There are dozens of different ways to make hot chocolate, but if your way includes the box of pre-packaged "cocoa," STOP IT.
Here's why.
I don't know. Maybe I'm crazy, but "corn syrup solids" sounds like the sort of thing I prefer not to consume. And don't get my started on the "dairy product solids" and the vegetable oil because I'm trying not to think about them.
Yeah, I know. I'm turning into a hippy or something. It's not really a new revelation, which I can prove because that box of crap hot chocolate mix?
Yes. So. That. Always check the expiration date on processed food before eating it in my house. Heh.
Anyway, there's really no good reason to buy the crap hot chocolate because it's super easy to make without the corn syrup solids and such. And, no, I'm not going to tell you to whip out a double boiler and a candy bar and ask that you figure out the exact right temperature to make that whole thing work out. That's too much work for me. Instead, I present to you a few EASY ways to make hot cocoa, one of which might be confused for "healthy." Sort of. At least you will be able to read all of the ingredients.
First up, the not-exactly-healthy-but-OH-MY-WORD-SOOOOO-GOOD hot chocolate.
Nutella Hot Chocolate.
Yeah, you heard me. Nutella Hot Chocolate.
This one is ridiculously easy. You heat up some milk (in the microwave is fine) and you stir in a few spoonfuls of Nutella.
That's it.
I promise the Nutella will melt just so long as your milk is warm enough. You can always throw it back in the microwave if you need to.
Regardless, THAT is my favorite way to make hot cocoa. By a mile.
My second favorite way is to make my own dry mix. You can scale this recipe to make as much or as little as you would like and you can adjust it according to your own tastes. Want less sugar? Go for it! Want super-chocolatey hot chocolate? Do it! Want to stick to only ingredients you can pronounce? You can do that!
It's a 3-4 ingredient list to make your own hot chocolate mix.
You start with dry milk.
You add some powdered sugar.
Add a little bit of unsweetened cocoa.
And then comes the step where you can get all wild and crazy.
The fourth ingredient is optional as its purpose is to make the hot chocolate a little creamier. If you don't care about that and would rather stick to a "pure" recipe, by all means, skip it! (If you skip it, your ingredients list for hot chocolate will be: milk, cocoa, and sugar. Perhaps not the healthiest list since sugar is never a good thing, but the ingredients are certainly far less processed than what you buy in the Nestle box).
If you want to go with a version that is close to what comes in that box that expired four years ago, go with plain old non-dairy creamer as your fourth ingredient. Or! Or! You can get wild and crazy and use a flavored non-dairy creamer. I had Vanilla Caramel on hand the last time I made hot chocolate mix.
Once you have your three or four ingredients in the bowl, just mix it all up.
Tah-dah! Your own hot chocolate mix!
You can get fancy and make some to package up for gifts, or just make it for yourself. I personally make a fairly small batch (exact measurements are below) and put any extra in a storage bag for future use.
It tastes *so* much better than store bought hot chocolate. And the best part is that you can alter it a bit so that it is exactly what you want it to be.
Oh, and if you want to get REALLY brave, try making it into a Mayan Hot Chocolate. Use your regular mix (no funky flavored non-dairy creamer) and add a bit of cinnamon and a dash of cayenne pepper.
It sounds crazy, but when it's all mixed up, it's AMAZING.
You won't even need whip cream or marshmallows for the Mayan Hot Chocolate. It stands alone just fine.
So, the recipes:
Nutella Hot Chocolate
1 cup milk
2-3 spoonfuls of Nutella
Heat the milk in a microwave-safe mug. (In my microwave, it takes two minutes for the milk to be hot enough to melt the Nutella.) Gently stir in the Nutella until melted. Enjoy!
Hot Chocolate Mix (makes approximately 4 servings)
1 cup dry milk
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
3 tablespoons non-dairy creamer (optional)
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir until well-blended.
To make the hot chocolate, heat one cup of water. And 1/2 cup of hot cocoa mix. Stir until well blended. (Obviously, you can adjust the amount of hot cocoa mix you use according to how you like your hot cocoa. This is the ratio that works for us.)
Mayan Hot Chocolate
1 cup hot water
1/2 cup Hot Cocoa Mix
1 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of cayenne pepper
Just mix it all together and enjoy!