How to Make Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix for Gifts
Learn how to make Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix for gifts with my easy step by step tutorial. I provide a delicious recipe, plus where to buy jars, ribbons, and cards. This is your one stop shop for how to make Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix for gifts!
If you are looking for more homemade gifting ideas try Peanut Butter Pretzel Christmas Crack, Homemade Pancake Mix, Chocolate Peppermint Olive Oil Granola, or How to Make Sugar Cookie Mix for Gifts.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: How to Make Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix for Gifts
- Ready In: 5 minutes
- Makes: 1 gift jar
- Main Ingredients: Dutch cocoa powder, cane sugar
- Flavor Profile: rich cocoa
- Dietary Info: vegan, gluten free, eggless, no seed oils
- Difficulty: Easy!
- Why You’ll Love It: easy shelf stable
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy to Make: This Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix is incredibly easy to make. You just need two simple ingredients that are probably already in your pantry: sugar and cocoa!
- Kids Can Help: This is a great homemade gift that your kids can help with. Depending on how old your kids are, they can help weigh ingredients, mix the sugar and cocoa together, fill the jars, or cut and tie ribbon. Put them to work!
- Vegan & Gluten Free: This Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix only has two ingredients: sugar and cocoa. So, it’s naturally vegan and gluten free. This makes it a great gift that you can give to anyone even if you don’t know if they have any dietary restrictions or allergies.
- Full of Holiday Cheer: Nothing says the holidays like a warm cup of hot cocoa! This gift is full of holiday cheer and it can be enjoyed all the way into the winter season.
Ingredients
- Cane Sugar: I use organic cane sugar.
- Cocoa Powder: I use organic Dutch cocoa powder for this. Be sure your cocoa powder is sifted.
*For a full list of ingredients and measurements, visit the recipe card below.
Things You Need for Gifts
- Glass Jar: I use 17-Ounce Canister Jars for this. But, mason jars also work great.
- Ribbon: You'll need some ribbon to tie around for a gift.
- Scissors: You'll need scissors to cut the ribbon.
Baker's Tips for Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix for Gifts
- Weigh ingredients for the best results. This is quicker, easier, and you get the exact amounts.
- Make sure your cocoa is sifted. This is super important as cocoa can clump easily.
- I use Dutch cocoa powder, which is different from natural cocoa powder. Dutch cocoa powder is naturally sweeter and natural cocoa powder is not as sweet. So, if you are using natural cocoa powder, your cocoa will not be as sweet. But, if you want a less sweet hot cocoa mix, then natural cocoa might be a better option for you. So take that into consideration.
- I use glass jars to gift this Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix in. You can use any kind of glass jar you want to. I use a ratio of 75% sugar to 25% cocoa. So, if you are using a different size jar, you can easily change the recipe to match the size jar you have.
- This makes 1 jar, but you can double or triple the recipe to make more jars.
- I used a soup ladle to transfer the cocoa mix to the jar (you can see in my video, haha!). It worked great. But, you could also use a funnel if you have one.
- Hot cocoa mix will last for about 6 months in your pantry. So this makes a great gift to make ahead of time with plenty of time for the recipient to enjoy it once you gift it.
- This also makes a great gift to send to loved ones in the mail as it is not super perishable. You can send it anytime this month and even if the package gets delayed for a day or two it won’t make a difference!
How to Make Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix for Gifts
- In a large bowl, add the cane sugar and cocoa powder.
- Whisk to combine completely and make sure that the cocoa and sugar are completely combined and there are no portions of just cocoa or just sugar.
- Transfer the mix to the prepared jars and tie with a ribbon.
How to Make Hot Chocolate with Hot Cocoa Mix
- Add 1 cup of milk to a small pot. You can use your favorite milk (cow's milk, almond, coconut, oat, pistachio, or cashew milk all work!).
- Add 2 tablespoons of hot cocoa mix to the pot.
- Put over medium/high heat and whisk together. Heat until the cocoa mix is dissolved and the temperature reaches 140°F on a drink thermometer. (If you don't have a drink thermometer, heat until warm to the touch. Do not boil the milk as this can burn it and that burnt flavor will transfer to the cocoa).
- Add your favorite whipped cream on top like Homemade Organic Whipped Cream or Homemade Organic Vegan Whipped Cream.
- Top with a sprinkle of cocoa, cinnamon, or drizzle of Brown Butter Butterscotch Sauce or Homemade True Caramel Sauce!
- Enjoy with your favorite cookies like Vanilla Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies, Mexican Hot Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, or Soft Sugar Cookies With Pink Frosting.
Recipe FAQ's
Yes, if you prefer natural cocoa powder to Dutch, you can use that in its place. Natural cocoa powder is not as sweet as Dutch, which is why I prefer Dutch for baking and for making hot chocolate!
If you would like, you can use less sugar. I haven't tested this recipe with less sugar as I believe it has just the right amount as it is. I use a ratio of 25% cocoa powder and 75% sugar. You could try a different ratio with less sugar and more cocoa. But, I highly recommend to try this with just one hot chocolate, before making it into a mix incase you don't like it! The way to try that would be use 1 ounce total and split it up with whatever sugar ratio you would like. So, if you want to do 20% sugar (instead of my 25%) then try .2 ounces of sugar and .8 ounces of cocoa. Make up one hot cocoa, taste it, and if you like that, then make your mix using this ratio. You can experiment from here. But, I wouldn't recommend making a whole batch of mix unless you try it as it's too much to waste.
This Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix will last for up to 3 months in your pantry if stored in airtight container.
More Cozy Hot Chocolate Recipes
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How to Make Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix for Gifts
Equipment
- Digital Food Scale
- Mixing Bowl
- Whisk
- 17 oz Glass Jars
- Holiday Ribbon
Ingredients
- 318 grams cane sugar
- 106 grams Dutch cocoa powder (sifted)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the cane sugar and cocoa powder. Whisk to combine completely and make sure that the cocoa and sugar are completely combined and there are no portions of just cocoa or just sugar.
- Transfer the mix to the prepared jars and tie with a ribbon.
Video
Notes
- Weigh ingredients for the best results. This is quicker, easier, and you get the exact amounts.
- Make sure your cocoa is sifted. This is super important as cocoa can clump easily.
- I use Dutch cocoa powder, which is different from natural cocoa powder. Dutch cocoa powder is naturally sweeter and natural cocoa powder is not as sweet. So, if you are using natural cocoa powder, your cocoa will not be as sweet. But, if you want a less sweet hot cocoa mix, then natural cocoa might be a better option for you. So take that into consideration.
- I use glass jars to gift this Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix in. You can use any kind of glass jar you want to. I use a ratio of 75% sugar to 25% cocoa. So, if you are using a different size jar, you can easily change the recipe to match the size jar you have.
- This makes 1 jar, but you can double or triple the recipe to make more jars.
- I used a soup ladle to transfer the cocoa mix to the jar (you can see in my video, haha!). It worked great. But, you could also use a funnel if you have one.
- Hot cocoa mix will last for about 6 months in your pantry. So this makes a great gift to make ahead of time with plenty of time for the recipient to enjoy it once you gift it.
- This also makes a great gift to send to loved ones in the mail as it is not super perishable. You can send it anytime this month and even if the package gets delayed for a day or two it won’t make a difference!
Nutrition
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I give these every year and they’re always such a hit!