Hot Cocoa With Warm Spices
When the weather gets colder, I love making a delicious, rich, healthy hot cocoa for myself and my family. I have tried all the hot cocoa powders for a quicker hot cocoa and compared them with coffee shop ones with hopes to find my favorite, and nothing has come close to what I spent years perfecting!
I am very picky with hot cocoa, and what I have discovered is that store bought ones are either too sweet, too salty, too bland, or too watered down. When I started experimenting with my own recipe, one of the hardest parts was figuring out the ratio of sweetness. I like my hot cocoa sweet, but not too sweet to overpower the other decadent flavors. I also wanted a healthier version of hot cocoa so after many trials of sugar substitutes, I can say I am very satisfied with the final result!
Quality ingredients are of utmost importance if you want quality taste. So it is important to select a high quality cacao powder. Double bonus if you can find a premium heirloom cacao that is organic, and has undergone third party testing for heavy metals. Cacao is known to be tainted with heavy metals so if you are using it often, it is important to be mindful of that.
Tips and Tricks
Additionally, my love for freshly grated nutmeg goes without saying, so I highly recommend purchasing whole nutmeg such as this and using a zester like this one to freshly grate into your hot cocoa. It can be a bit pricey, but a little goes a long way, and it will last for a very long time. Believe me when I say, once you try this method you won’t ever want to go back to previously ground nutmeg. It is a huge game changer!
How to store hot cocoa
Can you store leftover hot cocoa? Yes! Make sure it’s placed in an airtight container and place it in the refrigerator. You can enjoy to cocoa on the second day either cold or warm, but I wouldn’t recommend keeping it any longer than that.
Lastly, this recipe includes grass-fed whole milk. I have experimented with making hot cocoa with plant milks, but this specific recipe works best with grass-fed whole milk. It is the only type of milk that doesn’t make me nauseous when heated. I have tried non dairy milk but I definitely prefer full fat grass fed milk.
So if you are ready to have the best hot cocoa of your life, turn on the holiday movies, grab the cacao powder, and lets make some hot cocoa!
P.S. If you enjoy making your own beverages, check out my hibiscus iced tea with rose recipe,
| Prep Time: 2 minutes | Cook Time: 5 minutes |
| Serves: 2 | Total Time: 7 minutes |
| Ingredients 2 1/2 cups grass fed whole milk 1/2 cup filtered water 4 tbs maple syrup pinch of sea salt (about 1/4 tsp) 4 tbsp cacao powder 1/2 tsp cardamom powder 1/2 tsp nutmeg (preferably whole nutmeg freshly grated) *Optional- a handful of marshmallows or peppermint candy for garnish |
| Instructions 1. Gather all your ingredients and add them to a medium saucepan on medium heat. 2. Stir until all the spices and the cacao powder dissolve. 3. After about 3-5 minutes, the hot cocoa should start showing small bubbles around the edges. 4. Turn heat off as soon as you see the small bubbles, pour into mugs, wait for it to cool to a safe sipping temperature and enjoy! Optional-You can top off the cocoa with marshmallows or peppermint candy |
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