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Thursday, December 23, 2010

Cocoa in a Jar

Need last minute gifts? Easy and delicious Cocoa in a Jar

From Sunset Magazine comes these four recipes and fabulous photos for Cocoa in a Jar. What better gift to give now and throughout the winter season?

Mixes will fill 1- quart jars (12 servings), but if you have different containers, keep the ratio of the ingredients constant. Layer the ingredients for homemade Cocoa in a Jar, add a ribbon and a tag, and you have great gift. For most of my 'in a Jar' gifts, I tie with raffia, but ribbon is very festive. I especially love a cinnamon stick tied into the ribbon on the Mexican Cocoa. On the back of the tag, write "Mix contents in a large bowl.  For each serving, put 1/3 cup cocoa mix in a mug and stir with one cup boiling water. Store remaining mix in airtight container."

Possible containers: 1-liter French canning jars, 1-quart cracker jars. Mason jars.

Want to create your own unique Cocoa in a Jar? Use these recipes from the Cocoa Round-Up as a starting point.

CLASSIC COCOA

Layer 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 cup powdered milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips, and 1/2 cup miniature marshmallows. Makes 1 quart mix or 12 servings hot cocoa.

MEXICAN COCOA

Layer 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 cup powdered milk, 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, and 3/4 cup chopped Mexican chocolate (such as Ibarra). Add a few cinnamon sticks to top of jar. Makes 1 quart mix or 12 servings hot cocoa.

PEPPERMINT STICK COCOA

Layer 1 cup powdered milk, 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips, and 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy. Makes 1 quart mix or 12 servings hot cocoa.

MOCHA COCOA

Layer 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup espresso powder, 1 cup powdered milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate or miniature chocolate chips. Makes 1 quart mix or 12 servings hot cocoa.


Photos by David Prince

3 comments:

The Small Boston Kitchen said...

Love this idea! I'm just catching up now on my google reader! Will keep these in mind, they'd make great gifts and are so pretty!

Janet Rudolph said...

thanks for stopping by.. love your blog!

Anonymous said...

These are so cute!... I am going to tie a small bottle of Bailey's to the side to make a more "grownup" gift