Recipes

[Beebee2]

I made hot cocoa from scratch for years, using great ingredients. But then Land o' Lakes cocoa packets came to my attention and I've yet to taste any better cocoa, except the very expensive results using Williams' Sonoma chocolate and recipe. That is for special occasions only at our house. But, this recipe came by email today from America's Test Kitchens and I'll give it a try because it sounds so yummy; maybe, if I'm lucky, it will be great like the Land o' Lakes cocoa.

Best-Ever Hot Cocoa Mix

Forget about the watery hot cocoa with dehydrated marshmallows you sipped as a kid. Our “instant” hot cocoa recipe is creamy, rich, and big on chocolate flavor.

Test Kitchen Discoveries:

Nonfat dry milk adds a sweet dairy flavor to the cocoa, especially if you reconstitute the mix with hot milk instead of hot water.

Confectioners’ sugar works best in this recipe. It dissolves quickly and the cornstarch (an ingredient manufacturers add to the sugar to prevent clumping) helps thicken the cocoa.

White chocolate provided our cocoa with a soft, creamy texture and pushes the chocolate flavor to new heights.

Best-Ever Hot Cocoa Mix

Makes about 20 servings

3 c nonfat dry milk
2 c confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 c Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 1/2 c white chocolate chips
1/4 t salt

Combine ingredients in large bowl. Working in two batches, pulse ingredients in food processor until chocolate is finely ground. Store in airtight container for up to 3 months. To make hot cocoa, stir 1/3 cup of this mix into 1 cup of hot milk. Top with whipped cream or mini marshmallows.