Hot Drinking Chocolate

As the weather becomes cold and we turn our attention to cozying up indoors, hot chocolate makes a lovely winter treat.

In most European countries, hot drinking chocolate is a thick, creamy delicacy that is meant to be sipped and savored. Most of the time it is carefully crafted from real-food ingredients.

Unfortunately the conventional warm drink that our culture identifies as hot chocolate comes in packets of powder and has harmful ingredients including sugar, corn syrup, hydrogenated fats, preservatives and artificial flavors.

My recipe is free of these harmful elements as well as dairy, a common food trigger among our patient population.

This drinking chocolate is deeply rich and flavorful and is meant to be served in smaller quantities such as in teacups or small coffee cups.  If the flavor is too rich for you, simply thin out with a little bit of water and it will taste like a typical hot cocoa. 

INGREDIENTS

— 3 cups full-fat coconut milk

— 1/3-1/2 cup cacao

— 3 tablespoons water

Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a medium-sized saucepan and heat over medium heat until simmering, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust sweetener and thin with water, if needed. Pour into mugs and top with coconut whipped cream, if desired. 

If you are feeling extra decadent, here are some flavoring options to make drinking chocolate a little more special:

— couple drops of certified pure therapeutic grade peppermint essential oil

— couple drops of certified pure therapeutic grade orange essential oil

— 2 teaspoons of maca powder for its nutty taste and stress-relieving, hormone-balancing properties

— a dash of almond extract

— a few flecks of course sea salt