A cup of hot cocoa is a soothing treat on a cold evening in front of the fire or watching a movie. In this video, I show you how to make this popular cold weather drink in a nutritious but still delicious manner! This is a great addition to the kids’ lunchbox on cold days. Just put in a thermos and it stays nice and warm until lunchtime!
Healthy Hot Cocoa
2 cups fresh whole milk (substitute whole coconut milk for a dairy free alternative)
2 TBL sucanat or rapadura
1 heaping TBL organic carob powder
1 tsp chocolate extract
Sprinkle of organic cinnamon powder or a cinnamon stick (optional)
Warm milk on the stovetop to 117 F. Use a food thermometer or a clean finger to judge the temperature (when it feels hot but doesn’t burn, it’s about 117F). Turn off the heat but leave the pan on the burner. Quickly whisk in sucanat, carob powder and chocolate extract. Add optional cinnamon if desired. Pour into mugs and serve immediately.
In this recipe, each 8 oz serving has 12 g of unrefined sugar compared with 18g or more of refined sugar in one envelope of hot cocoa mix from the store!
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist.com
* This post is shared at The Nourishing Gourmet.
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{ 33 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Sarah, thanks for the video!
I also hit raw milk just to the point where it is only warm, not hot. Since it is cold here in Ontario now, my kids ask for it all the time in the morning. I usually make hot cocoa with organic cocoa powder, but will try the carob and chocolate extract combination!
Love the new site Sarah!!!
I also use organic cocoa powder like Marina, but you’ve got me wanting to try the carob powder. I also add in raw egg yolks for even more nutrition and cream if I have it.
Kel
Kelly the Kitchen Kop\’s last post: My 1000th Post Giveaway Winner and a Discount Coupon Code
Kelly, do you have a recipe posted with cocoa powder? I’ve been searching for a healthy alternative for hot chocolate, but also one that could be stored as a powder and stored.
Hi Kel, I use raw egg yolks too sometimes! Haven’t tried the cream though. WIll have to give that a go this weekend. It’s going to be really cold here this weekend!
I’ve also done this, although I haven’t tried carob powder yet. I use raw organic cacao powder that is very dark and delicious. Though I’m not sure of the caffeine in it? What brand of good extract do you use? I’m always a little leery of the extracts.
tara\’s last post: Bone Broth an amazing healer
Hi Tara, you are wise to be leery of extracts. The one I use is from Flavorganics and has agave in it, but since we do not use it in our home as a sweetener and we do not drink fruit juice (except fresh squeezed on occasion), a bit of fructose from this is not a problem. I used to use a chocolate extract from Williams Sonoma that was fantastic and did not have agave in it, but haven’t been able to find it recently.
I’m up in ch-ch-chilly Minnesota and this sounds p-p-perfect right about now!
The recipe looks delish. I also wonder how it would be with a bit of blackstrap molasses. The taste would be a bit different, I expect, and the molasses would impart some minerals. And using cream and egg yolk — now we’re talking nutrient-dense! All great ideas.
Love the new look of your site, Sarah.
Mmmm, this is definitely the perfect treat this time of year. Don’t forget to add egg yolks for even more creaminess and nutrition.
(Love the redesign, by the way. It looks great!)
A few months ago I mixed equal parts sucanat and organic raw cacao powder and mixed some of that with milk. It was warm then so I drank it cold. It keeps well in the pantry (the sucanata/cacao, not the milk!) so I have my “chocolate milk mix!” It was delicious. I don’t like to drink milk plain so doing this, or making raw ice cream are the ways I get my milk usually.
Interestingly, I had some people jump all over me for offering my then 1-year-old HERBAL TEA (which of course contains no caffeine…) because “children shouldn’t drink tea!” Yet they had no issues with their children eating store-bought chocolate milk and Honey Nut Cheerios. Yeah, I’m the crazy one, all right.
Kate @ Modern Alternative Mama\’s last post: Green Bean Casserole
I can’t believe someone jumped on your for tea! We live in Germany. In my girl’s kindergarten, they serve them warm kinder-tea (unsweetened), water with gas or filtered water. Nothing else. My girls love the tea!
I make hot cocoa with coconut cream (D-roy brand) and raw honey and raw cocoa powder. I don’t heat until hot because I don’t want to kill the raw honey enzymes. It’s yummy and perfect for those who are dairy free (like us.)
Tina
I make something similar to this also. I use honey as a sweetener instead of sucanat or rapadura. I also omit the chocolate extract because I can’t find it where I live. It tastes really good without it, but I like the taste of carob. Great post!
I will sometimes add raw egg yolks to ours too, and like to top it off with cream if we can get it. I have a question about the chocolate extract. Do you know how it’s made or whether it contains any trace amounts of caffeine?
Jenny\’s last post: Founding Farmers Restaurant- a Lesson in Green-washed Cuisine
Sarah, I love your videos and am going to give your cocoa a try! I’ll make sure to add carob powder to my next azure order.
Diana@Spain in Iowa\’s last post: 10 Cookbook Gift Ideas for the Holidays
Hi Jenny, yes – the chocolate extract would have trace amounts of caffeine in it. Not enough to bother most folks, but if you are super sensitive or allergic to it then by all means leave it out and just go with the carob powder.
Thanks, Sarah. My husband is CRAZY sensitive to caffeine, and my son is too.
Jenny\’s last post: Founding Farmers Restaurant- a Lesson in Green-washed Cuisine
The PERFECT add on is a tsp of B.Radical Certified Organic Whole food antioxidant superfood. I purchased it the special going on in the resource page under Superfoods, and My two little ones & husband absolultely love it. Here’s the link:
http://healthquestmd.mionegroup.com/en/product/15113
Enjoy!
Excellent, will give it a try. I have to “import” my raw milk from Pennsylvania to NJ!
I am looking forward to trying it. THanks
This looks delish! I have a ton of Equal Exchange Drinking Chocolate, so I may sub this recipe with that. And I like using vanilla extracts, also Fair Trade and organic, because it complements the chocolate flavor well. I don’t think I’ve even seen chocolate extractbefore–I’ll start looking!
Hi Megan, yes, you can most definitely use slightly soured raw milk for this. A great way to use it up and not waste a dime on your investment in REAL FOOD!
This sounds like an interesting recipe. If you’re looking for an instant hot cocoa mix that is not filled with nasty chemicals and preservatives, try the Penzey’s version:
http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeyshotchocolatemix.html
Just cocoa, sugar, vanilla beans and cinnamon. I know it’s not ideal for people trying to cut sugar out of their diet, but we do a pretty good job of avoiding added sugar elsewhere, so this is a nice treat!
Just as an aside, I just watched a GREAT seminar on the dangers of fructose. I’m a registered dietitian, a product of the fat-free/high-carb diet generation, and I found it fascinating!! I intend to blog about it soon. Here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM
Hope everyone has a great weekend!!
The Food Hound\’s last post: Festive Football Chili Cheese Fries
Is there a charge for the videos? I can’t seem to watch any…
Thanks,
Lynn
Hi Lynn, no charge for the videos. Must be a setting on your computer as all is well from my end.
Okay, all this talk about adding an egg yolk, but how exactly do you perform this addition? Do you need to strain it afterward to get any solids out of the drink?
Thanks for posting this! I’ve been wanting to make hot chocolate without the mix and without tons of sugar. I’ll probably just use cocoa powder. Have you tried using stevia in place of some of the sugar? I often use it to sweeten my tea (the other hot drink I drink.
Also, I love adding just a pinch of cyanne pepper to my cocoa along with a sprinkle of cinnnimon.
Hi Rachel – you can definitely use stevia in place of sugar or use half the sugar and replace with a bit of stevia. Adjust it how it suits you!
it’s so delicious and i will share this to my family this winter season who are residing in USA,Canada, Europe and South America. I know my grands will love it. Thanks for such a wonderful information, great recipes and healthy foods to share. More power to your program!!! God bless!
Hi Charito, thank for the well wishes. I just whipped up a batch of this for the kids’ school lunches today. We’ve got frost on the ground down here in FL! Very cold and its not even winter yet!
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist\’s last post: No Grain Peach Cobbler
I would like to know what kind of material your kitchen counters are made with? We are remodeling our kitchen and I love the looks of your counter.
Hi Anita, its granite tile. Glad you like it!
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist\’s last post: Veganism Almost Killed Angelina Jolie
Just received my carob powder and chocolate extract last night from Azure Standard. I am now sitting here with a cup of hot “carob”? It is the first time carob has been in this house. My son and I are enjoying your recipe. Thanks for giving us a wholesome yummy recipe to warm us up!
Hi Sarah, wonderful! Thank you for the testimonial.