Candle Lantern Tent Cocoa
A hot mug for the hour you spend waiting for a cold tent to warm up.
- calories
- 420
- weight
- 3 oz
- cal / oz
- 140
- protein
- 10 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 1 min
- cook
- 4 min
- total time
- 5 min
- water
- 350 ml boiled
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Drink
- Canister stove
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Backpacking
- Winter / snow
- Car camping
- Vegetarian
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Cocoa powder | 3 tbsp | unsweetened |
|---|---|---|
| Powdered whole milk | 1/3 cup | |
| Sugar | 3 tbsp | |
| Instant milk-based malted drink powder | 2 tbsp | optional, adds body |
| Salt | a pinch | |
| Coconut oil or butter powder | 1 tbsp |
Method
- Dump the premixed powder into your mug or pot.
- Boil 350 ml of water. Pour about a third in and stir it into a paste first. Cocoa clumps if you flood it.
- Add the rest of the water and stir until the fat and powder are gone from the surface.
- Drink it inside your sleeping bag, not standing outside in the wind.
A candle lantern will lift a small tent about four degrees. That is real but it is not warmth. What actually raises your core temperature on a cold night is calories and hot liquid, and this mug delivers both faster than anything you can burn.
The milk powder and the fat are the point. Plain cocoa is sugar water and it fades in twenty minutes. Whole milk powder brings protein and enough fat to keep the heat working, and the pinch of salt keeps the sweetness from going flat. Make it a paste before adding the rest of the water or you will drink lumps.
Packing
Mix everything into a single-serving bag at home. One bag, one pour, no measuring with cold hands.
Variations
- Swap half the sugar for instant coffee if you want it in the morning instead.
- A spoonful of powdered peanut butter thickens it, but then it is no longer nut-free.
https://theprepared.com/blog/can-you-heat-a-tent-with-a-candle