Article: Laura's Hot Cocoa Mix

[Sara Noel]

We love Hot Cocoa and have tried many recipes! Laura, my daughter, has "tweaked" this recipe to become one of our favorite homemade hot cocoa recipes. It's very easy to make at home orshare as a gift in a jar for a friend!

2 C nonfat dry milk
1 C sugar
1/2 C cocoa
1/2 C non-dairy creamer
1 dash of salt
Miniature marshmallows, optional

Combine ingredients and mix well. Store in an airtight container. Yield 4 cups mix

To make Laura's Hot Cocoa Mix: Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of mix to your favorite mug and fill with boiling water. Stir to blend. Add some marshmallows or cream.

Sometimes we like to add some miniature marshmallows to the mix and then fill a quart jar with the cocoa mix and miniature marshmallows combination. The marshmallows dry and get firm, but soften when hot water is added.

For gift giving, one year we used clean one-quart mayonnaise jars for the cocoa mix. On red paper, my son wrote the directions and added a cute poem. He cut it out with pinking shears and glued it onto the jar. We used regular canning lids and rings for the jars rather than the mayonnaise lids. Add a circle of holiday fabric, which has been trimmed with pinking shears and tie with some raffia or ribbon. You can also attach a peppermint stick or candy cane to top of the jar with the raffia or ribbon. This gift is always well received!

Gift Tag Ideas:
Wishing you a Warm and Wonderful Christmas!
Wishing you a Warm and Wonderful Holiday Season!

Snowman Soup
When the weather outside is frightful,
Snowman Soup can be delightful.
May it warm your spirit and your soul.
Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!
When you feel a chill or burrrrrr,
Use the peppermint stick to stir.
Add hot water and sip it slow.
Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow.
Flavored Cocoa Variations
--Use flavored creamers such as Hazelnut, Irish Cream and French Vanilla and the others that are available. --Some people like to add a package of Raspberry or Cherry unsweetened dry beverage mix (like Kool-Aid) to the cocoa mix. I think it makes it a bit tart-you will need to add more sugar. You might try only part of an envelope. --Add one teaspoon of cinnamon to the cocoa mix --My Favorite Mocha -- fill your mug with hot coffee instead of water. Yum!

Try the Single Cup/Trial Version of this recipe to see if you like it:

2 tablespoons nonfat dry milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons non-dairy creamer

Try a sugar-free version by substituting artificial sweetener equal to 1 tablespoon of sugar in this recipe.

Copyright 2003 by Leslie Sausage
Leslie Sausage is a freelance writer, mom and author of 100 Gift Mixes -- Cocoa, Coffee, Tea and Cappuccino, an e-cookbook with variety of wonderful hot beverage mixes. For creative, practical and fun ideas for your home, visit Frugal Homemaker http://www.frugalhomemaker.com

[SewCrafty]

Thanks Sara, it's time to make up a batch!