Thursday, December 24, 2015

Homemade Instant Hot Chocolate Mix – Special Last Minute Edible Christmas Gift Idea!

So, you didn’t exactly get your Christmas shopping done early this year. In fact, it’s Christmas Eve, and you haven’t started yet. Well, you’re in luck, because there’s such a thing as this homemade instant hot chocolate mix. We really shouldn’t be rewarding you for procrastinating, but that’s exactly what we are doing here. 

Not only is this stuff way better tasting, and contains no “how do you pronounce that?” ingredients, but it also takes just seconds to make, and you may already have everything you need in the pantry. Just make sure one of those things is a very high quality cocoa powder.

I’m linking to the same exact Dutch-processed “cocoa rouge" that I used here, so that you can get all the particulars, and hopefully find something very similar. The better the cocoa, the better the hot chocolate. Or is it hot cocoa? Either way.

By the way, this will be the last video of the year, and we’ll be taking a little break until the New Year. Whether it includes homemade hot chocolate or not, I want to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year! And, as always, enjoy!


Makes enough for about 20 cups of hot chocolate:
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon fine salt
pinch of cayenne
- Use 2 tablespoons per cup of hot milk

28 comments:

Bethany said...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

AmandaW said...

Merry Christmas and happy New Year, enjoy!

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

Thank you Chef John. This is an addition to a gift of different teas to a family member, who also like hot chocolate. I think I'll make myself a cup of this later.

Have a love, peace and joy filled Christmas and may 2016 be a great year for you.

FlowerLady

Anonymous said...

Merry Christmas, CJ. Thank you, for all you do!

david said...

Sorry Chef,
But it's 70 degrees today, and Hot Chocolate would be ... unused.

Catering said...

Very nice! Easy to make. Good video to. Thanks for sharing.

Unknown said...

While I'm sure that the highest quality unsweetened cocoa results in a superior hot cocoa mix, that unsweetened cocoa sold by that guy from Pennsylvania is still way, way better than any packaged mix from that little girl from Switzerland. Seriously, this is basically the same recipe/technique that I have always used. I refuse to drink any store bought prepackaged mix. Merry Christmas Chef John!

Unknown said...

Thanks John,

Curious, i would like to hide the granules of sugar. Do you think it would work with Powdered or Icing Sugar?

Malcolm

Unknown said...

Can I use brown sugar instead of normal sugar?

Unknown said...

I have been doing cocoa mixes like this for years and they're awesome.
Glad to hear the chef addresses how much bs they put in those pseudo-cocoa mixes you can buy in the store.
It's also great to finally see someone write a hot chocolate recipe which does not require tons of cream, and other ingredients like sweetened condensed milk, that not only make it taste quite artificial but also make the drink quite unhealthy (cocoa itself is quite beneficial).
I very well know the issue of properly dissolving the cocoa in the milk. The sugar works because during the initial whisking one breaks up the cocoa clumps which otherwise form a fat membrane around themselves.
The salt and cayenne is a very nice touch, both of which I haven't heard of yet (I know everything sweet needs a bit of salt, I just didn't know this would apply to drinks as well).

Various mixes and ingredients I have been experimenting with:
-Cocoa sugar/home-made vanilla sugar
-Cocoa honey mix
-Cocoa maple-syrup

Along with spices:
-Cinnamon
-Vanilla beans
-Cloves

It also helps (if there is still any issue dissolving the cocoa) to pre-dissolve it in a cup with a bit of milk (just like with pudding).
Otherwise, personally I use very little sweetening.

Thanks for your recipe chef!

Pablo said...

Merry Christmas, John!!! And a Happy New Year!! You are the best, let me tell you.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Alex in Shanghai said...

I guffawed when I saw cayenne on the ingredient list, but that doesn't mean I'll leave it out. Wishing you a very merry holiday season, Chef John! You've enhanced the Christmastime (and all other times) eating experiences of my friends and family here in Beijing for coming up on a decade, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You're well and truly the best.

Rosalie Lingo said...

I made this and it is so good! So much less sweet and chemically tasting than normal cocoa mix. I also added a little bit of instant espresso powder along with the cayenne to help deepen the cocoa flavor, but it's not "coffee" or "spicy" flavored at all. I'll be making this again.

Unknown said...

Hi Chef John!

This is a great recipe and I plan to use it for several gifts. The label you used also looks fantastic. Any chance you could post the image file you used for it?

Rika said...

Thanks for this. Will definitely try it but only with a less HQ cocoa. Just checked how much your costs on the german amazon and apparently it's EUR 162,44!!!

Happy New year!

Deniz said...

Can I add some cornstarch to the mix to make it thicker? I don't really like the watery-thin mixes. If so, how much do you recommend?

arwiv said...

Cornstarch in hot chocolate? I seriously dont see that as an option unless you are looking to make a crazy gravy for your beef. Hot chocolate is a drink....Im pretty sure its meant to be "liquidy".

Chef John said...

Yes, corn starch is not a good idea.

jarredAwesome said...

Cornstarch gives things a 'jelly' texture, and taste like corn if it's undercooked.

If you want it thicker, you can: reduce the milk, use cream instead of milk, beat it wil your whisk, or froth it.

Personally, I would try it as is before changing anything.

Michele Cryan said...

Happy New Year Chef. if you didn't get into streaming the Beatles this holiday season I strongly recommend. Awesome.

Treat me like you did the Night Before....a song I forgot and many more.

Cheers to everyone who loves Foodwishes!

Michele

Jeff the Chef said...

Fantastic idea! Thanks Chef John.

Unknown said...

Thanks Chef John. Great video as always. Can you please do a traditional risotto recipe.

Anonymous said...

Hi Chef John, I just tried this recipe and love it. The taste is quite velvety which I prefer. But did experience some problems with getting all the powder mixture dissolved while trying not to heat the milk too much before it curdles.

Also, your recipe is technically a hot cocoa recipe, and not hot chocolate. The way I go about remembering it is that hot cocoa uses cocoa powder while hot chocolate uses chocolate pieces.

Shwetablog said...

Thanks!

kearjr said...

I just tried this recipe substituting organic coconut sugar for regular sugar and because it is a darker sugar it blends in really well with the cocoa and so is "hidden". Also it produces a less sugary taste which I prefer. Thank you for the youtube videos which is how I found this recipe and many others.

angelo said...

The 2 to 3 ratio of cocoa to sugar is the perfect mixture, however 2 tablespoons of it per cup of milk seems a bit much.

I've been trying to get people off of the pre-mixed store hot chocolate for years--it seems like such a scam.

Rob C said...

How long does the mix last in the jar?