Gourmet Hot Chocolate Mix Recipe (2024)

Want a reliable, or even gourmet hot chocolate mix when you’re short on time that doesn’t suffer in quality? Give this one a try!

My sister asked me for a hot chocolate mix recipe a few years back. So I gave her a recipe I had never tried from a reliable source. Shortly after, I got excited and made it for myself. I threw it all away after my first try.

So this year when she asked for a new recipe, I decided to try making my own out of the ingredients I actually use when I make hot chocolate. No dried milk, white chocolate, or cornstarch….no sir! Keep it simple with high quality chocolate, both bits and powder, sugar, and vanilla, straight from the bean.

For the chocolate morsels, you can go with Ghirardelli or Guittard for a nice quality option at not a crazy price, and you can usually find these in any grocery store. If you are wanting to go a little bit more gourmet, try Scharffen Bergerchocolate chunks (hit and miss in grocers), or if you are all out gourmet, Amano is always a fav (must order online).

For the cocoa powder, you can go dutch-processed or natural. Dutch-processed is alkalized. This process takes out a bit of the bitterness and produces a rich and intense chocolate flavor, so some prefer it for that, and it can be a bit better for mixing into drinks and baking. However, either is fine. We just use a little less powder if going natural unsweetened cocoa powderto take the edge off.

If goingdutch-processed cocoa powder (alkalized), we love using Valrhona brand. For straight up natural cocoa powder, Scharffen Berger is a great option. And, just so you know, the quality of your chocolate does matter, a ton! Although I’m not the biggest fan of Hershey’s, if you do want to go that route (especially since it’s the most common and easy to find in a grocery store), try their Hershey’s Special Dark Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder.

Phew! That’s a lot of recommendations, and honestly, you might have trouble finding some in your normal grocery store. Here’s a quick summary again, and you can pretty much find all of these on Amazon.

• Vanilla Bean –Madagascar, Grade A
• Chocolate Morsels – Ghirardelli, Guittard, Scharffen Berger, or Amano
• Cocoa Powder – Valrhona(dutch-processed/alkalized),Scharffen Berger(natural unsweetened), or Hershey’s Special Dark (dutch-processed)

We are doing edible-gifts-in-a-jar series over the next few days and ending with a great round-up from our blog and some other blogger friends! Gifts in a jar are a great way to spread Christmas cheer to friends and family without breaking the bank. And really, if you find the right ideas, it doesn’t have to take a lot of time to make them either. Thishot chocolate mix isa sure winner for any chocolate lover!

ARE YOU A CHOCOLATE LOVER? ARE YOU A DARK OR MILK KINDA PERSON? WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE BRAND? LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW AND LET US KNOW!