Homemade Hot Cocoa Recipe

I don’t drink cocoa, because it gives me gas. I’m glad we cleared the air on that sensitive topic.

Snicker.

Moving on.

The thing I love about homemade hot cocoa is that it’s simple to put in the dairy or non-dairy products and sweeteners that you wish to meet everybody’s needs and preferences. Blah blah blah. What I really like is that it tastes so stinkin’ awesome!

I’m giving you a basic recipe which is great as it is, because I’m all about simple, or it can be spruced up or adjusted. It’s your job to alter it to your needs and liking.

Homemade Hot Cocoa

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/3 to 3/4 cup sugar (to your liking) (I tend toward 1/2 cup, but most will choose more. My daughter uses honey.)
• 1 pinch salt (optional–I use it because I look cool tossing a pinch of salt into a beverage)
• 1/3 cup water
• 3 cups milk (any kind–we use whole, coconut, or almond)
• 1 cup cream or half-n-half (or an extra cup of milk)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

Optional add-ins:

• whipped cream
• chocolate chips of any variety
• cinnamon or cinnamon sticks
• marshmallows
• peppermint sticks or candy canes
• coffee or espresso
• peanut butter

Directions:

1. Mix all dry ingredients together.
2. Boil the water in a heavy saucepan.
3. Dissolve the dry ingredients in the boiling water by whisking over medium heat for about two minutes–keep it to a simmer.
4. Add the milk and heat it until it’s hot, whisking continually. Do not boil. Pay close attention, because milk burns faster than I lose my train of thought.
5. Remove the deliciousness from the heat.
6. Add the cream or half-n-half and the vanilla.
7. Divide the sweet deliciousness between four mugs, unless your cocoa drinkers are little, in which case it might stretch into six or eight, especially if you fill half a mug with marshmallows.
8. Add more cream to cool if needed…or just wait.

I know you’re asking “Why water? Can’t I just boil the milk? Can’t I just stir the powders into the milk? Can’t I just use the packets from Swiss Miss?”

Because a very hot liquid will dissolve the sugar. No, because it might curdle or burn. Yes, but it might be a little gritty. If you like Swiss Miss, drink Swiss Miss–it’s certainly easier, and you just can’t argue with tiny little marshmallows with their tiny marshmallow cuteness.

Related Recipes:

• This Tres Leche Cocoa looks fantabulous! Oh, yummity yum yum yum!
• Allergic to dairy? How about this oh-so-scrumptious Almond Hot Cocoa!
• If you’re allergic to dairy and nuts, here’s a recipe for Coconut Milk Hot Chocolate. It is sweetened with honey, but you can use the sweetener of your choice, because America is great like that.
• If you’re not allergic to anything or you’re allergic to everything and you want to die in complete bliss, you have to try this Whipped Hot Chocolate recipe.

Homeschool Helps:

For your science studies, answer the ever-fascinating question, “Where does chocolate come from?”

For your home economics class, learn this relevant skill which I hope you don’t need today: How to remove burned milk from a saucepan.

Here’s the boring printable version.