This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our privacy policy.

Hot chocolate seems to be the staple for cold weather and the holiday season.  There’s something about a hot mug full of rich, chocolately goodness that propels you instantly back to your childhood. When hours of playing in the snow had ended, you’d wander into the house with rosy cheeks and a frosty little nose for a steaming mug of liquid gold – hot chocolate with marshmallows. If you were lucky, you might even find a gingersnap or two. I don’t know about you, but sipping hot chocolate on a snowy evening definitely instigates a flashback to those times and a healthy dose of nostalgia.

I remember sledding for hours on our hometown hill and looking forward to warming up fireside with a hot mug in hands brimming with mini marshmallows that I tried to strategically fish out with every sip.  I’d like to say that attempting to do that is also a distant memory, but who am I kidding, I totally still do that –  minus the whole sledding thing.

Over the last several weeks, I’ve been taking a lot of time to concentrate on homemade, edible gifts that are way better than anything you’d buy in a store.  This Hot Cocoa Mix In A Jar is no exception.  Although it’s a delicious homemade gift on its own –  I couldn’t help whipping up a batch of homemade Vanilla Marshmallows to include for my nearest and dearest.

Making a rich decadent cocoa mix from scratch is almost as easy as ripping the top off of the Swiss-Miss packet and trust me, it’s  much tastier!  With a few simple ingredients including Dutch-process cocoa, confectioners’ sugar and powdered milk, it takes virtually no time to mix up batch. 

Presented in a beautiful shaped glass jar and fancied up with a homemade tag and festive red and white baker’s twine, it’ll look as though you spent hours making a unique and fabulous gift.  And of course the addition of the Homemade Vanilla Marshmallows makes it just a little sweeter! No one needs to know you churned out holiday gifts for the entire family in just a few hours, right?

Tag Info

– The jar seen in the photos is a Weck 3/4 Liter Mold Jar.

If you have a Silhouette Machine and are interested in the shapes and font I used, here is the info:
– Square Tag (Rudolph Reindeer Card) by Loni Stevens cut on light blue card stock with a 4.0 inch width (will be folded in half).
– Mittens (Cocoa, Mittens, and Hat) by KI Memorie cut on red card stock with a 1.0 inch width
– Font used is called Last Words
Baker’s Twine was purchased from Amazon

Hot Cocoa Mix

Ingredients:

2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup cocoa (Dutch-process preferred)
2 1/2 cups powdered milk
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Directions:

To Make The Mix

1. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and whisk until evenly incorporated.

2. Pour hot cocoa mix into an airtight container and store in a cool, dry place.

To Make Hot Cocoa

Fill a mug half full with the hot cocoa mix and pour in hot water. Stir to combine. Seal the rest in an airtight container. This also works great with warm milk.

Notes:

Alton Brown recommends adding a pinch of cayenne pepper to the mix; however, I omitted this ingredient.

Source: My Baking Addiction slightly adapted from Alton Brown

All images and text ©

Follow Jamie on Instagram. We love to see what you're baking from MBA! Be sure to tag @jamiemba and use the hashtag #mbarecipes!

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

63 Comments

  1. Laura says:

    Lovely idea! And I love the tag. Would you mind telling us where you got the string? I have seen it in a local store but is so expensive for the yardage they sell, I would love to find it online.

    Happy Holidays!

    1. Jamie says:

      Laura-
      I purchased the twice from Amazon. Here is a link. Happy Holidays!
      -Jamie

  2. AmyRuth says:

    A Nostalgic idea and gift. Yes, thank you, I would love a steaming cup. Thanks for the reminder of a warm and welcoming idea. I have become fond of those jars and told friends about them. I think after Christmas I may place an order for me…. woohoo
    Merry Christmas

  3. rubytuesday says:

    You will find if you add the pinch of cayenne to the jar of mix it will kick up the chocolate flavor in intensity and it is not at all hot. Adding something a bit hot to chocolate and visa versa is done all the time in Mexico–quite traditional.If you leave out that ingredient you are shorting yourself in flavor.

    1. Kerry says:

      Good point! – similar to many chili recipes that call for chocolate.

      Fun post :) Checking into those homemade marshmallows now! I just posted about a home hot choc bar setup today!! Glad I found your recipe :D

  4. Fred @ Savorique says:

    Forget Alton Brown’s reco, I add cognac to my hot chocolate! ;)

    1. Casey@Good. Food. Stories. says:

      Yes to cognac! I also like adding a little nocino (walnut liqueur).

    2. Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen says:

      I’m on board with that idea! Mmm…..

    3. Linda Merillat Komondy says:

      I like a little Bailey’s in my cocoa!

  5. Jennifer @ Peanut Butter and Peppers says:

    What a great idea! I also love the marshmallows! I think I’ll surprise my daughter and make marshmallows for her for Christmas!

  6. Madonna says:

    What a fun gift. Great presentation.

  7. Ann says:

    Delicious! What a GREAT idea! I bet these go terrific with your marshmallows (which I’m headed to next!) I love hot cocoa!

  8. Lynn J says:

    These look so cute. I bought some Weck jars finally and I love them. Thanks for the great ideas.

  9. Asiya says:

    Looks so cute! I love homemade gifts…

  10. Shaina says:

    I adore this. The tag is perfect, and the Weck Jars are my favorite. I’m so obsessed. The circular marshmallows are just adorable, too.