My Old Fashioned Cocoa from Scratch

    My family just loves the rich flavor of old-fashioned cocoa made from scratch.  Scratch means you start with basic ingredients, and go from there.  I love it because I always have the ingredients on hand.  My kids have the memory of Momma over the stove stirring the cocoa.  They came running when they heard the sound the whisk makes in the pan.

    Here’s how I make mine.  All you need is Hershey’s cocoa, sugar, milk and a bit of water.

Old Fashioned Cocoa from Scratch

1/2 cup Hershey’s cocoa
1 cup of white sugar
1/3 cup of cold water
Enough milk to fill 3 quart saucepan (I prefer whole milk.)

Combine 1/2 cup Hershey’s cocoa and 1 cup of white sugar in a three quart saucepan using a wire whisk. I do this while the cocoa and sugar are still dry, so that the cocoa will mix in nice and smooth without a bunch of lumps.

Add about 1/3 cup of cold water and mix until smooth. Bring to a boil and continue to boil it for about a minute, stirring constantly. Don’t worry if it sticks to the sides, it’ll melt back into the cocoa as it heats up.

Fill the pan with milk, It'll be a little more than a half a gallon of milk.  Stir and heat on medium heat. If you need to walk away from it, just turn it on the lowest heat. I check to see if it’s hot enough by dropping in a miniature marshmallow. It’s ready when the marshmallow just starts to melt. I offer extra milk to my little ones to cool it if they want it.

This is so easy, we can make it any time we want it. Read aloud time was one of our favorite times to enjoy Old-Fashioned Cocoa.

I miss serving cocoa to my littles. They're all grown up now; but sometimes, one or two will come by, and out comes the cocoa pot!

Happy Christmas!

Laura