It's Cocoa Time!

With frost warnings quickly descending from the northern parts of our state, and daytime temperatures chilly enough that we've dug out our sweaters & hoodies... I don't care WHAT month the calendar says, it's cocoa time!

Several years ago I discovered the joys of homemade cocoa mixes, and have never looked back. It only takes a few minutes, is far cheaper than the premade brands from the store, and you can cut the sugar in half. My kids LOVE mixing the ingredients & watching the swirls slowly become a uniform brown and pronouncing it "ready for tasting." Our favorite part however, is choosing what flavor we'll try next! This time the kids chose a hazelnut cocoa for the dairy-jar, and in my dairy-free I am experimenting with a spice-mix that's reminiscent of chai.

Theirs:
4 cups powdered milk
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3/4 cups powdered creamer (flavored creamers are wonderful for this!)
3/4 cups baking cocoa powder

Mama's:
(note... if you're making this for a family, DOUBLE it!)
2 cups powdered soy/rice milk
3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. each: cardamom, cinnamon & ginger

With both mixes, simply stir ingredients together until uniform in color and store in airtight containers. We like to keep a pretty glass jar on the counter, but make up a BIG batch and store the rest in a baggie in the freezer... for quick refills. This goes very fast, with or without marshmallows and is a nice wakeup treat for frosty mornings & sleepy brains.

It may be cold outside, but at least we can stay warm on the inside!