Today I’m bringing you another kid friendly recipe sure to please! I don’t know any child who doesn’t love hot chocolate, but very few who have gotten to make their own hot chocolate mix. This is a recipe from my first grade teacher, Mrs. Menotti. We made it as a class when I was six years old and then everyone got to bring a sampling of mix and the recipe home. I was so thrilled when Mama then went out and got the ingredients for us to make, too!
As a child, we used to mix up a batch of this at the start of each winter and it would last the entire season. I’m letting my kids mix it up and then packaging it into little kits to give as “snowman soup”, another great gift idea for classmates, friends, family, or anyone else your children would like to offer a special thank you to!
You will need: instant powdered milk, powdered coffee creamer, Nestle’s Quick (Although I would have gladly gotten a generic chocolate milk powder if they would have had one!), and powdered sugar. As always, exact quantities are at the end of this tutorial!
Now we’re just going to pour all ingredients into large bowl or my trusty red dishpan!
Katy pours in the powdered milk…
Brady adds the powdered coffee creamer
Katy adds the confectioner’s sugar….and only a small cloud poofed up when she dumped it all!
I had to step in to stir it because they were a bit zealous and we had random sprays of powder being shot out..
When you are done it will look like this! This one batch made over 45 servings!
Now, to make your snowman soup, I measured out a heaping 1/3 cup of mix into a sandwich zipper seal bag.
I then folded the bag over and taped it and added ten marshmallows, two kisses, and a small candy cane.
Next, I packaged it in one of those clear party treat bags and folded the top over, stapling the tag with the poem to it! Voila! Snowman soup, ready to give! I left the title letters open so your kids could color them in if they like!
- 1 Box Instant powdered milk (The size that makes 8 quarts)
- 1 – 6 ounce jar powdered coffee creamer
- 1 – 2 pound box Nestle’s Quik
- 1 pound powdered sugar
- Mix all ingredients together in large container. Store in sealed container until ready to use.
- To make hot cocoa, fill mug ⅓ full with mix and add hot water, stir.
Snowman Soup
This is a popular and very thoughtful gift. If you’d rather not make homemade hot cocoa mix, the idea works just as well with an individual packet of store bought hot cocoa mix!
To make Snowman Soup, place 1/3 Cup mix into sealed bag (or an envelope of store bought mix) and package with a small candy cane, ten miniature marshmallows, two chocolate kisses, and tag with instructions and poem. There are several poems available online but this is my favorite and printer ready tags (with poem) are available here!
(This one recipe made over 45 servings!)
Other Gift Mixes:
My 18 year old daughter made these for Christmas gifts for her friends/college buddies! Then we used the Cricut cutting machine and made a card with a snowman on it. These are adorable! We actually cut the recipe in half which was a little trying! Thanks so much!
This sounds fun! We made the S’mores kits for my 1st graders class for Christmas. We had a great time making them, I love that it is a ‘homemade’ gift, which I think is very thoughtful, not to mention economical!!!! Thanks so much for sharing!
Mommy and Reagan
going to make this for my son’s 3rd grade class and going to make the mix in Cub Scouts to meet a cooking requirement. Thanks so much.
Mixing powders together should not be allowed as “cooking” for cub scouts! Pancakes are just as easy to mix up & you actually cook them!!
Millions of recipes begin with mixing powders together. Rather than criticize, I just want to give thanks and praise to Susan and anyone else who takes time out of their busy lives to give to support a group of Cub Scouts. This does SO much for the children and the experience is priceless. As a person with a home ec degree, cookbook author, and food writer, if you want to let cub scouts make PB&J sandwiches and call it cooking you’ll get nothing but praise and thanks from me for getting them in the kitchen and building their confidence. Thank you so much Susan!
I made the S’mores kit for my daughters Kindergarten class last year. I think I will be using Snowman Soup this year now that I have 2 in school. Thanks for sharing.
I have been making this hot chocolate mix for years. I did it one year as gifts for my co-workers. I made up the mix, put it in a plastic bag, went to the Dollar Tree and purchased Christmas cups to put it in. I also wrote the recipe on an index card and punched a hole in it and tied it on with red ribbon on the handle of the cup. It went over very well. My daughter, who is now 29 years young, liked it better than the bought mix. It keeps really good in an airtight bag or bowl.
I did this for years for gifts for the kids to give their classmates. The poem was a little different. I added if anyone is interested.
SNOWMAN’S SOUP
WAS TOLD THAT YOU’VE BEEN GOOD
THIS YEAR,
ALWAYS GLAD TO HEAR IT!
WITH FREEZING WEATHER DRAWING
NEAR.
YOU WILL NEED TO WARM THE SPIRIT
SO HERE’S A LITTLE SNOWMAN’S SOUP
COMPLETE WITH STIRRING STICK.
ADD HOT WATER, SIP IT SLOW
IT’S SURE TO DO THE TRICK!
I just completed a batch of this tonight with my son’s girlfriend. She was just a friend last year when I delivered pint jars with the tag to them all for christmas. He told me that he was held up for his when he came back to school this fall. It was great doing it with his girlfriend. Great bonding and getting to know time. We use mini chips in the mix vs. the kisses in the bag. Thank you for this it is a GREAT hit with his friends.
This is a wonderful recipe. Thank you, Christy.
I love making homemade coco! I’m allergic to chocolate, but everyone looks forward to getting my new flavor each year! Instead of the quick I use just strait up Hershey’s or other quality coco…then you as the receiver can use the type sweetener besides the powdered sugar to make it sweeter! Got to have the powdered sugar in the homemade….unless u take the splenda blend and run it through the food processor…to make it more refine!
I’ve made this mix for more years than I can remember, but, I LOVE your idea of calling it Snowman Soup!!!
For an adult pick-me-up: mix with hot coffee instead of the water is AMAZING!!! (It’s the only way I could drink coffee for many years..lol)
you forget the print indicator, several times i find you have left it off, know you are very busy
Sorry about that. The problem is that I’m having to go back and add i manually to about four hundred posts while trying to keep the blog up and juggle family and travel! lol We may have to just copy and paste in a few of them and hope I get staff one of these days (I know we’d all like to have a staff though!)
Gratefully,
Christy
I have been wanting to try this, but was always a little afraid that it would turn out bad. But, if YOU say it’s good, I have a feeling I can trust it 🙂
My girls, ages 7 & 8, and I just made this last night. It was a lot of fun and they couldn’t wait to try it. It is so good and made plenty for both of their class parties with extra for us at to keep at home. I kept the nesquick container to put the extra in and dropped the 1/3 C measuring scoop in it for easy serving anytime.
Thanks for the cute idea. It’s a hit!
Christy, I made up a double batch of these. One thing in the recipe you might want to mention is that the Nesquik is actually 2 1/2+ lb. container. I measured out the extra 1/2 lb. and put that aside…ended up I only got 73 bags out of a double batch which should have been closer to 90. I’m going to make up one more single batch so that I have enough bags. Just wanted your readers to know to add the whole container of the Nesquik even though it is more then 2 lbs. I think it will still taste good due to the chocolate candies in it. I actually got the Hershey Bells instead of Kisses for the holiday. I’m giving them out at my church after our Sunday cantata this coming Sunday when we go have goodies afterwards. Thanks for sharing a new take on Hot Chocolate!
I was looking for something to make for my son’s class for Christmas and thanks to you I found it!! I printed the tags and have to go buy all the ingredients at Wal-mart tomorrow, then they will help me put it all together…I’m going to save some for us to try to, I can’t wait!! Thanks Christy!! <3
I just made a large batch of this today for my Sunday School class (which is adults), I think they will love it.
Thanks so much for these recipes! We made these last week and I wrote a blog post about them as well!
http://emilyinthekithen.blogspot.com/2010/12/snowman-soup.html
Thank you Emily, so glad to hear they are Teen Approved!!
The kids are so young here! 🙂
I used peppermint kisses…………..Oh wow!! Cub Scouts are gonna love this. Thank you!!
Great ideas. I plan on making these with my son’s kindergarten class.
Great gift for Christmas.!!!!
I have made this in the past too! Also made Russian Tea, which is instant tea, tang and spices.
BTW, LOVE your quilt hanging in the background.
My son and I are making this tomorrow night for his Christmas party at school. Will be so cute!
This is certainly a trusy recipe. My mother used to send me off to college each winter with a gallon ice-cream bucket of this mix. I dusted off the recipe a few years ago and my son loves it. (Getting ready to make our second batch of the season.)
It makes a nice hostess gift too, especially at the holidays. I put a batch of the mix in a pretty jar or carafe and tie a copy of the recipe on with a pretty ribbon.
Thanks for sharing.
Forgot to mention: I especially appreciate that this mix uses real milk in dried form. I feel much better about giving this to my son, compared with the commercial packets that mix chocolate flavoring with water.
We use to make this when I lived at home with my folks. I need to make this with my Granddaughter. Thanks for the reminder.
Christy,
Wonderful site, full of love for cooking, wisdom from our elders and great ideas.
Thank you as well for sharing your recipes, I agree that we should share.. They also say, we learn everyday, and was delighted to learn about Snowman Soup (never knew:~). I will share with others.
Have a blessed day
how do i go about figuring out the cup amounts to make the mix?
Vere’nique
really want to make this recipe! how to i calculate the cup measurements for the ingredients??? I have tried searching online but cant seem to find a consistent answer and very confused!!
please help!!!
Vere’nique
Without making it and measuring it out I’m afraid I can’t tell you exactly. I’d figure roughly a cup for every eight ounces and figure it that way, if you can’t find the ingredients in the amounts specified.
was going to email you but cnt find an email address for you! would it be possible i could get your email?
was so nice meeting you the other day! i cant put your new cookbook down! i am enjoying reading it any moment i get!
i have not tried making the hot chocolate yet, i do know that 1lb of powder sugar is equal to about 4cups so that is about 2cups per 8oz…
if you ever make it and measure out each of the ingredients can you please post the cup measurements! 🙂
God bless you!
Vere’nique
This is a very cute idea!! If I hadn’t retired from teaching already, I would make this for my students, as well as for my kids’ classmates and teachers!!! (If they all weren’t 20 somethings, of course!! 😉
I just bought the stuff to make this but I add Peppermint Mocha Coffeemate, mini chocolate chips, and crushed peppermint to my mix. Put it in jars and give it as gifts. Thanks for posting. I means I don’t have to go hunting for your recipe!!
I’m kind of confused! The directions say,” I measured out a heaping 1/3 cup of mix into a sandwich zipper seal bag.
I then folded the bag over and taped it and added ten marshmallows, two kisses, and a small candy cane.”
What did you add the marshmallows, kisses and candy cane to? A separate packet? Drop them loosely in the treat bag? I know it’s late and I’m tired, but I cannot figure out how you added the items to a bag you had folded over and taped.
Nevermind… I bought the stuff and made it… just didn’t realize it would take up so little room in the sandwich bag.. I did just as you said, folded it over, taped it, then added the rest 😀 Thank you for the great recipe!!
Will make this with my Pathfinders { scouts }
and deliver them to the community as a
community project…..attach a Bible Verse to them
Blessings
Love this recipe and can’t wait to let the grandkids help me make it. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
I hope y’all have a wonderful time and make lots of memories!!!
Christy, this mix recipe brings back memories of early grade school for me, you know, when dinosaurs roamed the earth. 🙂 My friends and I felt so grown up giving little jars of this as gifts. You’ve inspired me to think about making nostalgia themed gift boxes for Christmas this year. A container of this cocoa mix with some mix-ins on the side, a container of Russian Tea mix. Not sure what else but I’m sure I’ll see something on your blog or in your book Sweetness that will beg to be included. 🙂 Again, thanks Christy!