Mexican and Peppermint Stick Cocoa Mixes

A few years ago I was at my parents’ house around Christmas time and got to looking through my mom’s Sunset magazine. They had all these crazy Christmas ideas, most of which I couldn’t possibly put together, but then there was this page on making your own cocoa mixes. They just looked so pretty and like something I could actually do. I did a couple and then forgot about it until this year. I still had a bunch of jars left over from my first round and I think they came out even better this time. I do a half size version of this as my jars are too small for the full one. The full version, listed here, makes 1 quart or 12 servings.

I held off on posting these because I knew I was giving a few to at least one of my readers (aka friends) and didn’t want to ruin the surprise.

Mexican Cocoa and Peppermint Stick Cocoa Mixes from Sunset Magazine (Dec. 2004):

For both mixes-
Unsweetened cocoa powder
Powdered milk
Salt

For Mexican cocoa mix-
Brown sugar
Ground cinnamon
Mexican chocolate (such as Ibarra)
Cinnamon sticks

For Peppermint Stick cocoa mix-
Granulated sugar
Miniature chocolate chips
Peppermint candy (or candy canes)





To make the Mexican cocoa mix, layer 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 cup powdered milk, 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar, 1 tablespoon each salt and ground cinnamon, and ¾ cup chopped Mexican chocolate. Add a few cinnamon sticks to top of jar. Ibarra chops fairly well, but can be a little messy as it flakes. Mexican chocolate is so delicious and different from other chocolates.

To make the Peppermint Stick cocoa mix, layer 1 cup powdered milk, 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon salt, ½ cup miniature chocolate chips, and ½ cup crushed peppermint candy. It looks really cool if you put half of the mini chocolate chips under the granulated sugar and the other half over it. To crush the peppermint candy canes, I broke them up and use my mini prep food processor. You can also wrap a rolling pin in plastic wrap or place the candy in a bag and crush with a mallet. You can use this technique for crushing the candies for chocolate peppermint ice cream.



They look so pretty! And they taste good too. I hope all my friends like them! According to Carrina, they’re both awesome.