Back when I was a teenager and ate whatever fit my fancy, I drank a lot of hot chocolate. I’d fill a huge mug with milk and then stir in a tad too much Ghirardelli “Double Chocolate” hot chocolate mix. It was divine.Â
I’ve made it a few times for my little fam, by spooning cocoa powder and sugar into a saucepan of milk and finishing with vanilla and a pinch of salt. This works great, I’ll be honest, but when I saw this recipe in my latest issue of ATK I thought it was a great idea. I had most of these items on hand but had to by the milk powder (don’t be scared, it’s just dehydrated milk and has been serving bomb shelters for decades). Twas easy – it’s right in the baking aisle at my Giant.
This couldn’t be simpler to put together (if you have a food processor). I was making it while chatting on the phone with my friend Susan, who suggested it’d be a great gift to give to teachers/family friends at Christmas. You could make it with your kids and unlike cookies, it doesn’t need to be eaten right away (speaking as a former teacher this is something I’d like to get, though gift cards are best haha). You could spoon it into mason jars and your kids could decorate puffy paint/ribbon. I mean, who doesn’t love hot chocolate?
Hot Chocolate Mix
Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen
Makes enough for 12, 1 c. servings
1 c. sugar
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate (they recommend Hershey’s), chopped fine
1/2 c. bittersweet chocolate chips
1 c. unsweetened chocolate (they recommend Hershey’s Natural Cocoa)
1/2 c. nonfat dry milk powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1. Process all ingredients in food processor until ground to powder.
2. Store in airtight container up to 2 months at room temperature.
3. When ready to drink, heat 1 c. milk in microwave or saucepan. Add 1/4 c. mix and stir/heat until blended.
