Salted Caramels are the perfect blend of sweet and salty, but they were missing Chocolate.. until now!
This salted caramel hot chocolate mix recipe is a prime example of why you should always use decent quality ingredients. We tried this with a couple of store brands.. we won’t say the name but it wasn’t exactly the Greatest Value if you get my drift.
While you can sometimes substitute store-brand ingredients without losing quality, that is definitely NOT the case with this recipe.
For the chocolate in our salted caramel cocoa mix, I recommend using Baker’s bittersweet baking chocolate. It is 66% cacao and offers the best flavor out of all the brands we tried. I can assure you, I made this mix a half dozen times with various ingredients to test the best flavor!
Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate Mix
You’ll Need:
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups Nestle Dutch Cocoa Powder
1 Tablespoon Sea salt**
1 cup dry milk powder
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate/chocolate chips
Cover a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper. Be sure to use a baking sheet that has edges, as this has a tendency to spread.
In a heavy saucepan, heat the granulated sugar over medium heat. (Don’t stir it) Once the sugar begins to melt, gently swirl it by grasping the handle of the saucepan and gently swirling the contents.
You don’t want to stir it as this causes sugar crystals to crystallize making your finished product grainy. Instead, continue to swirl until it melts into deep amber color, you know… like Caramel. This process takes a good 15 minutes or so.
Remove it from the heat and add the vanilla, whisk just to combine then pour the caramel onto the prepared cookie sheet. Here’s a hint for getting to spread evenly, pour it directly into the center of the pan, much like you would pour pancake batter onto a frying pan and for the same reason. It will spread out all by itself.
Don’t touch it for about an hour. Once it’s cool and hardened, break it into chunks and process it in a blender or food processor until it’s a fine powder.
Add the cocoa powder, powdered milk, and brown sugar and process until well mixed and smooth. Add the sea salt and bittersweet chocolate and process until fully combined.
This makes about 2 1/2 pounds which will be just about enough to fill 6 half-pint jars.
Directions for Mug of Cocoa
You’ll Need:
1 large Mug of your choice
Milk (or water)
3 Tbs Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate Mix (Heaping!)
Directions:
To make a mug of salted caramel hot chocolate combine 3 heaping tablespoons of mix to 1 mug of hot milk. Technically if you want a lower-calorie version you could add the mix to hot water instead, or perhaps hot almond milk.
Want fresh marshmallows to put on top? Here’s how to make them!
Free Printable Jar Labels
Now, for the labels, we highly recommend the Ink-Saver method, which is printing the text with black ink in the printer and using fun colored cardstock scrap paper instead of printing the design itself. Just
on the cardstock with your printer, then cut them out.
Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa Print Recipe
Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate Mix
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups Nestle Dutch Cocoa Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Sea salt
- 1 cup dry milk powder
- ¾ cup light brown sugar packed
- 10 ounces bittersweet chocolate
Equipment
Instructions
- Cover a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper. Be sure to use a baking sheet that has edges, as this has a tendency to spread.
- In a heavy saucepan heat the granulated sugar over medium heat. (Don’t stir it, swirl it) Once the sugar begins to melt, gently swirl it by grasping the handle of the saucepan and gently swirling the contents until caramelized, (about 15 minutes)2 ½ cups granulated sugar
- Remove it from the heat and add the vanilla, whisk just to combine then pour the caramel onto the prepared cookie sheet. Here’s a hint for getting to spread evenly, pour it directly into the center of the pan, much like you would pour pancake batter onto a frying pan and for the same reason. It will spread out all by itself.3 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
- Don’t touch it for about an hour. Once it’s cool and hardened, break it into chunks and process it in a blender or food processor until it’s a fine powder.
- Add the cocoa powder, powdered milk, and brown sugar and process until well mixed and smooth. Add the sea salt and bittersweet chocolate and process until fully combined.1 ½ cups Nestle Dutch Cocoa Powder1 Tablespoon Sea salt1 cup dry milk powder¾ cup light brown sugar10 ounces bittersweet chocolate
- Yield: This makes about 2 1/2 pounds which will be just about enough to fill 6 half-pint jars, or 32 (3tbs) servings.
- 1 large Mug of your choice
- Milk (or water)
- 3 Tbs Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate Mix (Heaping!)
- To make a mug of salted caramel hot chocolate combine 3 heaping tablespoons of mix to 1 mug of hot milk.
Recipe Size Alteration
💡 If you altered the ingredients above by doubling or tripling the recipe, you may also need to change the pan/dish size and adjust the cook time.
Notes
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