at 9:34 AMDoes the cocoa powder blend in readily? That’s the problem I find with every homemade, cocoa-based mix I have tried. When I make hot chocolate from scratch, I always combine the cocoa with water in the pan first, and cook for a minute to dissolve and incorporate the cocoa, because it doesn’t readily combine with even hot liquids.
Nikki says
October 13, 2013 at 9:42 PMHi Mejaka,
I haven’t had any problems with the cocoa powder blending in this recipe. 🙂
Michelle says
October 19, 2013 at 1:50 PMThank you so much for this post!! I am so excited to try this!!! I can’t use the ready made stuff at the store because I have soy, coconut, almond, and several other allergies. But weirdly not milk. I can’t seem to find chocolate chips, or hardly any chocolate without soy it it. Could I not put in the chocolate chips or possibly substitute something else? Thank you!
Nikki says
October 19, 2013 at 2:28 PMHi Michelle,
You can try it without the chocolate chips, but it will not be as chocolaty, of course. If you find chocolate without soy, then substitute that, but otherwise I do not know of a good substitution. If you try it without the chips and no substitution, come back and let me know how it turned out! 🙂
Trisha says
November 4, 2013 at 5:11 PMIt’s really hard to find white “chocolate” chips. They say white chips and don’t have any cocoa butter…which is what is in real white chocolate. All the normal brands just have sugar and vanilla in them. They all USED to actually have cocoa butter in them. The flavor is different. Real white chocolate has a chocolate taste. Do you use regular white chips or are they real white chocolate chips with cocoa butter? If it’s the kind with cocoa butter, I would love to know what brand. Thanks!
Nikki says
November 4, 2013 at 7:21 PMThat’s interesting, Trisha. I never checked! And, I don’t have a bag on hand right now to look at the ingredients, but I’m pretty sure I’m just using the white chips and not pure white chocolate. I typically buy the Hershey’s or Ghirardhelli brands. Hope this helps! 🙂
Kelley says
November 23, 2013 at 8:53 AMHi! I’m so excited to try this recipe for the holiday season 🙂 Thank you for sharing it with us! But instead of a food processor, would a blender or anything else work just as fine?
Nikki says
November 24, 2013 at 1:24 PMIf you have a good blender, yes, you can use it instead. 🙂
Christense says
December 8, 2013 at 7:37 PMI made this, and honestly, it tasted awful. It tasted like unsweetened cocoa in water. It was so not-sweet I went back to my powdered sugar and checked to make sure I hadn’t mixed it up with cornstarch: I hadn’t. Any thoughts on what might have gone wrong?
Nikki says
December 9, 2013 at 4:13 PMHi Christense,
I’m sorry! Without being there with you and seeing exactly what you used in the recipe, I can’t help you. The recipe is a proven one, as you can see with all of the positive comments here. Maybe try it again? There is a chance you may have missed an ingredient or measured something wrong without realizing it…
Jme F says
January 6, 2014 at 6:52 PMI made this today and loved it! Reminds me of the way my mom made it when I was a kid! I did use water and still tasted great. Glad I found you, Thanks.
Christina says
December 11, 2013 at 11:17 PMI wonder if you could also use this for chocolate milk mix as well?
Nikki says
December 12, 2013 at 10:57 AMHi Christina,
I haven’t tried, but I don’t think so as you need the liquid to be hot and melt the ingredients. If you try it and like it with cold milk, then come back and let us know! 🙂
Sara says
December 20, 2013 at 9:12 PMI just made this tonight and it is really good! Thanks! At first I thought “Oh no, this is way too sweet!” But a second later the dark chocolately goodness of the cocoa caught up and it was great. I had a hard time getting the white “chocolate” chips to blend up all the way though. I let it go in the food processor for quite a while but there were still tiny chunks in the mix. Most of them dissolved when I added the hot milk, but not all. Still a great recipe though!
Misty says
January 11, 2014 at 1:35 PMJust made it and the kids couldn’t get enough of it! I used the ninja blender to mix it up and didn’t have any problems. I highly recommend this recipe!
Nikki says
January 11, 2014 at 8:11 PMThanks, Misty! 🙂
Nattymagoo says
November 11, 2014 at 7:02 PMJust linked this awesome recipe to my blog. We made it to give to neighbours as Christmas gifts last year. Awesome!
rachel says
December 18, 2014 at 9:30 AMI made this last night and divided it into mason jars for gifts and only filled it about half way and then put marshmallows on top. Is there any suggestion on the ratio of milk to powder for smaller portions or is it just a preference kind of thing. Thank you.
Nikki Gladd says
December 18, 2014 at 12:53 PMHi Rachel,
Without knowing the measurements, I can’t give you an answer. Do you know how much hot cocoa mix you put in each jar? Or, what size jar did you use?
Hellbilly Mama says
February 10, 2015 at 8:01 AMI saw you didn’t mind if your link was shared. I also shared your recipe here on my blog.
Brenda Kennedy says
October 6, 2015 at 3:21 PMthis sounds like a great hot chocolate .im gonna make this for gifts at Xmas .thank you for sharing .my family loves hot chocolate to take to the hockey games .now I can bring some for them .i know they’ll love it better than the envelopes they get there’s in .i love all the reviews all positive .i can’t wait to make it .
Caroline Wilson says
November 16, 2015 at 10:43 PMThanks for sharing. The recipe sounds very rich and yummy!
Dee Dee says
December 3, 2015 at 11:02 AMfor those concerned about the blending of the white chocolate chips in a blender my suggestion is use large chunks of white bakers chocolate and a grater to get finely chopped chocolate. or shave the chocolate on a cold surface then crumble it into the blender to combine.
Dee Dee says
December 3, 2015 at 11:03 AMso looking forward to making this recipe for gifts this year!
thanks Nikki!
Jane says
August 26, 2016 at 10:09 AMI keep my hot chocolate warm in my crockpot on Christmas
morning, or for fall weiner roasts. Just put the already made hot chocolate into the crock and set the crock on warm.
Kara says
November 17, 2016 at 10:02 AMDo you have to use the chocolate chips?