Cost Break-Down : Hot Chocolate

Mmmmmmmm.  I LOVE hot chocolate.  Our family buys those super tubs, and I make it for the kids when it's cool out, or when we just want to sit together and enjoy some family time.  One night we were visiting Shawn's aunt and she made us the most delicious cup of hot chocolate I had ever had.  I asked her what kind it was, and she laughed.  "I just whipped it up" she said.  I asked for the recipe and she just chuckled more and said " I don't know, some cocoa, some sugar, and mix it all up with hot water".  I hate people who cook like that, because you can never get a recipe, but on the other hand, I cook like that! Haha!

So began my search for a great homemade recipe.  There are lots out there on the net, some include snooty imported chocolate from somewhere I've never heard of, and some insist on "dutch process" but I dont even know what that is!  I tried a few different ratios, when I decided that simple is usually best.  1 part sugar, 1 part cocoa.  Perfect!!  My kids thought it was more chocolatey than the mixed stuff and if you dont like it that sweet, you can always cut back on the sugar.  I always mix my hot chocolate in steaming hot water to disolve everything, but I only fill the cup 2/3 full.  When everything is mixed well, I fill the rest of the cup with milk.  Its perfect drinking temperature and its nice and creamy.  Even better if you have some cream in the house you need to use up.

Ok, not only do I like it better, I feel better about using it.  I read the ingredients on the side of the store bought stuff, and the list is so long, it blows my mind.  And it includes fillers, preservatives and things I can't even pronounce.  Cocoa, which is essentially the main ingredient, is almost at the bottom of the list.  There is more hydrogenated vegetable oils in the mix than cocoa (!!!!!).  Don't let me get going on how terrible hydrogenated fats are for you!!  So, after reading the list, I didn't really care if it was cheaper, I'll be drinking homemade from now on!

But being the math geek that I am, I still had to figure out the cost.

500g container of store bought is usually about $5.

To make the same amount of homemade, I ended up with less actual weight ( the difference must be in those fillers, yuck!)

300g of sugar ( 1 1/4 cups) costs $0.39
100g of cocoa(1 1/4 cups) cost $1.00

you could add 1/2 c of powdered milk if you want, which would add a few more cents, but I like adding the milk when I make it.

yup, thats $1.39 instead of $5, and 100g less fillers and junk you don't wanna eat anyway!