Cinnamon Hot Cocoa Mix This delicious Hot Chocolate mix is so simple to make, you will want to make extra for your own enjoyment! The following ingredients will make up 3 cups of dry mix, and is easily doubled or tripled.
1 c pure cocoa
1¼ c sugar
1 c skim milk (or soy milk for those lactose intolerant) powder
½ tsp sea salt , (for added health benefits)
½ tsp cinnamon (the secret ingredient to a very tasty mix!)
- Combine all of the above ingredients, mixing well.
- Store your Cinnamon Hot Cocoa Mix in an airtight container in a cool, dry area.
- To give this mix as a gift, package in a medium sized holiday jar, tied with a bright festive ribbon and a small fancy card with the following instructions: Combine 1½ T of cocoa mix with ¾ cup of boiling water. Stir well. Enjoy!
- You could also supply a separate jar of miniature marshmallows to add extra richness to your gift of cocoa mix. ( for recipes on how to make party ‘mocktails’; punches; herbal recipes; home entertaining ideas; how to make homemade cheeses (eg. Boursin, Liptauer, yogurt, etc); more holiday gifts from your kitchen and garden; check the ‘categories’ section of betweenclosefriends.com blog)
Cocoa with a hint of spice Another delightfully tasty gift-giving recipe, this time made as a syrup. It can be dually used either to make hot cocoa, or as a chocolately syrup over ice cream, cakes, cheesecakes, etc. This recipe will yield about 1 cup of syrup mix, and also is easily doubled or tripled for multiple gift giving or your own personal use during the cold wintery months.
½ c cocoa
¾ cu sugar
1 tsp freshly ground or scraped cinnamon
¼ tsp freshly ground cloves
¼ tsp freshly ground allspice
¾ c boiling water
- Combine the cocoa, sugar and spices in small saucepan on the stove.
- Stir the mixture together well. While stirring, slowly add boiling water.
- Boil for one minute.
- Cool, then carefully pour into a festive holiday jar and refrigerate between uses.
- To use, add 3 T syrup to 1 cup of hot milk and stir.
- For gift giving, tie a brightly coloured Holiday ribbon around the top, attaching a fancy card with directions on how to use the chocolate mix.