Homemade Cocoa Mix

We've adapted the "Hot Cocoa Mix" from HillbillyHousewife.com, and it is delicious, and handy to have this time of year.

The directions call for whisking together everything in a bowl, but I find my method dissolves much easier.

What you will need:

• 4 cups instant milk
• 2 cups of sugar (I also make a version for Hubby with Splenda...)
• 1 cup powdered creamer
• 1 cup cocoa powder (the kind used in baking)
• 1 box INSTANT vanilla pudding. It provides great flavor, and it has an additive that makes your mix dissolve easier. (I use a sugar-free box for Hubby's Splenda mix...)

First, dump 2 cups of the milk, and 1 cup of the sugar into a food processor. Whirl and pulse until the milk is very fine. This helps in the mix dissolving, and makes the dry mix look really nice. Gift-giving nice! Dump this first batch into a large mixing bowl, and repeat with the second half of the milk and sugar. If you have a large enough food processor, you can do it all at once...but I have a large one & I still cannot. Whisk in the rest of the ingredients. Then whisk longer. Make sure it is mixed VERY, very well.

Store in a cool, dry place, preferably in an airtight container. I store part of mine in an empty creamer container for easy use, then refill from my airtight one. =-)

To use, a plop a couple big,. heaping spoonfuls into a mug and add boiling water. It is probably about 1/4 cup mix. The original recipe says to use 1/3, but my mix is finer. I also like a spoonful or two in a cup of coffee, YUM!