HOT cocoa? Summer’s comin’, so why would we want to mess with cocoa now? Well, because cocoa doesn’t have to be HOT. Remember the movie, Serendipity? There’s a scene filmed in the restaurant by the same name where our hero and heroine are sipping frozen cocoa. I’ve had it - it’s incredible!

So preparing a batch and freezing it until slushy would be the first thing I would do with it. The second thing I’d do with hot cocoa mix is prepare another batch and pour it into popsicle molds - voila! My own home-made fudgesicles.

Next, I like to use it in making chocolate icing. I mix about 1 C of the mix with a Tbsp of water at a time (until you get the consistency you want). I use this mixture to make cookie and graham cracker sandwiches. This is also good with chopped up malted milk balls mixed into it! And of course, you can add mint extract as well. Wow!

THEN, how about and ice cream soda? Place 1 Tbsp cocoa mix in a tall glass. Add 1 Tbsp club soda and stir until smooth. Pour in an additional ¾ C club soda. Taste and add a little powdered sugar, if desired. Top with 2 scoops ice cream. Divine.

And who doesn’t like chocolate-flavored whipped cream? Pour 1 C heavy cream into a large bowl. Sprinkle with 3 Tbsp cocoa mix and up to 3 Tbsp powdered sugar. Beat on high until soft peaks form, about 3 min.

One tip: Because cocoa mixes vary in sweetness, you may want to add the powder a little at a time, tasting as you go and adding sugar as necessary, until the flavor is what you prefer.

Now here’s one of the best recipes I’ve found for making our own hot cocoa mix - Aunt Annie’s Cocoa Divine:

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Aunt Annie's Cold Cocoa Divine

2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup cocoa (Dutch-process preferred)
3 cups powdered milk
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 tsp vanilla
Hot water
Ice water

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and incorporate evenly. In a small pot, heat 1 to 2 cups of water.

Fill your mug half full with the cocoa mixture and pour in 1 or 2 Tbsp hot water. Then add ice water to top of mug. Stir to combine well. Seal the rest of mixture in an airtight container; it keeps indefinitely in the pantry. We also make it with COLD milk or cream. And as the picture shows, why not garnish with dollops of sweetened whipped cream?

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