DIY Hot Chocolate Mix Gift Idea: make your own hot chocolate mix, easy recipe, perfect to make with kids, great for inexpensive holiday gifts.
During the holiday season I'm always looking for fun and easy DIY gift ideas, and this homemade hot chocolate mix is perfect. It's really easy to put together, and would be a great one to do with kids.
When it's cold outside everyone loves a cup of hot chocolate and our hot chocolate mix recipe makes it easy for you to make your own, and package it up to give as Christmas gifts.
Hot Chocolate Mix Ingredients
This mix uses all dry ingredients, so it's easy to put together. To make the hot chocolate with the mix, you combine ¼ cup of the finished mix with 1 cup of boiling water. Alternatively, to make the hot chocolate extra creamy, you could add a cup of hot milk. Another option is to try making with warm coconut milk.
Our recipes used dry milk powder, unsweetened cocoa, dairy free creamer, powdered sugar, and a little salt. It's a really easy recipe. You can make this by simply mixing the ingredients together, but you can also combine them in the bowl of a food processor , and use this to mix it really well, and remove any lumps.
It is important to use unsweetened cocoa powder and not hot chocolate mix in this recipe. And the quality of the cocoa for this recipe matters too. Look for a dutch processed dark cocoa powder for best results, and a rich chocolatey hot chocolate. Not all hot chocolate mix recipes include non-dairy creamer, but we felt the addition of the powdered creamer leads to a creamer, slightly thicker hot chocolate, which is really delicious. We also added just a little bit of salt. It doesn't make the finished product salty at all, it just helps wake up all the other flavours.
I love that this recipe uses ingredients found easily in grocery stores, or you might even have them in your pantry. This dry mix has a long shelf life, and will last for months, so feel free to double or triple it for a big batch, perfect for lots of gift giving.
Packaging Ideas
Once you have your hot chocolate mix all put together, it's fun to package the dry mix up as the perfect gift. Homemade gifts are always a great idea, especially around the holidays.
To get the hot cocoa mix ready for a holiday gift, package it up in any airtight container. I love using vintage mason jars, a pint jar, or a mason jar with the flip lid, but any jar will do.
You might even up-cycle a glass jar and use something like an old jam jar. Just make sure it's nice and clean. Then add in your mix and seal it up, ready for gift giving. We've decorated ours with some twine and yarn, ribbon would be lovely too.
I've added a little extra to my jars, by attaching homemade marshmallows. You could also tie a cinnamon stick, or candy canes to the front of your jars.
Check out the recipe for these Homemade Marshmallow Mug Toppers recipe here. These are the perfect addition to the DIY hot chocolate mix for gift giving, or just enjoying yourself.
If you like, you can leave a little room at the top of the jar, and add in some special ingredients to the top, like semi-sweet chocolate chips, dark chocolate pieces, white chocolate chips, crushed up peppermint candy, caramel candies, or mini marshmallows. Just add them to the top of your homemade mix .
Another nice option for gift giving is to package the homemade cocoa mix in a cellophane bag or small plastic bag. A great gift idea is to give this with a mug, and tuck the hot chocolate mix inside for the perfect mug of hot chocolate. I love this idea to include as part of a care package all winter long too.
Be sure to include a gift tag with the instructions on how to make the hot chocolate. We used ¼ cup of hot chocolate mix with 1 cup of hot water, or warmed milk. Write the instructions on some white cardstock, or a gift tag and attach with some baker's twine.
Hot chocolate bombs have become really popular in the last few years. To make your own, use this mix in the centre of your chocolate sphere, along with some marshmallows, ready to make a perfect mug of hot cocoa.
Fun Add-Ins
If you love a flavoured hot chocolate, feel free to play with some add-ins. Looking for a Mexican hot chocolate? Try adding some cinnamon and cayenne pepper.
Love mocha? Try adding some instant espresso powder to the mix.
And there's always things extra chocolate chips, caramel sauce, or pieces of candy canes. The possibilities are almost endless.
For adults, some Baileys Irish cream would be a fun addition too.
Recipe
DIY Hot Chocolate Mix Gift
Ingredients
- 2 cups powdered milk
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup non-dairy creamer
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk together. Or combine the ingredients in the bowl of a food processer and pulse until fully combined and there's no lumps. Store in an airtight container, like a mason jar.
- To serve, combine ¼ cup of hot chocolate mix with 1 cup of boiling water, and stir. For a creamer version, use warm milk in the place of water.
Nutrition
This recipe makes the best hot chocolate, perfect for a cold night -or any time! With DIY hot chocolate mix gift ideas like this one, life really is a party!
More Ideas
You might also like our Ho Ho Ho Hot Chocolate Bar here.
Also check out our Coconut Hot Chocolate Recipe here.
You might also like our Christmas Dessert Board here.
Dannyelle says
This rich and creamy hot chocolate mix is perfect for gift giving or for enjoying yourself, and it's quick and easy to make. A great recipe to make with kids.
Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist says
This easy hot chocolate mix makes delicious and creamy hot chocolate.
Jo-Anna Rooney says
A delicious and cute gift idea Dannyelle! I love the snowflake marshmallows!
Brendt Blanks says
I love this gift idea! It looks so cute and sounds delicious.
Thank you so much for sharing the inspiration.
Cheers to a fun holiday season,
Brendt
Krista says
This is brilliant! I love the idea of homemade hot chocolate mix - so many possibilities. And those marshmallows are adorable!