I posted this in the food forum with less than awesome response, maybe the good old OB can be more helpful. I need to make a mix so that I can pour about 400-500 people hot cocoa in the morning. I have seen lots of recipes that have powdered milk and creamer in them, but I need simple and cheap... anyone used a cocoa/sugar mix with good results?

Thinking about this one:
10 cups dry milk powder
4 3/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 3/4 cups powdered non-dairy creamer

Cost per cup is still way less than using a pre-made mix, but it's more than I'd like for that many peeps.

Just buy a big box of Swiss-mis (100 packets) count servings, buy more boxes. Cut packets open, mix about 25 packets with hot water at a time in orange Gatorade coolers. Win

Minus the coolers you're looking at maybe 30 bucks of cost for cocoa mix. Whatever you're doing this for is either for profit, or non-profit, benefit kinda thing, either way it's not that $$$

[This message has been edited by OnlyForNow (edited 3/9/2012 7:26a).]

[This message has been edited by OnlyForNow (edited 3/9/2012 7:30a).]

At 500 people, Swiss Miss mix is about $120 plus cups, mallows, etc.

I could go that way, but I'm doing this out of my pocket for no money because it's going to be cold outside tomorrow. I've already spent several hundred on everything else that we are doing. The mixes with powdered milk are far superior to the store made mix (think Grandma's home-made mason jar mix) and less expensive. That's a win-win.

If someone has a good recipe for a mix, I'd be thankful for the help to make sure I don't put a so-so cocoa out there.

[This message has been edited by Terk (edited 3/9/2012 7:33a).]

actually not too hard but needs some prep work before to get ready
this is ideal but can be amended based upon your available options

1 30-40 gal. water heater cranked up full blast as hot as it will go
1 tee
1 elbow
1 gate valve
two lengths of pipe cut to your needs
(tee off from your hot water outlet line bringing a line out and down the side for your gate valve to fill your jugs)
2 large 10 gal water jugs
1 boat paddle or similarly large stir stick
500 cups
4 of these or as many as you need http://www.webstaurantstore.com/powdered-hot-chocolate-mix-2-lb-bag-12-cs/11050251.html?gclid=CNmn-b_52a4CFQ8yhwodZEbveA

fill jugs w/ scalding water to get them heated up, let sit. Do this far enough in advance for the water heater tank to reheat completely.

About 10 min prior to serving empty the water out of the jugs, dump 2 (as appropriate mix) bags of cocoa into hot jug, start pouring hot water in through gate valve, stir THOROUGHLY as it fills (fill slowly).
Repeat w/ second jug
serve and enjoy



[This message has been edited by carpe vinum (edited 3/9/2012 9:18a).]