Brrr it’s cold outside… Let’s have some hot cocoa!

Are your days getting colder in your area?? Our mornings are getting colder, but our days are still warming up a bit. I can’t wait for the days where it stays cold all day long!

These next few months are my favorite months of the year! I love all the fires, the holidays, the pies and baked goods, and most importantly all the HOT COCOA!

There is nothing better then to wake up in the morning and my sleepy eyed little girls waltz into the kitchen asking for a nice cup of hot cocoa to go with their breakfast by the fire!

Did I paint you a pretty picture??? 😊 Now before you start thinking man those mornings sound pretty perfect, let me assure you….. our mornings don’t always look so picture perfect but nevertheless these chilly mornings are perfect for a good hearty cup of hot cocoa!

However, when I started looking into our foods, I started doubting how good those powdered hot cocoa mixes at the store were for you. Plus, why spend the money on a packaged product that you probably have all the ingredients right in your home and can whip up a batch really quickly??

So instead of buying from the store, let’s just make our own hot cocoa mix, shall we?!?!?

This recipe is INCREDIBLY easy and so rich in chocolatey flavor! Plus, you know exactly what is in your mix and can feel confident giving it to your children without feeling bad about giving them junk!

Now this powder mix does not dissolve well in cold milk or water because of the cocoa powder. It will mix very nicely when heated up so I would not recommend using it as chocolate milk only as hot cocoa, unless you and your children don’t mind chocolate clumps.

So, when I am ready to whip up a batch, I just put some milk in a saucepan on the stove and toss in a couple scoops of this mix and whisk it all together! As it heats up the clumps dissolve and it all mixes nicely.  So easy and so delicious!

Now let’s talk about the different kinds of sugars for a moment.  I have never made this mix with cane sugar or brown sugar although it will work just fine doing it with those. In my house I try and substitute different recipes with a healthier sugar then just a plain old cane sugar when I can, and this recipe is the perfect one to play around with!

Our favorite is coconut sugar in this mix but feel free to try all kinds of different sweeteners and leave a comment below on what you have tried and how you liked it! I love to learn new things! Just make sure whatever you are substituting as your sweetener it is not in a liquid form. Otherwise, it won’t keep well in the container all mixed together! 😊

Now you are ready to curl up by the fire, pour your family a hot cup of hot cocoa and enjoy the savory richness of every sip! Enjoy!