A recipe for making a well-balanced cup of holiday cocoa mix from scratch, using white and dark chocolate, cocoa powder, and malted milk powder.

Intro

This is a well-balanced cup of cocoa. Certainly as good as the best mixes I’ve ever had, better than most.

Social Learning

Tips & Tricks

You could use the mix to make cocoa on the stovetop. You could also stir the mix into hot milk. However, I like the microwave method because it froths the milk. I use repurposed jelly jars or canning jars for the microwave method. Another idea would be to pour the mix and hot milk into a blender or use a stick blender on it.

Since you make it yourself, you can tweak it to your tastes: more or less chocolate, a higher mix-to-milk ratio … add cinnamon and/or ground chile. You can adjust the sugar, too. For instance, if you’d like it sweeter, try 5 oz. granulated (3/4 cup).

You can use any kind of milk. Well, I say “any,” but it’s not like I’ve tried them all. You know your preferred milk better than I do. Different fat percentages of cow’s milk will produce different textures; I like whole milk for this, but most of the time I make it with 2%.

Ideas for Further Cooking

For interesting additions, such as peppermint or Cointreau, see my “by the cup” post.

Tips for Getting the Most out of Your Cocoa, If You’re a Guy

First, you’ll need a sporty, woodsy jacket with a red-and-green plaid scarf. You’ll also neeed to drink it while sitting on a bench outside in the snow, with no apparent need for gloves. Most guys hold the cup with one hand, but don’t be afraid to use two if you’re comfortable with with your own natural masculinity. Also, don’t wear a hat if you have lustrous, perfectly styled hair that perfectly frames your crystal blue eyes. And why are you sitting on that bench, when you should be in the woodshop, or overseeing the workmen who are restoring the generational timber lodge that’s been in your family for generations? Just a quick, two-hour drive from … Chicago??? I’m not sure how that works, but let’s not get distracted. You’re on that bench because you’re having a heart-to-heart with the adorable preteen daughter whom you’re raising alone since your wife passed away exactly three years ago. I know you don’t feel that you’re ready to date, even though your daughter is constantly trying to fix you up, but it’s not too late for you to find love again, especially at Christmas. And cocoa will make all of that possible.

The Backstory

We like to give this cocoa mix as a gift, with a packet of mini marshmallows, a cool mug, and homemade cookies.

Cocoa is made with cocoa powder, and hot chocolate is made with chocolate. This mix has both, so it’s a hybrid. It’s got much of the creaminess of a hot chocolate, yet it’s easier to prepare than hot chocolate. I think it’s a beautiful as-is, but if you want it creamier, you could easily adjust the ingredients to include more chocolate. 

There’s a clear bias on the internet, in favor of hot chocolate over cocoa. I’m actually a fan of both, and make both from scratch commonly – all winter long. I’m here to say that, when made well, a cup of cocoa is just as good as a cup of hot chocolate, even if they are different beverages. The things that people complain about in cocoa – too sweet, too thin – are easily fixed by adding less sugar, or using whole milk or adding half-and-half! Come on, people! On the other hand, yes, there’s nothing like melted chocolate. But I stand by it: I like them both when they’re well made. 

The bias comes from two things, I think:

1. Cocoa is easier to prepare a pre-mix for, and so most commercial mixes are cocoas. And most of them taste like … well, I won’t use the word I’m thinking of, since this is a holiday post and Santa might be watching! It’s not cocoa’s fault that these commercial mixes are disappointing. It’s the manufacturer’s fault, and perhaps our fault for putting up with it. 
2. There’s a bias against cocoa not being “chocolate.” I’ve written at length about this before, in a post about chocolate-covered Ritz cookies. It’s not quite accurate, and it’s misleading. Cocoa and chocolate are both derived from cocoa beans. Cocoa is used extensively in things we consider to be “chocolate,” from cakes to candy bars.

Homemade Holiday Cocoa Mix

Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man! unless otherwise credited. This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything. References: I Am Baker, Serious Eats, The Pioneer Woman. Thank you, Kesor. Make It Like a Man! is ranked by Feedspot as #15 in the Top 30 Men’s Cooking Blogs.

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