Hot Cocoa, All Natural

This article was syndicated from: Laurel on Health Food

Hot Cocoa, All Natural

This time of year I’m craving some hot cocoa. Its so nice to curl up on a couch with a movie and a hot cup of cocoa over the holidays. But, I’ve noticed that its virtually impossible to find a decent hot cocoa mix at the regular grocery stores (of course, unless you go to Whole Foods or other health food store). All the regular quick mixes have high fructose corn syrup, or trans fats, or some other chemical that I don’t want to ingest.

Luckily there are some fairly easy all natural, homemade cocoa recipes out there that will only take a few minutes to prepare. Try this one out and let me know what you think.

The following recipe was published on p. 24 of the Jan/Feb 2009 issue of Women’s Health Magazine. It comes from Hot Chocolate author Michael Turbeck.

1. Heat the Milk -  In a stainless steel pan, heat 6 ounces of milk over medium-low. Remove the milk from heat just before it boils. Tip: Use low-fat milk instead of whole milk for more chocolate flavor and fewer calories.

2. Add the Chocolate - Grate 4 ounces of bittersweet or semisweet chocolate into a metal or ceramic bowl. Ladle 3 tablespoons of the milk into the bowl, one spoonful at a time, and stir with a wooden spoon until it forms a smooth paste.

3. Make Willy Wonka Proud - Return pan to stove over medium heat. Add the paste to the milk and stir for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let the mixture steep for 10 minutes. Return to heat and bring to a simmer before adding 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and a pinch of salt and vanilla. Pour into two cups. Then…start sippin’.

I can’t wait to try this out when I get home to my Mom’s.  I plan to use organic skim milk and organic semi-sweet dark chocolate.

If you’re hungry for more chocolate talk, check out my 10 Reasons to Eat More Chocolate.