Over the summer, we were down to the details in the planning of Kelly & Gilbert’s September wedding. They wanted every aspect of the ceremony & reception to be a reflection of their heritages, personalities, tastes & style. And it was. One of the details we were working on was the wedding reception favor.  Many ideas were considered. And rejected. Gilbert eventually prevailed and got his choice for the favor.

Kelly & Gilbert called their mix ComMINTment Cocoa.

Gilbert is a big hot chocolate fan. He really wanted a specialty cocoa mix for the favor. And I really wanted to make and package it for the wedding. June & July really aren’t hot chocolate drinking weather, but that was when I was experimenting with mixes & Kelly & Gilbert were taste testing hot chocolate. Gilbert is partial to having his hot chocolate with a shot of peppermint schnapps in it. But that wasn’t feasible for the wedding favor. Instead, I added peppermint flavor to make this minty mix.

Mint Hot Cocoa Mix
Makes enough for 20 servings (about 5 cups of mix)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 10 teaspoons mint extract
• 1/2 cup baking cocoa Hershey’s
• 2 cups dry milk
• 1/2 cup non-dairy coffee creamer

Directions:

Combine the sugar and mint extract in the large bowl of an electric mixer. Using the whisk attachment, combine the extract & sugar until it is crumbly. Spread the sugar out on a rimmed baking sheet, cover it with paper towels and allow it to sit out overnight to evaporate the liquid.

The mint sugar needs to dry out before it can be combined with the other ingredients.

The next day, break up the mint sugar and put it into a food processor. Process until the sugar is in granular form again.

Process the sugar to return it to a granular form.

Add the rest of the ingredients to the processor and process until it is well combined. Store the mix in an air-tight container in a cool, dry place.

The mix can be stored in the pantry.

To serve, mix a heaping 1/4 cup of the cocoa into 6 to 8 ounces of very hot water. Top with whipped cream or mini-marshmallows. 4 heaping cups of the mix makes a gallon of hot chocolate.

This hits the spot on cold days!   ~Linda

Mint Hot Cocoa Mix
Makes enough for 20 servings (about 5 cups of mix)

Ingredients:

•  2 cups sugar
• 10 teaspoons mint extract
• 1/2 cup baking cocoa Hershey’s
• 2 cups dry milk
• 1/2 cup non-dairy coffee creamer

Directions:

Combine the sugar and mint extract in the large bowl of an electric mixer. Using the whisk attachment, combine the extract & sugar until it is crumbly. Spread the sugar out on a rimmed baking sheet, cover it with paper towels and allow it to sit out overnight to evaporate the liquid.

The next day, break up the mint sugar and put it into a food processor. Process until the sugar is in granular form again. Add the rest of the ingredients to the processor and process until it is well combined. Store the mix in an air-tight container in a cool, dry place.

To serve, mix a heaping 1/4 cup of the cocoa into 6 to 8 ounces of very hot water. Top with whipped cream or mini-marshmallows. 4 heaping cups of the mix makes a gallon of hot chocolate.