As the weather turns snowy and the holidays approach, hot cocoa becomes a favorite beverage at my house. We like to have a warm cup of chocolatey goodness while we watch movies or recover from shoveling snow.

I used to buy the boxes of individual servings packaged in envelopes. Then I discovered this recipe, and now we make our own. It is nice controlling the ingredients that go into the hot cocoa.

This recipe makes a great gift from your kitchen, too. When you package it up in glass jars with a pretty ribbon around it, people will love it! Make sure to include a tag with mixing instructions with the powder.

This is a really good project for elementary school students to assemble for their teachers. It is also a nice office exchange item. Add a holiday themed cup and you are ready to go!

Peppermint Cocoa Mix Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup Cocoa Powder
1 cup French Vanilla Creamer powdered
1 cup Sugar
2 cups Powdered Milk
1 cup Candy Canes

Directions

1. Mix powders in large bowl.
2. Place candy canes in a large zip top bag.
3. Place on a solid surface and pound with a hammer until candy is in small bits.
4. Pour powder mixture into large airtight container.
5. Top with crushed candy cane bits.
6. To drink, add boiling water to 2/3 cups of cocoa mixture.

Approximate Nutrition Information:

Servings Per Recipe: 5, Amount Per Serving: Calories: 350, Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 9mg, Sodium: 248g, Total Carbs: 71g, Protein: 20g.

Make it a Meal:

A great breakfast beverage. Also this makes a wonderful afternoon treat with a plate of cookies.

Variations:

Add some mini marshmallows, crushed chocolate chips or mix into your coffee for a mocha flavor.

Prepackaged hot cocoa is convenient, but preparing this recipe takes only a few minutes and tastes every bit as delicious as the commercial variety.

A tip for crushing candy canes, place them in a plastic zip top bag and crush with a rolling pin, hammer, or meat mallet. Make sure you place the bag of candy on a sturdy surface. You will want to avoid the dining room table, since the crushing method may result in dings to the table top.

I use a cutting board placed on the kitchen counter. Also, if you use your husband’s hammer, make sure you return it to his tool box.

Interested in one of the books pictured above? You can purchase on Amazon here.