Recipe of the Week: Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix

When our children were young, winter meant hot cocoa - and lots of it.  But small children tend to leave half the mug undrank (undrunk?)  and it pained me to waste so much.  When I considered the cost of each individual pouch of mix, I felt like I was pouring good money down the drain along with the cold, undrinkable cocoa. The bulk canisters of pre-made mix weren't any more cost-effective (on a price-per-serving basis, they were even more expensive than the pouches most of the time.)

But a friend of mine shared with me her recipe for homemade hot cocoa mix.  Score!  It's easy to mix up and very inexpensive if you have a lot of hot cocoa lovers to satisfy.   Over the years, I tweaked her recipe a little her and there, most notably adding the chocolate pudding mix.  Here's my current version, which is still subject to change - feel free to modify to suit your own preferences for taste and texture.

Nancy's Hot Cocoa Mix (with a few tweaks)

Ingredients:
8 cups powdered milk
1/2 cup powdered chocolate drink mix (Nestle is always a favorite but any brand will work)
1 4-ounce box instant chocolate pudding (optional but recommended for thicker texture)
1/3 cup powdered non-dairy creamer (you can use cinnamon, peppermint or other flavored creamer if you prefer)
1/3 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
Sift or mix together in a large bowl or canister - stir well until there are no streaks of brown or white.  (A pasta stirrer makes a good utensil to blend the dry ingredients).

Store in tightly sealed canister or other container.  Use 1/3 cup mix to 8 ounces boiling hot water.  Stir and serve with or without marshmallows (homemade mallows  make it extra yummy!) or whipped topping.  Makes approximately 30 servings.

Happy mixing!