You should have seen me when I found these adorable tiny mason jars on my last trip to Target. There was an audible squee. Not my shining moment, if anyone witnessed it, but I had to have them. I knew exactly what I wanted to stuff them with. Christmas is coming and we give a lot of edible gifts, so I knew a homemade hot cocoa mix would be perfect! I gave it a spin for the holidays and modified my hot cocoa mix to add a peppermint flavor. This size is perfect for a travel mug or extra large mug (you know, a real mug of cocoa). Gifts in jars are always popular, and this tiny size is is perfect to add to gift baskets or to give along with a gift card. Especially if your friend is as much of a mason jar fan as I am. You might get an audible squee by giving this gift, too. So it’s also instant entertainment. Ahem.
Even my husband loved how these came together and wants me to make up a few more for some of his co-workers. If I can find more, I might just buy them out, because they’re so perfect. But enough about the adorable jars, let me share this equally awesome recipe for homemade hot cocoa. Fair warning: I am not claiming it’s a healthy recipe. This is total indulgence. Oh, you’re welcome.
- 3 Tbsp. Nonfat Dry Milk
- 3 Tbsp. Peppermint flavor dry coffee creamer
- 3 Tbsp. Sugar
- 2 Tbsp. Cocoa Powder
- 2 Candy Canes
- ¼ c. miniature marshmallows (approximately)
- Note: This recipe makes up 2 jars. If you don't have two friends, then obviously you should enjoy one of the servings yourself. Teehee.
- Stir the powder ingredients (everything but the candy canes and marshmallows) together, and then blend in a food processor, spice grinder, or in my case, coffee grinder to give it a nice, powdery consistency. It's not a necessary step, but powdered milk looks a bit grainy and it's not all that appetizing. Since this is designed to be shared as a gift, It will go a long way toward appearances.
- Crush the candy canes finely. I find it works best to enclose them in a zipper baggie, and then bang on them with whatever utensil I have handy, like a spoon.
- Even though we added 11 Tbsp. of ingredients, grinding them to a powder will have reduced them. I generally have 8 Tbsp. of mix. If you have more or less, it's not the volume that matters - just split it evenly between your two portions.
- Here's how I layer mine: 2 Tbsp. cocoa mix, 1 crushed candy cane, 2 more Tbsp. mix, top with mini marshmallows until full. These are 6-oz. jars. If you are using smaller or larger jars, you'll have to make adjustments to your layers.
Tip: if you can’t find these exact jars, don’t panic. Often, you can find 4-oz spice jars out there. Try World Market, or even your dollar store. If all else fails, there’s always Amazon (and note these are affiliate links) – you can try any of these:
But of course, they’re not quite complete without a little tag and a bit of baker’s twine, so please feel free to use this printable! I sized these to 1.5 inches and cut them out of cardstock, but depending on the shape and size of your jar, You may want to adjust that. Also, if you add more or less than 4 Tbsp. of mix to your jars, you’ll want to adjust the measurement here – it’s 4 oz. of piping hot water for each Tbsp. of mix.
I hope you have fun with this idea and be sure to come back and let me know if you use it, and how you gifted it! (Even if it’s just to yourself on a chilly day, haha!)
We love peppermint hot chocolate. My husband loves Starbucks version, but this will be so much cheaper. And it’s a great gift idea.
Wanted to let you know that the affiliate links don’t show up.
I love your idea and can’t wait to try making them for gifts!
Mmm! My favorite flavor! I may have to gift this to myself.
What a great gift idea! Thanks for sharing.
What a wonderfully delicious sounding gift. I have done gifts in jars in the past and think this would be a wonderful change for this year. Of course, I may just have to make up some for my hubby as well. I would love if you would stop by and share your recipe with my weekly recipe linky, Kids and a Mom in the Kitchen.
Have a great evening.
I guess I can’t leave my link. If you would like to stop by, the linky is open all week.
This is such a great way to give this gift….beautiful presentation!