I don’t know about where you are, but here in eastern PA, it’s quite the blustery morning — the perfect sort of morning for a hot sweet treat.
Making hot chocolate without those chemical-laden packets is really quite easy; you just need to make sure you have unsweetened powdered cocoa and milk in the house. I am usually making hot chocolate for a passel of kids, so I make it about a half gallon at a time. You can make it in any amount, of course, but I’ll give you my one-cup version and my half-gallon-version. For anything else, you’ll have to do some math. So sorry.
One Cup Hot Cocoa
Mix 1 T unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 T sugar, and 1 T water in small saucepan. Whisk till blended over medium heat. Add 8 oz whole milk and mix well. Lower heat and heat till warmed through.
Half Gallon (8 cups) Hot Cocoa
Mix 1/2 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/2 cup water in large saucepan. Whisk till blended over medium heat. Add 8 cups whole milk, mix well, and heat through.
For easier pouring, I use a big glass liquid measuring cup to measure the milk, and then I pour the hot cocoa back into the measuring cup and use that to pour into mugs. Otherwise, I’ve been known to dump more hot cocoa on the counter than into the mug. D’oh!
And no, whole milk isn’t going to make you fat.
This post is linked to the Tasty Tuesday recipe carnival and Real Food Wednesday at Cheeseslave’s.
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{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh, that looks good!
Homemade hot cocoa is the best! I sometimes make it in the evening for a warm soothing treat.
Maybe I’ll make this later today. We’re supposed to get our second round of snow in five days! Crazy!
I give your kids those chemical laden packets all the time.
C says it’s the best hot cocoa she’s ever had. LOL
LOL. I’m sure she does. She asked me this morning if we could go back to the way we used to eat.
That sounds really good. I wish I had a big ole mug of it sitting on my desk right now.
Oh, I remembered something else about homemade hot coccoa. My Mom used to make this for me on cold morngings with cinnamon toast. And still today when I wake up cold that is what I want. Hot chocolate and cinnamon toast.
I feel a bit bad for my oldest son, who was asking for a mug of this yummy stuff the other day. We’re all on the Anti-Candida diet, which means NO sugar at all. There’s always this time next year, when we’re all so healthy that one glass won’t hurt us.
Nell
Mmmmmm. Looks yummy.
This is probably chemical-laden, but I recently discovered Trader Joe’s sipping chocolate. It tastes just like Europe. Mmmmm.
ummmmmm. I love homemade hot cocoa – nothing better. I discovered how to make it only after a snow day where I had none of the boxed hot chocolate. Being the mom who did not want to disappoint, I quickly went to allrecipes for a recipe. It’s not nearly as easy as this, though! Thank you.
I wondered about the TJ sipping chocolate. As far as I could see from the ingredient list there were not any chemicals, just plenty of sugar!
TJ’s is good about not carrying products that have typical store bought junk like HFCS and trans-fats in them.
That’s how we make it except that we use Sucanat for the sugar. Yum! My girls wake up craving hot cocoa and cinnamon toast too!
I’ve actually been using Sucanat too.
I like how it’s not quite as sweet, but the kids prefer the refined stuff.
Looks really good!
I don’t buy that powder/faky stuff anymore either! And you know, the powder mix tastes NOTHING like REAL hot cocoa; it’s like the difference between coffee and tea. And we make our hot cocoa by putting a cup of whole milk in the microwave. I put the sugar and cocoa in the milk, and stir VERY well afterward. So simple. The misconception is that cooking REAL FOOD is so hard, so time-consuming. This is a good example of how getting rid of the chemicals in your diet is no harder. I bet you could even pre-mix the sugar and cocoa in its own container, and just put it in as needed, saving another small step.
Oh yum! I love to make homemade cocoa. Believe it or not, it’s chilly here in Florida (well, for US it is, LOL).
I hope you had a lovely Christmas!
I make this too! I add a little vanilla extract, which gives it a great flavor, the chocolate is more enhanced.
YUM! I think I’ll try that.
I can’t do chocolate…but that sounds yummy! I think I’ll make a small batch for my husband who drinks hot cocoa like it’s water.
Did you know that whole milk has less sodium than the 2% or less milks?
OK… I had to go read the whole milk article. I’m not sold. I’ll have to think on that.
But the hot chocolate sounds lovely and I’m going to go make it right now (but with 2% since that is what I have).
Thanks for sharing!
We’ve had a ton of this goodness this holiday season! (ok, maybe not a TON, but you know what I mean…), My boys love it!
It sounds so easy to make…and “chemical-laden hot chocolate packets” sound so gross. I think you’re going to turn me into a Hot Chocolate Snob!
I love making my own hot cocoa, and I’ve always wondered why people bother to buy those “chemical-laden packets” when making your own is so easy.