Here’s a perfect little gift you can give to those on your list, just be sure to make one for yourself! 
I’d seen recipes for homemade hot chocolate a few times, but hadn’t ever tried them out. When I came across this recipe for homemade peppermint hot chocolate, I was sold!
I found the little paint cans at my bulk food store and thought they were the perfect way to see the layers and a fun little present.
The recipe calls for 1 cup of each powdered milk, cocoa and sugar; my little pail wouldn’t fit that so I cut it down to 3/4 cup of each. If you need to adjust the measurements, just be sure to keep the 1:1:1 ratio. I also adjusted the amount of chocolate chips and candy canes from the original recipe to fit in the pail.
My peppermint hot chocolate pails contain:
- 3/4 cup non-instant skim powdered milk (the original recipe doesn’t specify; I had never used powdered milk before and took a gamble on choosing this one. Also available at my bulk store was non-instant whole powdered milk and instant skim)
- 3/4 cup 100% pure cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup sugar (I’m guessing you could use a sugar substitute, but haven’t tried it; this is meant to be a little treat)
- 1/3 cup of mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup crushed candy canes (I pulsed them in my little food chopper)
Layer them all in your container; the mouth of the little pail isn’t very wide, so I didn’t have anything to tap the layers down.
Include these directions:
Mix all ingredients (if you can choose a container that has a bit of room at the top, your recipient can just mix it with a spoon to combine- if not, they may have to dump it into a bowl to mix)
Add 1/3 cup cocoa mix to 1 cup boiling water or hot milk.
I usually make my hot chocolate with half water, half milk. If it’s an extra special occasion, I’ll use chocolate milk (highly recommended).
I made some mix for me, but had run out of candy canes so I added a drop or two of peppermint extract, and it was delish!
I love a good hot chocolate, and this is by far better than the instant kind you buy at the grocery store. It’s rich and chocolatey, and I didn’t find it too sweet. A gourmet hot chocolate made by you!
Happy gifting!
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