Hot Cocoa and Vanilla Sugar

Fall must be in the air just a bit around here because my eldest child has been asking me to make him cocoa for breakfast every morning. He likes to have a hot drink in the mornings just like his mommy and he often refers to his cocoa as his coffee. Cute. I hate the commercial cocoa mixes. Every time I hear about a food recall or read a book like Mad Cowboy or The Omnivore's Dilemma I trust the items in the grocery store less and less. Today I searched for a recipe to make our own cocoa mix and found a nice one from Alton Brown. I have tweaked it just a bit based on the ingredients we had in the house and also to suit our tastes. It turned out well!

Hot Cocoa Mix:
2 C sugar
1 C cocoa powder
2 1/2 C nonfat dried milk (I wonder what I could use as a vegan alternative to this that doesn't involve a product like Coffee Mate)
1 t sea salt
2 t cornstarch
1/2 vanilla bean

Mix all ingredients except vanilla bean in a bowl and stir with a whisk until not lumpy and thoroughly combined. Transfer to an airtight jar and nestle the vanilla bean down into the mix so it is buried. Over time the vanilla flavor will become stronger. To make the cocoa fill half of your mug with the mix and half with boiling water.

Several years ago I was in a fancy food store and bought a jar of Vanilla Sugar for $11. At the time I thought it was the greatest discovery and used it in everything from cinnamon toast to banana bread. However, the hefty price tag made me just a little cautious. Until it occured to me that I could make my own. I know you may be reading this and thinking "Duh!" but it was a great discovery for me. Now I just refill my little jar with organic sugar and every year I replace the vanilla bean. What a bargain! If you haven't tried this, I urge you to do so. It makes the best cinnamon toast (along side a mug of hot cocoa perhaps?) and gives your french toast a lovely crispy crust.

To make it:

1 mason jar full of large crystal sugar such as the Vegan sugar you can buy from Whole Foods
1 vanilla bean (they are a bargain at Costco) snipped into thirds

Shake it all up and store for at least a few weeks before you use it so the vanilla flavor gets into the sugar.

Not to get ahead of myself but these would both make lovely homemade Christmas gifts. Something easy to make with your kids that anyone would enjoy. Just saying.