Homemade cocoa mix

Front of cocoa jar

Back of cocoa jar (with instructions)

I made cocoa mix as one of the gifts for my husband's siblings this year. It's something I know they'd appreciate.

The container for the cocoa mix is very inexpensive and it came from Target. I added a Christmasy touch to it.

The front has the "To" and "From" sticker and the back has the directions on a label.

The recycled jelly jars contain miniature marshmallows and Christmas M&Ms. I love those jelly jars, whenever my husband finishes that brand of jelly, he knows to put it in the sink to be washed and not in the recycling bin!

Here are two cocoa recipes. I used one with Nestle's Quick. It was similar to this recipe but I had to "tweak" mine a lot. This one looks a lot better. My recipe was so large that I had to use my bowl I make bread in at times.

Homemade Cocoa Mix

1 (3 lb.) box Nestle Quick (they are less weight now)
1/2 to 1 c. powdered sugar
1 (8 qt.) box powdered milk
6 to 8 oz. coffee creamer powder

Combine all ingredients. To make a cup of hot chocolate, add 1/3 cup of the mix to a cup of boiling water. This keeps indefinitely in a covered container.

The last time I made this, I added about 1/4th a cup of cocoa to the mixture to make it richer.

Here is a recipe using Hershey's cocoa:

2 c. nonfat dry milk powder
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. Hershey's cocoa
1/2 c. powdered non-dairy creamer

Mix in large bowl combine all ingredients; blend well. Store tightly in covered container (16 servings). Single serving: Combine 1/4 cup mix to 3/4 cup boiling water.

For mocha flavor, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup instant coffee (I'd make it decaf)

These two recipes were from Cooks.com. There are many variations available by doing a web search.