Make Your Own Instant Hot Cocoa Mix

Nothing beats a cup of hot cocoa. It's beautiful in its simplest form and divine when embellished with a splash of liqueur. It can be enjoyed solo or with biscotti and it just loves keeping you and your book company on a cool day. It's also a sociable drink and can be enjoyed by folks of all ages, unlike say, martinis or Irish coffees. So why limit yourself to weak prepackaged mixes with their dried out marshmallows? Making your own mix is so easy and very inexpensive. Here is my favourite recipe for instant hot cocoa mix.

3 cups nonfat dry milk

2 cups powdered sugar

1 ½ cups Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1 ½ cups white chocolate chips

¼ tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Working in two batches, pulse ingredients in food processor until chocolate chips are finely ground. Store in an airtight container for three months, longer in refrigerator or freezer. Stir 1/3 cup of mix into 1 cup of hot milk. Top with whipped cream or marshmallows.

Makes approximately 20 servings

Variation - Use ¾ cup white chocolate chips and ¾ cup butterscotch chips

Variation - Use ½ cup milk and ½ coffee to make mocha chocolate

Variation - Use ¾ cup white chocolate chips and ¾ cup peanut butter chips

Variation - Add in to hot chocolate 1 tablespoon of any of the following liqueurs: Gran Marnier, Baileys, Tuaca, Chambord, Amaretto, Coconut rum, Goldschlager, Frangelica, cherry cordial, whiskey, rum

A fun way to add minty flavour to your hot chocolate is to stir with a candy cane instead of a spoon!