Perfect for a bit of comfort on a rainy day! I've noticed more & more hot drink formulations cropping up that are mostly cacao, with a few spices added - and are over-priced! My advice: make your own. Blend the dry ingredients in a larger quantity and store in a jar so you can make a hot brew in a flash. Fantastic made with our home-made nut mylk.
Cacao powder is a form of chocolate from an hierloom variety of cacao. It's similar to traditional baking/ drinking cocoa - just less processed and with an enhanced nutritional profile. It's the raw food version, named after the unprocessed cacao berry that originates from South America. It is rich in essential magnesium - helpful for enhancing muscle and nervous relaxation, coping with stress, and good sleep. This recipe is similar to traditional hot chocolate, but with the addition of health giving and warming spices.
Dry Ingredients per cupful:
- 1 Tablespoon raw cacao
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Cardamom
- 1/2 tsp dried Ginger
- 1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper
- Optional: 1 tsp Maca
Plus Wet Ingredients:
Method:
Pre-warm your favourite cup with some hot water. Pour the water out and then in your cup, mix the raw cacao and spices into a little hot water or your milk into a paste.
Warm your milk in a saucepan. If using cow's milk, be careful not to boil. However, if you are using plant milk, you can happily stir in the cacao + spice paste + sweetener + MCT and boil it up into a frothy mix - careful not to spill over!. If using cow's milk, once warm, simply pour it into your cacao paste + sweetener and stir.
Enjoy in a snug corner of the house.