Homemade Hot Chocolate

Homemade Hot Chocolate

Ingredients
2 cups whole milk
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of sea salt
dash or two cinnamon

Recipe

1. Mix all ingredients together in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.  Bring just to a boil then simmer on low for a few minutes.  You may want to cool before placing in cups.  Serve warm, top with marshmallows or whipped cream if desired.  Be careful it will need to cool before drinking!

Diary-Free Hot Cocoa

Today felt a bit dreary and chilly and I just picked up some cocoa so we decided to experiment and create a yummy dairy free hot cocoa.  The end result was a success!  I have tried in the past but couldn't get it right with rice milk.  The thicker consistency of almond milk was just what we needed.  And at only 40 calories for a cup of almond milk even with sugar and marshmallows this is a treat that tastes much more indulgent than it is.  Might try sweetening with honey the next go around.  

Ingredients

dash of salt

3/8th cup of sugar

1/4 cup of cocoa

1/3 cup of water

2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk

marshmallows or marshmallow fluff

Recipe

1. Cook salt, sugar, cocoa and water over medium high heat until it boils stirring frequently.  Cook for a minute at a boil stirring constantly.
2. Add almond milk and cook until hot, does not need to boil.
3. Carefully pour into cups and top with marshmallows, enjoy!

Note:  You may try adding vanilla extract but we found that this gives an off taste with almond milk.  You are better off using the unsweetened vanilla almond milk.