One of our favorite things to do is make homemade gifts in a jar and this Homemade Hot Chocolate In A Jar does NOT disappoint. This homemade and thoughtful gift of Hot Chocolate Mix in a jar is so incredibly easy to make and it’s a gift that just about anybody loves to receive.
You only need 5 minutes of time and a handful of ingredients to make this Hot Cocoa Jar Gift this holiday season. And if you don’t have anybody that would appreciate this Mason Jar Gift, then make a big batch of it and jar it up to store for you and your family for later.
This is the perfect thing to do when times are slower in the kitchen and you can have DIY Hot Cocoa Mix ready to go for when the kids want a tasty treat, a winter storm comes through and it’s cold out or you just have a taste for something chocolate! We know how that is.
While you can always whip these Hot Chocolate Mason Jars up at Christmastime for Christmas gifts, we always recommend making a few extra to have on hand because you never know when you need a last minute gift on the fly.
See, that’s the beauty of Mason Jar Gifts, they’re appropriate for almost everyone and they’re great to give all throughout the year.
If you need some more Mason Jar Gift Ideas, we sure have a few for you. Check out some of our favorite edible gifts in a jar, like Holiday Sangria, Apple Pie Filling (to make the best apple pies with- or just eat by itself!), Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce, Instant Pot Pumpkin Butter, Pumpkin Spice Syrup, Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice and Fall Potpourri in a jar.
These are just some of the fun and festive fall and winter gifts in a jar to give to friends and family. But this Hot Cocoa Kit is one of our favorite DIY gifts in a jar ideas.
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Why You’ll LOVE This Hot Chocolate Mason Jar Gift
- Only takes 5 minutes of time to make the mix and a few more to decorate it up and add your tags
- Super simple gift in a jar idea, we mean, who doesn’t love homemade hot chocolate mix?!
- Great present for those who are hard to buy for
- Perfect to have stocked away for when that first winter storm hits during the winter months
- Doesn’t have all the fillers and additives you find in storebought brands, only uses simple ingredients
- Makes the perfect Hot Chocolate Latte
In our eyes, gifts that someone has taken the time to make means just a little more than ones that can be easily bought (not to discount those either)l.p
Who Needs A Hot Chocolate Jar
- Thanksgiving or Christmas gift for neighborhood friends
- Welcome to the Neighborhood gifts
- Family members and friends who love chocolate
- Family members or friends who are HARD to buy gifts for
- Your kids to watch with Christmas movies- like Polar Express
- College students (friends or family)
- Newlyweds (as a shower gift, wedding gift or congrats to the new couple gifts)
- New home owners in the family
- Busy families with little kids
- Teachers as a thank you gift
- Nurses or health care workers as a thank you gift after a hospital stay, surgery, treatment, etc
- YOU– because, you deserve it
Hot Chocolate In A Jar Ingredients
- Baking Cocoa or Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- Cornstarch
- Powdered Sugar
- Salt
- Nonfat Powdered Milk – dry milk is great to use in these kinds of hot chocolate recipe
- Mini Marshmallows
Hot Chocolate Mix In A Jar Tools
Mixing Bowl
- SIZED FOR EVERY TASK - With A range of 6 Sizes—¾, 1.5, 3, 4, 5, and 8 quart—metal mixing bowls add versatility and functionality to your kitchen. For all-purpose kitchen workhorses from prepping, mixing, stirring, to kneading dough like a pro
Wooden Spoon
- ESSENTIAL TOOL: great for basting roasts, spooning out sauces and jus, and stirring soups, sauces, and stews
Mason Jars for Storing
- 9-Count Ball Wide Mouth 1-½ Pint (24 oz.) Glass Mason Jars, Lids and Bands included.
Tablespoon
How To Make A Hot Cocoa Jar Gift
- Add all your ingredients to your mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon, mix it all together until you no longer see anything white.
- Pour into and store in Mason Jars.
- Alternatively, you can layer your ingredients and mix together later.
Recipe Variations
- Sub out the water– Instead of mixing the chocolate mix with hot water, the best way to make this is to use hot milk to make it extra smooth and creamy.
- Add toppings– Add crushed peppermint candy to your hot chocolate once you’ve mixed the mix and water for a fun, minty flavor.
- Layer ingredients– If giving as a gift, you can layer each of these ingredients in the jar to make it look extra special. Make sure to mention on your instruction tag to mix everything together first before using.
- Cocoa powder– this recipe makes milk chocolate version, but you can make the white chocolate or dark chocolate version.
Tips And Tricks
- Store your mix in a cool, dry area in an air tight container. Ideally, 65-70F with a 55% humidity range or less. This will help your mix last longer.
- Add a layer of homemade marshmallows to your layered hot cocoa mixes.
- These would be fun to make or buy those chocolate covered spoons with and then tie them to the jar to add to your homemade Hot Chocolate Mason Jar Gift ideas.
- You could also add candy canes to the outside of the jar for the perfect little gift. Or crush them up and add a peppermint layer to your delicious hot chocolate.
- Giving this drink mix in a jar with a cute mug is always a great gift addition.
- Includes (1) box of 5 milk chocolate spoons
- CREATIVE GIFT IDEA: Indulge your Friends for Christmas Gift and send your expression of love! Perfect gift for Woman, Man friends, Wife, Husband , partner and your Family.
How Many Cups Of Hot Chocolate Does This Make?
This recipe makes 6 CUPS of Hot Cocoa Mix. You only need 2-3 Tablespoons per cup of Hot Chocolate, so this makes a TON of hot cocoa powder.
16 Tablespoons in a cup and we have 6 cups of mix, which makes 96 Tablespoons. Then you need 2-3 Tablespoons, so this makes 32-48 cups of Hot Chocolate from one batch of Hot Choco Mix.
How To Store Hot Chocolate Mix?
Well, we’re going to go with the obvious here. Store your homemade DIY Hot Cocoa mix in your Mason Jars!
You can use various sizes of jars to be able to make whatever amount you need when that cold day strikes.
You could store the 6 cups of mix, or 48 oz of mix in 2 – 24oz. (Pint and a Half) Jars. Or you could use 3 – 16 oz Pint Jars or 6 – 8 ounce Half Pint Jars. Or a combo of any of those or other sizes you have available.
- 9-Count Ball Wide Mouth 1-½ Pint (24 oz.) Glass Mason Jars, Lids and Bands included.
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How Long Does DIY Hot Cocoa Mix Last?
This is especially important to know if you’re making these as hot chocolate gifts. The ingredients used to make your drink mix tend to have a long pantry shelf life.
Once you’ve made your mix and stored it in your airtight container, you can store in the pantry easily for 6-12 months or even longer.
Generally if your prepared jars of cocoa mix look the same as when you made it, still has the same coloring it’s still good. If you notice that it is starting to discolor toss it.
Also if you see that it is starting to clump, it is absorbing moisture somehow and is no longer good.
If you taste your drink and it has an off taste, that means it’s bad, toss it and get or make new mix.
How Long Is Hot Chocolate Drink Good For?
Once you’ve used your mix to make your hot chocolate, if you have leftovers and want to keep it, you can store the liquid drink in a Mason Jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
We recommend adding a splash of Homemade Baileys if you’re in the mood for a spiked Hot Chocolate 🙂 YUM!
How Can You Tell If Cocoa Powder Has Gone Bad?
If you’re worried that your cocoa powder has gone bad, all you have to do is take a whiff. If it has an off putting smell, chuck it. If it no longer smells like chocolate toss it.
If it still smells normal and like chocolate, it should be good.
How To Make This Mason Jar Gift
Once you’ve made your mix and added it to jar, you can grab your Made with Love sticker and add it to the lid.
Add your Hot Cocoa Mix Directions Label. Ours is available here (FREE).
Grab a pretty ribbon or decorative string and tie your To and From Tag for your recipient.
Other Recipes And Gifts In A Jar That People LOVE
- Dry Soup Mixes | We loved the idea of having Mason Jar dry soup mixes in a cute jar and ready to go and apparently, you guys did too!
- Easy Cookie Mixes | Here are some of our favorite cookie mixes in a jar that are fun and easy to make for friends and family. (Some of our favorite ones are coming to the site too- like chocolate chip cookies and then fun things like muffin mixes, bread mixes, etc)
- Just add water soups– These have been an absolute HIT with y’all, let us tell you! These just add water soup meals are perfect for all the same people you’d give these hot chocolate jars to.
- Dry Spices and Blends in a Jar | This is one that trends on Pinterest all throughout the year. Y’all love making your own seasonings and spices!
We will be sharing some of our favorite Hot Chocolate Bomb recipes using this DIY cocoa mix! Get ready for Snowman Hot Chocolate Bombs, Frozen Hot Chocolate Bombs and Reindeer Hot Chocolate Bombs (more to come as well)
Hot Chocolate Mix in a Jar
Ingredients
- 1 cup of baking Cocoa
- 2 teaspoons of Cornstarch
- 2 ½ cups of Powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon of Salt
- 2 ½ cups of nonfat powdered milk
- 1 cup of mini marshmallows
Instructions
- Add all your ingredients to your mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon, mix it all together until you no longer see anything white.
- Pour into and store in Mason Jars.
- Alternatively, you can layer your ingredients and mix together later.
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Keep On Sippin’ On Something Sweet
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