Hot Cocoa From Scratch

Since we are in the heart of our winter season, last week we talked about the importance of staying warm. We don’t want to see any family member suffering from hypothermia or frostbite. Layering your clothing and staying hydrated are your two best defenses against these conditions. Drinking water is always good for you. I’d also like to share with you our scratch hot cocoa recipe. 

A few winters ago after some excellent snow play time, we were in search of a nice hot cocoa. Really, is there anything better than coming inside from sledding and having hot chocolate brimming with more marshmallows than reasonably necessary? I think not. But I found myself without a pouch or packet of cocoa to be found. #momfail. As the children gazed up at me longingly with their big adorable eyes, I had to think fast. There was a can of cocoa powder in the cupboard. “Hey, I can just make it from scratch,” I thought.

Following the recipe on the back made some excellent cocoa! The kids approved too and we actually got a little spoiled on homemade cocoa for a while. As these things go, I began to tweak the recipe more to our tastes. The recipe on the can had a high cocoa to sugar ratio making it very rich. If you love dark chocolate (which I do) this will not be a problem for you. The kids began to want it a bit sweeter though. 

Through experimenting, I’ve found that the kids love an equal cocoa powder to sugar ratio. They also like when the milk cools it down enough to drink right away. So here is what I do for each eight ounce mug.

1 Tablespoon cocoa powder

1 Tablespoon sugar (I like sugar in the raw best)

A dash of vanilla extract

Fill ⅔ of the way with hot water from the kettle

Fill ⅓ with milk and stir well

I won’t claim that you will never find a hot chocolate mix in my house. In fact, we just bought a big can of it. It is definitely more convenient and economical to buy it. But if we run out or for an extra special treat, it’s really nice to make this scratch cocoa. We hope you enjoy it too!