Cocoa in a jar

This concept was completely unknown to me until I stumbled across it on a blog shortly before christmas. Cocoa mix in a jar! A quick Google search yielded lots of recipes - not just for cocoa mixes, but cupcakes, brownies, even soups and stews! The principle is simple enough - layer all dry ingredients compressing them well to maintain a sharp line between each ingredient. Decorate your container and be sure to include instructions for preparation. Done! It's even upcycling - this glass used to hold tikka masala sauce.

I used this recipe as my guide, substituting brown sugar for some of the white sugar, and a few drops of peppermint extract for the candy canes. It would have looked more festive with the candy canes, but I unfortunately didn't have time to go searching for it. Ingredients are (from bottom): Powdered milk, cocoa powder, white sugar, brown sugar (with peppermint extract), chocolate chips. The brown sugar is sticky and forms a nice seal over the white sugar which would otherwise mix with the chocolate chips, and it tastes great too. ;)