Dark Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix ~ ~ Secret Recipe Club!

What would Christmas and winter be without a hot, frothy mug of hot chocolate to warm us up inside!  I just cannot imagine it!  Growing up in the cold Midwest, we always enjoyed hot chocolate after being outside sledding, building snowmen, or snow forts to protect us in snow ball fights!  As a child, that frigid cold didn't' seem to bother me at all.  It was just normal winter weather!  But even now, as a warmer weather lover adult in the South, I still savor quiet moments by a crackling fire with a mug of this liquid chocolate love!

For this month's Secret Recipe Club, my 'secret' blog is from a young aspiring cook, Casey, who is in high school and enjoys cooking and team sports (lucky girl to work off the calories from all of her yummy creations on her blog).  Casey's food love can be found on her blog, Beautiful Disasters where I found this delicious recipe reminiscent of the blend that I grew up with (and even took to college to heat up in my dorm room):   Dark Chocolate Hot Chocolate Mix!  The biggest difference between Casey's recipe and my family's is that Casey's is more up to date with a focus on DARK chocolate and not milk chocolate.  I guess that eases up the guilt a bit since dark choco is better for our health!  Casey's recipe also includes chocolate chips for that extra cocoa blast!   Mmmm!

This hot cocoa recipe is also great because you can make it in a batch that you can always come back for more when you want to and it is ready to mix right there and then!  Easy, the way I like things in the kitchen!

I hope that everyone is having a blessed Christmas and holiday season!
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Dark Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix

1 cup cocoa powder (half Ghiradelli‘s unsweetened cocoa and half  Hershey’s Special Dark)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup powdered milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Mix all of the ingredients except for the whipped cream in a medium bowl.
Place mix into a jar or airtight container to store.
When making hot chocolate, microwave a mug of water for about 60 - 70 seconds (until hot-desired drinking temperature).
Add about 3 tablespoons of hot chocolate mix, or to taste.
Garnish with whipped cream of course and whatever other goodies you like on top!


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