Cold, damp weather goes hand in hand with drinking hot chocolate. It’s the ultimate comfort drink for our family during cool weather. It is forbidden to drink hot chocolate during warm weather by the Tradition Police (the older children). You have to wait until at least the first official day of Fall to drink the first mug.
When do we sip it? While listening to a book being read aloud, while sitting by a crackling fire, while thawing out from an icy backyard romp in the snow, or while huddled around the space heater early on a frigid morning.
We actually have an imposed limit of “one mug per day” except for special occasions, or the mix would disappear in a day and the dentist would offer us a quantity discount. If you think that’s hard to keep track of, consider the exquisite sensitivity to fairness present in most children.
Homemade hot chocolate mix makes a great Christmas gift for neighbors, teachers and friends. Package it in a festive container, top the lid with a bow and insert a card with the recipe and directions.
We experimented with homemade hot chocolate recipes until we developed The Recipe. The secret ingredient is the malted milk powder, which kills the powdered milk taste. I often add a little more just because we like it. Find a nondairy creamer with mild taste. If you live near a WalMart, we like Sam’s Choice Extra-Rich Creamer.
Bonus: a doctor told me that it was okay to drink this hot chocolate to soothe a sore throat associated with an upper respiratory illness. Usually milk products are not recommended due to effects on mucus production, but powdered milk won’t have that effect. Yes, I know that sugar is not-so-hot for the immune system, but sometimes you can entice the sick little one to drink fluids with a nice warm cup of hot chocolate.
So here it is, the drink mix coveted by college dorm inhabitants:
Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix
1 ½ cups cocoa
3 ¼ cups sugar
4 cups nonfat instant dry milk
2 cups non-dairy creamer
1 ½ tsp. salt
½ cup (or more) malted milk powder
Mix in large bowl. Use 1/3 cup mix in a mug of hot water.
Did I mention it makes a good cup of coffee even better? Instant cup of mocha on the cheap. Add a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg and you’ve got cappuccino. Chocolate makes everything better.
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Charlotte Siems
I'm a happy wife and mom of 12 who lost 100 pounds, shrinking from size 22W to 6 with the T-Tapp workout. I've homeschooled for 26 years, baked a million cookies, taught T-Tapp and kept things together (and mostly sane) at home. I love to help people find practical, real-life solutions for home, family, fitness and business--no guilt or perfection needed!
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Thank you so much for all of your words of wisdom. I always look forward to reading your new posts!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for the recipe! We have tried more homemade hot chocolate recipes than you would believe and had almost given up hope of finding one that wasn’t ruined by the powdered milk taste. My oldest daughter also loved the term “Tradition Police” and has decided to adopt it for her own personal use:) I only wish I could relate what a blessing the minutes I’ve spent “visiting” your site have been to me this afternoon. Thank You—for more than the recipe.
Where can you get malted milk powder? I’ve never seen or heard of it before.
We buy Carnation brand at Walmart. It is located next to the hot chocolate mix. It comes in chocolate and vanilla (we buy vanilla). Hope you find it!
This recipe reminds me of the old college days of having this hot chocolate in the dorm. We used to heat up our water in popcorn poppers since we did not have microwaves back then. So, I’m anxious to try it again. The malted milk powder in it sounds wonderful. Thanks for posting.
“If you think that’s hard to keep track of, consider the exquisite sensitivity to fairness present in most children.” What a nice way to put it!
I’m a faithful reader and just came across this! Looks just right for our family. I love the images of crackling fire and reading a book together. So cozy and familyish! Wouldn’t do to be alone, even with a mug of cocoa. Thanks for the recipe. Ever try it with powder sugar? Would it be creamier?
We have tried it with powdered sugar, you just have to play with it to get that balance of sweetness. I don’t like it too sweet but if you don’t use enough sugar it’s either “dark chocolate” or weak-tasting.
My girls think this is the best Hot Chocolate ever ! Thank you for sharing your recipe ! I would love to see a discussion of good books to read aloud for the loooong winter months !