Growing up in warm southern California, we didn’t have to put up with nasty weather very often. It rarely rained, and we celebrated Christmas by visiting parks or riding bikes outside. Occasionally, the weather would take a turn for the worse.
MyMinnesota-native 4th grade teacher called it “picnic weather,” but we treated 55-degree rainy days like it was Buffalo in the dead of winter. We came home from school and didn’t even consider going outside. We’d quickly change our wet clothes and beg Mom to make us hot chocolate. She used a standard store-bought hot cocoa mix, but as kids, we didn’t argue with warm and chocolatey on days like those. Even now, cold days stir a Pavlov’s-dog-type reaction in me. The second I get home, I want hot chocolate. Living in snowy Utah, that’s like every day for me between October and April. 🙂
Unfortunately, hot chocolate had been a painful casualty of my newfangled real food diet. I’m (mostly) happy to give up junk food because I understand the tradeoff. I spend more time in the kitchen, a bit more money on ingredients, but I’m happier, skinnier, and more energetic.
But the real secret to sticking to your real food diet? Learn how to make the stuff you love, just with natural ingredients.
That’s why this past weekend, I spent 3 hours testing and tracking a dozen homemade varieties of hot chocolate mix until I found the right one. Copious amounts of my new hot chocolate will be my main defense strategy against winter. I tried out every combo I could think of that sounded tasty to me, and poured each variety in a different mug with a piece of blue tape to mark the recipe used. When the wife and I both agreed on a winner, we knew we were ready.
We both love the basic sugar + chocolate + warm milk tried-and-true hot chocolate formula, but I wanted something different, especially to give as gifts. We also wanted something that didn't require adding 3-4 more ingredients during prep. Just add to your milk of choice, and it's ready to go. It’s the perfect gift because you don’t have to make sure they have vanilla, peppermint extract, or honey at home before they can make it.
When making this hot cocoa mix recipe, resist the urge to cut down on the salt. Salt’s the secret ingredient to this mix, in my opinion. Have you ever tried salted dark chocolate? It’s kind of the best. 🙂 We experimented adding more and more salt until the flavors popped. Then we added too much and we had to chuck the whole batch we were working on… another casualty in the quest for culinary perfection, I suppose.
The cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg complement the chocolate flavor. I tried a regular cup of hot chocolate mix at work after getting used to our homemade hot chocolate mix, and the lack of complexity disappointed me. In other words, don’t skip the spices!
This year for Christmas, we are giving our friends this mix in Mason jars! People get excited when we tell them there isn’t any bad sugar in the mix and it is pretty healthy. Erin created a Christmas tree gift tag printable so you can print them up on some cutesy Christmas paper and cut them out.
Open Christmas Tree Printable Gift Tags
Anyway, try this super easy mix at home – it’s healthy, organic, and refined-sugar free. Tell us what you think!
To prepare the hot cocoa mix, blend all ingredients together. Store in a sealed container. (Mason jars work great!) To make homemade hot cocoa, mix 3 tablespoons of the hot chocolate mix into 8 ounces of warm milk.
To prepare the hot cocoa mix, blend all ingredients together. Store in a sealed container. (Mason jars work great!) To make homemade hot cocoa, mix 3 tablespoons of the hot chocolate mix into 8 ounces of warm milk.
Notes
Organic spices are best if you have them. The flavor really does make a difference.
About the Author: Erin and Cameron Smith write at Eat Real, Stay Sane, where they teach people how to adopt a healthy lifestyle that includes eating real food, eliminating toxins, and overcoming chronic illness.
Milk, cream, sugar, and a combination of chocolate chips—dark or semisweet—and cocoa powder give this hot chocolate its rich, chocolatey flavor. If you're planning a party, it's easy to scale the recipe up for a larger crowd using a 6-quart or larger crockpot, and many foods go with hot chocolate.
Believe it or not, the secret ingredient in gourmet hot chocolate is none other than marshmallows. These fluffy, sweet confections are the unsung heroes of the hot chocolate world, adding a delightful creaminess and hint of sweetness that takes the drink to a whole new level.
Other than water, the most common to use are hot coffee, milk, oil, or melted butter. I wouldn't try it with buttermilk though, or it will curdle. Note that blooming cocoa won't work in recipes that don't have enough liquid ingredients to saturate the cocoa powder (at least 1:1 by volume, but there is some leeway).
The source of the chocolate flavour is different. Hot Chocolate is made using solid chocolate melted in warm milk or cream.Hot Cocoa, however, is made from a powdered base of cocoa with added sugar and dissolved in hot water or hot milk.
She also recommends Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker as another solid option for natural—the 100% Unsweetened Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder—and mentioned the King Arthur Baking Company. The latter has two Dutch-process cocoas she likes—the Bensdorp Cocoa Powder and the Burgundy Cocoa.
Cocoa Powder: Hot chocolate starts with cocoa powder, which provides a chocolatey flavour. However, hot chocolate mix is distinct from plain cocoa powder, as it often contains added sugar, powdered milk, and sometimes additional flavourings like vanilla or spices.
Rum: With its sugar cane base, rum adds just the right punch to your hot chocolate. Try spiced rum on its own, white rum with a sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg or a flavored rum such as coconut or vanilla for even more of a tropical taste.
Serendipity3′s Diamond Frrrozen Hot Chocolate costs $250,000 and will only be available on Valentine's Day. This is one Valentine's Day date you might want to split the bill for.
An easy way to add extra flavor to any cup of cocoa—be it out of the box or homemade—is to add a touch of your favorite spices. A sprinkle of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg or even cayenne can all be welcome warming additions.
Add 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract for a little extra zip! Other great ideas to try: whipped cream, shaved gourmet chocolate, good old fashioned marshmallows, or our personal favorite, all of the above! The next time you're feeling the winter blues, try one of these recipes and feel your spirits soar.
Although hot chocolate doesn't necessarily need an even more creamy, decadent taste, using milk certainly enriches the experience. We suspect that milk adds a creamier taste than water alone, and when combined with the notes of chocolate, the smooth undertones of the milk simply add a delicious backdrop.
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