Decadent Hot Chocolate Mix

I'd like to introduce you to my new favorite hot chocolate mix. I'm not sure I'll ever try another recipe.

I've made hot chocolate or hot cocoa mix for the past several years as part of the gift boxes I like to send to friends and family. When I started, I would make hot cocoa mix that included powdered milk (affiliate link), like Alton Brown's Hot Cocoa Mix. Then I switched to this hot chocolate mix. The past two years, I've made Decadent Hot Chocolate mix from Smitten Kitchen.

Both this and my previous favorite are mixes that you combine with hot milk. I had problems with my previous recipe not fully blending into the milk at times. The last time or two I made it, I felt that it was a little too sweet at times (like drinking a candy bar, although I'd be remiss if I didn't admit that's nice from time to time). This recipe uses a little less mix per cup of hot chocolate, which helps remedy that.

This recipe is a dark hot chocolate mix, so if you prefer milk hot chocolate, I suggest you try using that instead of regular semisweet or dark chocolate bars or chips. You can experiment with adding less mix per cup of milk to make it less chocolatey (although I certainly won't do that!). I generally use chocolate chips when I make hot chocolate mix, so I don't have to chop up chocolate. I always make hot chocolate mix with a food processor, as it pulverizes the ingredients the most finely, which is important in ensuring the chocolate dissolves well in the hot milk. If you don't have a food processor, you can try grating chocolate bars for this instead.

This chocolate mix is very giftable. One batch yields about 1 ¾ cups, or 9 servings, and is a great size gift for a couple or family. I've also heard that spoonfuls of this mix are an excellent addition to coffee, so be sure you give plenty to your friends and family.

📖 Recipe

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Decadent Hot Chocolate Mix

Prep Time

10 mins

 

A rich, delicious hot chocolate mix that you mix into hot milk. Works well as Christmas gifts! Yields about 1 ¾ cups mix/ 9 servings.

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American

Keyword: decadent hot chocolate mix

Servings: 9 mugs

Author: Leona Konkel

Ingredients

• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• 3 ounces semi-sweet/dark chocolate or chocolate chips (about ½ cup)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch (but it works without it, too)
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ⅛ teaspoon table salt

Instructions

1. Pour sugar and cocoa powder into a food processor. Top with chocolate chips and remaining ingredients. Pulse a few times to distribute all the ingredients. 

2. Process until finely ground or powdery. This may take a few minutes.

3. If you don't have a food processor, grate the chocolate and mix with other ingredients.
4. To make hot chocolate: add 3 tablespoons (~32 grams) of mix to 1 cup milk. Microwave for a minute. Stir well, then microwave another 30-90 seconds, until milk is hot and the chocolate is mixed in well.
5. If you don't want to microwave it, heat milk on the stove until steamy, then stir until chocolate, mixing well.

Recipe Notes

adapted from Smitten Kitchen; yields about 1 ¾ cups mix, 9 servings