Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix

Now that we're smack dab in the middle of winter we know it's the season to toboggan, skate, build snow forts and curse as you dig yourself out of the foot of snow that dumped on your driveway overnight.  In order to counteract all that chilly 'fun' the powers that be invented warm bevvies.  You know, to counteract the dark side of winter: the frozen toes, chilled and runny noses and the foul, foul mood that occurs when you're holding onto you last bit of sanity because snow invariably gets in your boot leaving you with a soggy sock that's bunched down at the end of your boot.  Isn't winter magical?

For those of us who enjoy a nice warm beverage in the snowy months there are a few options.  Some people may prefer to go straight for the booze and have a hot toddy or a shot of brandy to warm themselves up.  But here in the Bookworm abode we like our children stone cold sober so we opt for a good mug of hot chocolate to warm our cold and weary bodies. Everyone likes a nice cuppa hot chocolate and sober kids, am I right?

Call me cheap or fiscally frugal but I do not enjoy shelling out my hard earned money on a can of hot chocolate powder mix.  Let's be honest, store-bought hot chocolate powder is pretty pricey when you consider that it's not much more than cocoa and powdered milk. Personally, as someone who was raised on powdered milk as a child (oh the horror!) I have to say that using it as a base for hot chocolate mix has got to be the best way to drink it. Over your morning Cheerios, slightly warm (with it's occasional lumps of powder?) not ... so ... much.

Store bought hot chocolate mix is not only pricey but it comes in these teeny-weeny cans that don't seem to last long for our family of five, especially when they want you to use three heaping spoonfuls per cup.  Because who gets the cup that doesn't have enough hot chocolate powder because you ran out unexpectedly??  The Mom, that's who.  Mom gets the watered down cup of nasty that she finishes to show family solidarity in beverage bonding {as she's walking around with only one dry sock on because the other one is stuck in the bottom of her wet boot}.  I'm speaking from the heart here when I say that us Moms {silently, mind you} do not think that's fair or cool but we suck it up anyway with a smile on our face.

But I digress ...

Lastly, I don't like all the additives in the store-bought hot chocolate mix.  Thank you Hot Chocolate Company but I've had my daily fill of dipotassium phosphate and sodium aluminosilicate.  Mmm, mmm good!  Honestly, if I can't say an ingredient without floundering over the words then I prefer to not feed it to my kids (or even Brad and I) if it can be helped.  Sadly, I can easily say all the ingredients in homemade cookies and cake so I suppose with that rule I'd have to share those treats with my Small Humans. :(

In order to save money, know what ingredients are in our hot bevvies, and always have some mix on hand for those post-tobagganing trips, I decided to find a recipe to make it myself.  It's so easy to whip up and keep on hand I don't think I'll ever buy it from a store again.

For those of us over the legal drinking age, I highly suggest adding a dash of Bailey's Irish Cream or Kahlua to your hot chocolate.  Mmmm, a wee splash of Bailey's keeps me warm all the way down to my tootsies and makes me really not care if I have a soggy sock half on my foot after an hour of tobogganing with snotty nosed kids!

Hot Chocolate Mix

2 cups icing sugar
1 cup cocoa
2 1/2 cups powdered milk
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cornstarch

Sift all ingredients (or put them through your food processor).  Store in an airtight container.

To make a cuppa hot chocolate:
Place two to three (Bookworm Family prefers using only two) heaping spoonfuls of hot chocolate mix into a mug.  Pour 6oz of hot water into cup and mix well. 

Top with mini marshmallows, whipped cream, sprinkles .....

Yield: approximately 10-12 cups of hot chocolate