15 Fun Ways To Use Leftover Hot Cocoa Mix

Hot cocoa is a soothing sweet treat you can enjoy anytime. You can drink it throughout the year, but it becomes a staple in the home around the holiday season. This means there’s a good chance you’ll have lots of cocoa left in your pantry after the holidays. If you have more hot cocoa mix than you can drink, you’ll want to find other ways to use it.

In addition to drinking your leftover hot cocoa, you can add it to baked goods like cake, brownies, and even frosting. Fold it into breakfast favorites like pancakes, waffles, and French toast. Try sprinkling it on your favorite nuts or popcorn to give it a chocolate kick. Make mochas by adding the mix to strong coffee, or incorporate it into milkshakes, and smoothies, or make your own cocoa ice cream. 

If you have a ton of cocoa left over from the holiday season, then this article has you covered. While cocoa powder is traditionally mixed with hot water or milk to drink, you can fold it into all sorts of recipes, as well as tasty breakfast and dessert staples. Below is a list of the most delicious and creative ways to use up all that leftover hot cocoa mix.

15 Great Ways To Use Your Leftover Hot Cocoa Mix

1. DIY Morning Mochas

If you are more of a coffee drinker than a cocoa drinker, then consider combining these two beverages. Combine hot cocoa mix with half a cup of warm milk and then add it to a strong cup of freshly brewed coffee.

This mixture will taste similar to a mocha, which traditionally contains chocolate, espresso, and milk. In addition to being a great way to use up hot cocoa mix, it’s a great way to create a fancy and delicious coffee without spending $7 at a local coffee shop.

2. Make Mug Cake

If you’ve never made or heard of a mug cake, then let your surplus of hot cocoa mix be the excuse you need to make one. Mug cakes are similar to a molten chocolate cake, only much easier and faster to make.

You microwave cake instead of putting a mug in the oven. In the mug, you add a mixture of cocoa, flour, baking soda, sugar, and other ingredients. Instead of drinking your cocoa out of a mug, eat it out of the same mug in the form of a hot chocolate mug cake.

3. Sprinkle It On Your Favorite Nuts

Roasted nuts come in all sorts of flavors, from honey roasted to spicy sriracha flavor. You can even find nuts that have a chocolate essence. If you love roasted nuts and all the flavor options they come in, consider making your own chocolate nuts.

Sprinkle hot cocoa on your favorite nuts to give them a flavor boost. This turns an otherwise savory treat into a sweet and salty flavor burst that children and adults alike will devour.

4. Hot Chocolate Cocktails 

Just because the holidays are over, it doesn't mean the party has to end. Winter is all about indulgence, including sinful cocktails. You can make hot chocolate cocktails, or even use your hot chocolate mix as a garnish.

Add liquor to your hot chocolate for a warm adult beverage, or rim a martini glass with cocoa mix before pouring in a chocolate martini. Vanilla vodka, Irish cream, and coffee liquor all taste great when added to hot cocoa.

5. Create A Hot Chocolate Bar For A Party

If you plan on hosting a gathering in the near future, then opt to have a hot chocolate bar on the menu. You can add whatever you’d like to a hot chocolate bar, from chocolate stirrers to marshmallows, and any other fun treat you’d like.

This is a fun and interactive dessert, and it is a great alcohol-free beverage option to have at any winter party. It is also a great way to use up your cocoa.

6. Chocolate French Toast

If you love French toast, then there’s a good chance you’d love cocoa-infused French toast as well. You can add hot cocoa mix to your French toast batter to add rich chocolate flavor to your favorite French toast recipe. Hot cocoa-infused French toast is also a great way to get your kids excited about breakfast.

7. Make Milkshakes Or Smoothies With Cocoa

If your hot chocolate is getting close to its expiration date because it’s too hot outside, then opt to make a cold chocolate treat with it. Make your banana or berry smoothie a chocolate banana smoothie by adding some cocoa mix.

You can add it with ice cream to make a unique cold chocolate milkshake. Just remember to dissolve the mix in some milk before adding it, to avoid a granular texture.

8. Add It To Cake Batter

If you want to boost the chocolate and sweetness of your favorite cake recipe, consider tossing in some of your leftover cocoa. Hot cocoa has both cocoa powder and sugar, and you need both in any chocolate cake recipe. Consider a scoop of this powder as a flavor booster.

9. Make A Tasty Pudding

If you want to transform your cocoa mix into a cold dessert for summer, then look no further than hot cocoa pudding. There are all sorts of ways to make pudding, and some can be quite complicated. But you can also make a fast pudding by simply adding water or milk to your hot cocoa. Then add cornstarch and whatever additional flavors you want.

10. Incorporate It Into Your Oatmeal

Eating oatmeal in the morning is a great way to lower your cholesterol, especially if you normally eat unhealthy breakfasts. If oatmeal doesn’t sound exciting enough to you, consider adding hot cocoa mix to your oatmeal to make it sweet and chocolatey. 

This is a great way to turn kids on to oatmeal, and it will help you quickly use up your leftover hot cocoa mix.

11. Hot Cocoa Brownies

Brownies are always a good idea, no matter what type they are. You can add hot cocoa mix to a brownie recipe to give it that signature hot cocoa flavor. To take your hot chocolate brownies to the next level, you can add marshmallows or smashed-up leftover candy canes to give your brownies a fun “hot cocoa” twist.

12. Chocolate Pancakes Or Waffles

If you want to jazz up your waffle or pancake batter, then use some of your hot cocoa mix. If you’ve never tried chocolatey pancakes, then you’re missing out. They taste great with whipped cream chocolate chips and thinly sliced bananas. This is another fun way to incorporate leftover hot cocoa mix into your favorite breakfast foods.

13. Fold It Into Homemade Frosting

If you want to make chocolate frosting, try using a hot cocoa mix instead of cocoa powder. This is a sweet and fun way to use up leftover cocoa mix. Just remember to dissolve the powder in heavy cream before folding it into the frosting, so the frosting blends well and tastes silky.

14. Make Ice Cream

If you have an ice cream maker, then why not try making cold chocolate instead of hot chocolate? You can make chocolatey ice cream using leftover hot cocoa mix. To make this iced cream taste truly like an ice cream version of hot chocolate, add marshmallow or marshmallow fluff to the recipe.

15. Mix It Into Fresh Popcorn

If you love to combine salty and sweet, then try sprinkling hot cocoa on your popcorn the next time you have a movie night. Simply add a tablespoon to a freshly popped bag of salted and buttered popcorn. Make sure you add it as soon as it comes out of the microwave, so it sticks to your kernels.

Summing Up The Ways To Use Leftover Hot Cocoa Mix

Hot cocoa is arguably one of the tastiest and most soothing treats during the holiday season. But sometimes, you have too much cocoa mix and not enough time to consume it. To use up your leftover cocoa mix, try folding it into breakfast staples like oatmeal, French toast, pancakes, or waffles. You can make smoothies, ice cream, or cake frosting with the mix, or even a mug cake or chocolate pudding.

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