It’s that time of year once more... the smoothies are out the door and we’re all craving something warm, sweet and comforting to pour into a mug, wrap our hands around and sip throughout the day. But man cannot live on coffee and tea alone, sometimes you just feel like dessert you can drink.
What we love about Hot Chocolate is not only the combination of nostalgia and deliciousness, but the opportunity to make it absolutely smash-it-out-of-the-park good for you! You will have to excuse the melodrama, but us Naturopath’s here at Australian NaturalCare are obsessed. There is so much goodness to be gained from Cacao alone, let alone all the nutritional benefits that can be incorporated with a variety of super ingredients including herbs, mushrooms, and healthy fats... leaving your soul satisfied and your body nourished any time of day!
Vanessa’s Superfood & Coconut Hot Chocolate
We all love a rich, creamy hot chocolate and this recipe will give you exactly that – plus a heap of nutrient-dense superfoods! Cacao powder is known for its rich magnesium content and coconut milk is packed with plenty of healthy fats. This recipe also uses the Life Cykel Lion Mane Maca powder that contains the medicinal mushroom Lion’s Mane (known for its benefits on brain health) and maca powder, a native South American plant that has a subtle, caramel taste, which is known for its benefits on energy levels and hormone health.
Ingredients:
1 cup coconut milk* (see note)
1-2 tsp. cacao powder
1 tsp. Life Cykel Lion’s Mane Maca powder
Honey, maple syrup or sweetener of your choice, to taste
Desiccated coconut and dark chocolate shavings, to serve
Method:
1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the milk, cacao powder and Life Cykel mushroom powder until combined
2. Taste and add your preferred sweetener to your liking
3. Once the mixture is about to start simmering, turn off the heat and pour it into your favourite mug
4. Top with a light sprinkle of desiccated coconut and dark chocolate shavings
5. Enjoy!
*Note: Coconut milk makes this hot chocolate recipe rich and creamy. Feel free to use light coconut milk or a blend of coconut milk and almond milk if you find it a little too rich.
Lia’s Molten Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate
Let me enlighten you on something... although there’s nothing wrong with store-bought nut milk, it will change your life to make your own! Not only does making your own create the most delicious milk you can imagine, its also free of the nasties often added to the commercial versions. There’s no getting around the fact you need a pretty good blender and its handy to have a nut-milk bag or a muslin to strain it, but if you’re serious about your milk then I urge you to explore these options and I will share a recipe for my own favourite nut milk after the hot chocolate recipe.
If you would prefer to use bought nut/soy/dairy/coconut milk though, that is perfectly fine and will be delicious in this recipe that combines beautiful cacao, the healthy fats of creamy peanut butter, and skin-repairing collagen! I personally add some powdered Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) for its calming effect on the nervous system, but this is totally optional.
Ingredients:
½ cup nut milk (or any milk you prefer)
½ cup boiling water
½ tablespoon collagen powder (optional)
2 teaspoons good Cacao powder
1 teaspoon Peanut Butter (or any nut butter)
1 teaspoon Maple syrup
The tiniest pinch of salt
½ teaspoon ground Ashwagandha
Method:
Place all ingredients in a blender and whiz on high for a good ten seconds, the result should be frothy and slightly thick. If you have not got a blender, you can stir all ingredients in a saucepan over a low heat until well combined, it may just lack some of the aeration you achieve in the blender.
Nut Milk – I blend walnuts and cashews to create a creamy, slightly sweet milk with a toasty, almost malty flavour. But use any nut or combo you like, and please be mindful that the extra ingredients are really to taste – I've just provided a guideline of quantities.
Ingredients:
½ cup walnuts
½ cup cashews
2 teaspoons maple syrup
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon sea salt.
- Soak these overnight in 2 cups of filtered water.
- Place drained nuts into the blender, add a grind of sea salt, two teaspoons of maple syrup or one medjool date, and a splash of good vanilla extract.
- Blend on high for 20 seconds. Repeat three times until milk looks well blended, smooth and creamy. Strain through your nut milk bag for an extra smooth milk!
Angelique’s Warming Gingerbread Hot Cacao
Let’s face it – winter is the perfect time of year to indulge in a deliciously decadent hot chocolate. Hot chocolate doesn’t have to be just the basic chocolate either, nor does it have to be packed full of sugar. With so many different recipes to choose from, there is sure to be one for almost every taste. I personally love my Gingerbread hot chocolate... warming, with just the right amount of spice, it’s an any time of day treat loaded with antioxidants that’s hard to resist.
Ingredients:
One cup milk of your choice
2 – 2 ½ tablespoons raw cacao powder
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon plus extra for topping
The tip of a teaspoon of fresh crushed ginger (I used the one from a jar, but you can also crush your own or, if the taste is too strong, use the dried ground variety, which will give a more subtle flavour)
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla essence
Sweetener to taste (here I used the Whole Earth Natural Sweetener, but you can use one that suits your tastes – maple syrup, honey, sugar, etc.)
Instructions:
Combine cacao, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and sweetener with the cup of milk in a pot and whisk over medium heat until warm. Be careful not to boil the milk. Add the vanilla essence and stir through. Pour the mixture into a cup or mug of your choice, sprinkle with cinnamon and enjoy.
You can vary the toppings to your taste – add some cream or maybe some marshmallows for a treat.
