Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix
It’s the final stretch of February, and at Food52 we are tired. We are tired of the grey snow. We are tired of the unending cold. We are tired of jackets and scarves and mittens. We have a bad case of the February doldrums, and we need a cure. So, we turned towards our two fail-safe winter pick-me-ups: warmth and chocolate. We have plenty of cozy, warming recipes, and countless chocolate ones. But, finding something that managed to be both as hot and creamy as some of our favorite soups and as dark and sweet as our favorite chocolate desserts was tough.
» RELATED: 20 Essential Dishes to Get You Through the Winter
Luckily, desperate wishes do come true — we came across a recipe that produces the most rich, warming, and chocolatey drink we’ve ever tasted: homemade hot chocolate mix. This is not your average hot chocolate mix — using both cocoa powder and finely ground bittersweet chocolate makes it intensely chocolatey, and adding powdered coconut milk gives it extra flavor and creaminess. What is extra brilliant about this recipe is that you can make the mix ahead of time so that when you come home, chilled to the bone, a soul-warming drink is just a heated cup of milk and a stir away. Consider your winter blues cured.
Serves 10 to 12
Hot Cocoa Mix
3 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cups Dutch Process cocoa powder
3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup powdered coconut milk, powdered milk, or malted milk powder
1 pinch salt
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Break the chocolate into large chunks and blend in a food processor until mealy.
Add the cocoa, sugar, powdered milk (whichever kind you’re using), salt, and cornstarch to the food processor. (If you don’t have a food processor, finely grate the chocolate instead — then stir in the rest of the ingredients by hand)
Blend until combined.
Scoop the mixture into a jar (make sure you scrape around the edges of the food processor bowl to dislodge any chocolate that may be stuck there) and screw on the lid.
For one serving of hot chocolate:
1 cupmilk
2 heaping tablespoonshot cocoa mix
In a small pot combine the milk and hot cocoa mix.
Whisk together gently over a medium heat until well mixed and steaming. Pour into a mug and serve.
This recipe originally appeared on Food52.com: Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix