It may not be as quick as a mix, but for cheap, making cocoa from scratch is perhaps the cheapest:

per cup:

2 heaping spoonfuls of sugar
1 heaping spoonful of dry cocoa powder
1-2 t water or milk
1 scant cup of hot milk

blend sugar and cocoa in a mug, add water and mix really well with a spoon until all is dissolved; pour in hot milk and stir until well blended; top with a marshmallow or two

This came off the Hershey's cocoa can, but I'm sure you could increase the amounts to suit your number of skaters. You basically have a ratio of 1 part cocoa to 2 parts sugar. You could add a dash of salt when maker larger amounts.

Teresa

Thanks, is the Hershey's mix the one you like the best?

Arabella, I don't think it is a mix. I think Teresa is recommending starting with real cocoa powder, not a hot chocolate mix.

Moe is the one here that loves hot cocoa so I keep Fry's Cocoa and a Cadbury (British) cocoa on hand.

Ann

The Hershey's I referred to is not a mix. It is just plain Hershey's cocoa powder, the same you would use for a cake or brownies, etc. You could make your own hot chocolate mix using dried milk powder but I'm not sure if your little gourmand tough guys would go for the taste of dried milk? LOL!

Teresa

Here's what my gourmand grandchildren like....not terribly cheap...but once mixed it's very easy.
this recipe makes about 70 cups of hot chocolate drink.
1 20 cup box of dry milk powder... that size is for Carnation instant....you may use another brand but the size of the box may be different
1 1/2 sixteen oz jars of powdered instant coffee creamer
1 large can of Nestle's Quick
1 cup powdered sugar.
I like to use the french Vanilla coffee creamer

Use 1/3 cup of the powder in a cup of hot water.
I didn't have any made up this Christmas when they were here....bad Gramma!!!
Linda C

I used to make this mix when my kids were younger and I had a yard full of kids here all the time. To me it doesn't taste as good as hot chocolate made from scratch with whole milk and cocoa powder, but it tastes richer and better than Swiss Miss. I do occasionally have a teen come over who remembers it and asks for it.

Snowman Soup

14 qt box nonfat dry milk
1 lb jar coffeemate creamer
2 lb box Nestle's Quick
2 lb bag confectioners sugar
15 oz jar chocolate malted milk mix

Mix well. Use 1/3 cup to 1 cup boiling water.

This is my sister's friends' Mom's recipe it's fantastic!
Don't tell her I gave you the recipe. LOL
Mother Curtis's World Famous Hot Chocolate
Use a very large mixing bowl
1 8 quart box of powdered milk
1 16 oz container of Nestles Quick (Chocolate)
1 6 oz jar of coffee mate (Original)
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 tsp cinnamon (If you don't like cinnamon omit it)
Mix all together in large bowl.
Fill coffee mug 1/3 full of mix add boiling water.
Stir to mix well.
Important part...find your favorite chair, sip slowly and enjoy.

Linda

I'm going to try some cinnamon in my cocoa next time!

Teresa

Buy a gallon of chocolate milk and heat it up.
OR
Buy a gallon of milk and add chocolate syrup (I'm partial to Hershey's) until it tastes good. Then heat it up.

Gotach, Teresa, sorry I misunderstood. That sounds easy enough.

Thanks for all the recipes and ideas, I appreciate them.

I'm going to the store today to stock up on milk and cocoa!

AM

Here's my latest favorite, from ATK's Cook's Country. I tried it with their preferred Dutch Processed Cocoa, and some Hershey's Special cocoa *unsweetened* in my pantry. From the taste test, four of us preferred the Dutch Processed Cocoa, although the other was good too. I made a big batch of this and it's really come in handy.

Best-Ever Hot Cocoa Mix
Makes about 20 servings

3 cups nonfat dry milk
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 cups Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
1/4 teaspoon Salt

Combine ingredients in large bowl. Working in two batches, pulse ingredients in food processor until chocolate is finely ground. Store in airtight container for up to 3 months. To make hot cocoa, stir 1/3 cup of this mix into 1 cup of hot milk. Top with whipped cream or mini marshmallows.

I thought I'd mention I put the 11 ounce bag of Ghiradelli white chocolate chips in the food processor and processed them until they were finely ground for this recipe. There were so few left over from the 1-1/2 cup measure, it seemed prudent to just add the whole bag. Cook's Country recommended brand was Guittard white chocolate chips, with Ghiradelli as part of their recommended line-up.

The Dutch Processed Cocoa I got at my local Penzeys. Here's a helpful link on the differences.

Here is a link that might be useful: Different types of cocoa

I agree with Teresa that the Hershey's Cocoa hot chocolate is the way to go. I don't even think it's hard. Matter of fact I make my chocolate pudding using that recipe and just thicken it with cornstarch. I just put the dry ingredients in my old yellow Pyrex bowl so that Christy can just add the milk when she gets home and microwave it. She likes to eat it hot. [I love microwaving pudding. Much creamier] Sorry for getting OT but just saying I think that recipe is easy and if you're going to buy powdered milk and other such ingredients I think the real thing is just as cheap or cheaper. Enjoy!

Oh, just a reminder, when you go to add the liquid make sure not to add too much at first. Make a paste and then add rest of liquid slowly. I always use a whisk.

BEST: Half and half (or 50/50 whole milk and half & half) and Hershey candy bars (to taste). Heat, melt, whisk - drink immediately - suffer in silence (or not).

Easiest: Milk and chocolate syrup (to save money you can make your own chocolate syrup).

CHOCOLATE SYRUP
1 c. cocoa powder
1 t. vanilla
2 c. cold water
1/4 t. salt
2 c. sugar

Combine cocoa, sugar & salt in saucepan. Stir in water. Simmer until smooth and thick. Beat (whisk or electric hand-held mixer). Cool. Stir in vanilla. Pour into jar and cover. Refrigerate.

Cheapest: The recipe from The Tightwad Gazette:

TIGHTWAD HOT COCOA MIX
Mix 1/3 c. dry milk powder with 1 t. cocoa and 1 t. sugar. Add 1 cup of hot water. Or mix with cold water and prepare in the microwave.

I make a recipe very similar to LindaC's. This year I made Cinnamon Bun and Pumpkin Pie Spice (flavored powdered coffee creamers I got at Aldi), Gingerbread, Peppermint and Belgian Chocolate Toffee. The two from Aldi were hands-down winners. I added more cinnamon to the Cinnamon Bun, and additional Pumpkin Pie Spice to that one as well. Amaretto and Hazel Nut are also favorites.

4 c. non-fat dry instant milk powder
2 c. powdered sugar (SIFTED!!!)
2 jars (8-ounces or as close as possible)
1 jar (11-ounces) non-dairy coffee creamer
1-pound box Nestle Quick
1/2 t. salt

Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container. To use, mix 2 T. into 6-ounces of hot water.

If you would like to make two flavors, just make half the recipe in two bowls and use two different flavored powdered coffee creamers (8-ounce in each bowl).

-Grainlady

We also make the Hershey's cocoa version. I add a splash of vanilla and a big dollop of marshmallow fluff.

Good luck with the crew. You're an awesome mom!

Saucepot of whole milk, bring almost to boil. Spoon in most of a jar of the nectar of the Gods, known to mortals as Nutella. Simmer and stir milk until Nutella fully melts and dissolves. For bonus points, use an immersion blender to aerate the Nutella'd milk. This is the cat's meow in our house. Taken regularly, it will give you a truly Rubenesque figure.

Alternative, that may be just slightly less waist-inflating, is hazelnuts, heated, peeled, pulverized in food processor, low boil in whole milk for a good while, strain through cheesecloth, add sugar and cream to taste, top with frothed milk or whipped cream. Or, go a slightly different direction and make this into a custard and from thence produce hazelnut ice cream.

I use the same recipe as LindaC. It makes huge batches and is as simple to use as the packets. Keeps for a long time in a Tupperware-type container.

LOL John. That sounds really good but I think a herd of kids would break the bank in one sitting with that. I am going to suggest Christy try it next time she wants cocoa. She has some Nutella and hasn't used it lately. Thanks for the idea.

Sorry folks, but when I see a recipe with Quik AND sugar in it my teeth start to hurt. Quik (which I do drink from time to time) already has a shipload of sugar in it, it sure doesn't need any more...
I've always made hot chocolate the cocoa, sugar and milk way. To make it a little frothier, mix the cocoa and sugar with a little water and bring to the boil, simmer until it's like a syrup and add the milk, stirring constantly. Let it boil up then take off the heat to settle. Return to the heat and let it boil up again, then remove from the heat. Repeat a few times. The hot chocolate seems frothier when I make it this way :-)

Move over Hershey Bar Cocoa, you've been beat out by Nutella. Thank you johnliu - and yes it is the nectar of Gods. Oh my goodness. I'm just glad I didn't have any Hershey bars in the house so I didn't have to do a side-by-side taste test (LOL).

-Grainlady

Hey, I still have a mortgage payment to make, you know! :) These recipes do sound delicious, and I will definitely try the nutella in a small batch, that sounds lovely but a little dangerous with a housefull of kids who may or may not have nut allergies. No one seems to announce the allergy anymore, they just assume that you won't bake or cook with nuts. Which drives ME nuts!

The extra large container of quick was on sale at the store, so I picked that up and will try that first, today. I'll try a different recipe for tomorrow's pack of skaters.

I just need them settled and out of my way so that I can watch football.

AM

OMG, John, I was going to agree with Grainlady that my favorite cocoa is Hershey's Special Dark chocolate melted into milk. Preferably whole milk or half and half, and a squirt of whipped cream to top. You trumped that, though, with Nutella, I just love the stuff.

If I were going to give it to a bunch of kids, though, I'd go the cocoa/sugar/milk recipe, which is also a favorite of my kids and the one I always made. We also used this recipe when the kids were younger, and gave it to teachers in small containers at Christmas time.

Hot Cocoa Mix

10 cups nonfat dry milk (powdered)
4 3/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 3/4 cups powdered non-dairy creamer

Ccombine all ingredients. Stir till thoroughly combined. Store in an airtight container. Makes about 15 cups mix, or enough for about 45 servings.

For 1 serving, place 1/3 cup cocoa mixture in a coffee cup or mug, and add 3/4 cup boiling water. Stir to dissolve. Top with dollop of whipped cream or a few marshmallows, if desired.

This has cocoa, not Quik or a chocolate drink mix, and an inordinate amount of powdered sugar!

Annie

Heresy, I know, but as luscious as these are my family needs a low or no sugar variation. Does anyone have a T&T tasty sugar-free hot chocolate recipe mix?

Helene

blubird -

I understand you can convert Splenda to a powdered sugar replacement by mixing it in a blender for 1-minute:
* 1 cup granulated Splenda
* 1 tsp cornstarch
I'm just not sure if you would use it cup-for-cup for powdered sugar.... You might try making 1/2 or 1/4 of Annie1992's recipe and see how it works.
------------------------------------------------------
I Googled this sugar-free recipe:
* 2 cups instant non-fat dry milk
* 1/2 cup cocoa, unsweetened
* artificial sweetner to equal 1 cup (sweet n low-24 packets)
* 1/4 tsp. salt
* 3 /4 cup dry non-dairy creamer

Directions:
Mix all ingredients and store in airtight container. To make cup of hot chocolate, mix 1 /4 cup dry mix with one cup boiling water. You can add some spices like cinnamon or vanilla flavor, etc., if desired.
-------------------------------------------------------

Here's a low-glycemic chocolate syrup recipe similar to the one I posted with sugar in it above. It uses low-glycemic agave nectar, but you could also use HoneyTree's Sugar Free Imitation Honey in the recipe.

1/4 c. Hershey's Cocoa Powder
1/2 c. agave nectar (or sugar-free Imitation Honey)
1/2 c. cold water

Stir together and store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

-Grainlady

I have a hard time cooking and baking with Splenda. The texture doesn't work for me. Usually, I just use regular sugar, but cut down on the amount. I think we are used to food that is very sweet and if we can train our taste buds to expect less sweetness we will be better off.

That said, if I'm cooking for a diabetic and need to drastically cut the sugar, I use Ideal sweetener (disclaimer: I have no affiliate with the product but was introduced to it at a conference for dietitians so have used a bunch of their samples). It's pretty good, and they have a brown sugar product and a powdered sugar product. It's made primarily with xylitol, which is a sugar alcohol. Most of the substitute low calorie sweeteners are sugar alcohols, which come with their own set of problems. If you have a sensitive stomach, they are certainly to be avoided as the alcohol can ferment in your GI tract and cause bloating and gas. It also tastes sweeter than sugar, so I cut the amount I'm using by almost half.

AM

Here is a link that might be useful: Ideal

What's in non-diary creamer? I'm not sure its heart healthy.

The website says their claim to fame is not using powdered choclate.
So you could use one of the above recipe's and maybe use a little actual chocolate, whizzed in a food processer to make it a little more decadent.

It would be more expensive but you could do this off food network - or maybe do 2/3 or 3/4 powder choclate and the rest in real choclate (you would have to add sugar to the mix I think if using powder) to pump it up from Swiss Mix

Ingredients

* 3 pounds bittersweet chocolate
* 1 pound 2 ounces whole dry milk powder
* Cayenne pepper
* 1 large stick cinnamon
Finely grate the bittersweet chocolate. Place the milk powder, grated chocolate, and cayenne pepper, to taste, in a large mixing bowl and combine thoroughly. Spoon the mixture into attractive tins or jars and tie the cinnamon stick to the jar. Label the jar with the following instructions:

Use 1/2-cup of chocolate mixture with each cup of hot milk or water. When making the hot chocolate, be sure to boil the chocolate milk for at least 15 seconds. Use the cinnamon stick to stir. Serving with marshmallows is optional.

Easiest is a bottle of Hershey's chocolate syrup stirred into whole milk warmed in a saucepan and served in a mug with a marshmallow on top. I appreciate that cost is a consideration with the huge appetites visiting all weekend long, but I have not compared costs.

Wanted to check back in and thank everyone again...

I went through 3/4 of a 72 serving container of Quick, mixed with whole milk and some vanilla, and of course, mini marshmallows.

Also, a couple pans of blondies, brown rice and Apple Jacks cereal bars (that was what I had in the cupboard), a few boxes of pizza bages, 2 trays of homemade energy bars, and a couple pounds of grapes and boxes of clementines.

Dads bring beer and fire for the fire pit.

We are only halfway through the long weekend! Yikes.

I am going to try out a few of the fancier recipes for my family after the crowds leave. Also, I'm going to mop the floors, I think I have about an inch of dirty slush on my kitchen floor!

AM

Twenty years from now, I promise that those kids will still be talking about how much they loved pick up hockey at your house.

Nice job.
Jo

I think this is very, very cool that you do this!
The Dads bring the beer (thank goodness:)~ what about the Moms? I'd be there! And I would bring something tastey.
Maybe admission should be a bag of marshmallows......
I agree with Jo-the memories are priceless & these kids will always remember your kindness!

I would love to be a kid in your backyard!

Wow! I think you need to break out the popcorn pan.

Campfire popcorn! What else can you do on the fire?

Some-mores, anyone? Or banana boats?