Mexican Hot Chocolate Mix

Ever have one of those panic moments when you need a quick present for a neighbor or as an unexpected Hostess Gift?  A simple hot chocolate mix perfectly fits the bill.  With the popularity of our Peppermint Hot Chocolate Mix, Liv has put together a new version, the ever popular Mexican Hot Chocolate Mix.

Arriving home one afternoon, I found my girl in the midst of plundering our pantry and unwrapping an Ibarra Chocolate disc.  Wrapped in an attractive, bright yellow wrapper, the packaging is indeed eye catching, though the chocolate inside is not the usual candy bar version.  With ingredients including undissolved sugar, the discs provide a bit of a gritty texture, and the cinnamon flavor can be somewhat unexpected if you don't know it's there.  Not really meant to be eaten out of hand (though you most certainly can if you want to), Ibarra is best used in Hot Cocoa.

Our experience has found that brown sugar adds a nice richness to the mix, and an additional touch of cinnamon warms the body just that much more.  Layered into a cute jar, tied with a ribbon and sent with a quick note of directions, you will have your hostess gift put together in a flash, or... a Mexican Hot Chocolate Mix ready for a cold, rainy afternoon all for you.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Mix
Our recipe is meant for about 3 hot cocoa servings, however you can scale your recipe as desired using this handy Recipe Scaling Calculator.

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup brown sugar
pinch salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
3 Tbs chopped Mexican Chocolate such as Ibarra

Layer ingredients into a jar, top with marshmallows if desired (Liv loved them, I didn't...).  Attach a cute card with a description and directions, and tie with a ribbon.  

Directions:  Heat 3 cups milk in a saucepan until small bubbles appear on the sides, reduce heat and add contents of jar.  Stir until dissolved.  Serve with additional marshmallows or whipped cream if desired.

Bomb!