Hot Chocolate Mix Farm Style

Hot Chocolate Mix:

I love hot chocolate, especially mixed with coffee, for a home made mocha. I wanted a mix that was free from the additives in most commercial mixes and did a recipe search online. I started with a recipe from Alton Brown. It was overly sweet, so I did some tweaking and came up with my personal Farm Style recipe.

This is a grown up hot chocolate. It has a rich, complex flavor and is just sweet enough without being overpowering. I recommend trying different types of powdered milk til you find your favorite. I personally like buttermilk powder the best, it provides a slightly acidic flavor that complements the cocoa nicely.

Ingredients:

3 cups Powdered Buttermilk (Whole or fat-free powdered milk may be substituted)
1 1/2 cups Cocoa Powder
1 cup Turbinado Sugar
2 tsp Corn Starch
1/2 tsp Salt (may omit)
1/4 tsp Cayenne Powder

Mix all ingredients together until completed combined. Store in an airtight container.

Place 3 or 4 Tablespoons into a mug. Pour in hot milk, hot water or coffee. Mix well and enjoy!

Powdered milk options include non-fat or fat free, whole milk, and buttermilk. Non fat comes in instant (which dissolves quicker) and regular, it has a longer shelf life because it doesn't contain fat. Whole milk makes a more filling cup. I really like the flavor that powdered buttermilk adds to the mix.

Turbinado sugar is widely available under the brand name "sugar in the raw." It is a less processed sugar and still contains the molasses that is removed in refined sugar, providing a more complex flavor. The crystals are larger and may take a bit more stirring to fully dissolve. Regular or powdered sugar may be used instead.