gluten free, dairy free, paleo, vegan \
It’s winter. The days are blustery, chilly and a touch bleak. But even in Sydney, with its very mild winter (really, people!), it’s so nice to curl up on the couch with a mug of this Luxe Hot Chocolate. And, it’s totally a selling point that it’s quick to make up a batch to have on hand for when you want an “instant” hot chocolate ….where “instant” means three minutes. All you need to do is measure out 4 tablespoons of the mix and add to some heated milk, and voila…a luxe hot chocolate all to yourself.
This recipe is adapted from one by Smitten Kitchen, but I adapted it to my tastes and to make it Paleo-friendly. It’s a winner and makes a lovely gift for your chocolate-loving friends and family. The sweetness is just right – there’s nothing worse than the cloying sweetness found in many hot chocolates served at cafes.
If you like your chocolate on the spicy side, feel free to add in some cayenne pepper when you make your hot chocolate – it’s unbeatable!
Oh and I can’t forget to include some nutritional information. Cacao has wonderful health benefits, and its phytonutrients combined with the resistant starch from the potato starch will help to feed the beneficial bacteria in your gut. You can take the gut benefits up another notch by adding a tablespoon of hydrolyzed gelatin powder.
3 Ingredient, 5 Minute Luxe Hot Chocolate Mix
Ingredients
- 200 g soy- and dairy-free dark chocolate*
- 150 g cacao powder approx. 1 cup
- 220 g powdered sugar
- To make the hot chocolate
- 350 mL milk of choice. If using coconut milk use low fat or dilute full fat milk 1:1 with water
- 2 - 2 1/2 tablespoons hot chocolate mixture
- optional - 2 teaspoons of corn starch* or potato starch to thicken hot chocolate
- optional - 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and/or generous pinch of cayenne
- optional: 1 tablespoon gelatin powder or collagen powder and prebiotic powder are excellent gut health additions.. The prebiotics that tend to mix in well are Bimuno (GOS), Acacaia fiber and Sunfiber (PHGG). I always use a blender to add these in after I've made the hot chocolate just to ensure everything is blended in properly.
- *Corn starch is not Paleo
Instructions
- To make the hot chocolate mix:
- Break up the chocolate blocks in to large pieces and place in the bowl of your food processor.
- Process the chocolate for up to 5 minutes, to a small crumb size - they don't need to be fine. Approx 1-2mm in size is ok.
- Add the remaining ingredients and then blend everything for a minute or so.
- Remove to a mixing bowl and then stir by hand with a wooden spoon to ensure everything is well incorporated (sometimes the ingredients at the bottom of the food processor don't mix completely).
- To make the hot chocolate (per serve):
- Warm up 350mL of milk of your choice in a large* saucepan until it's gently boiling. if using coconut milk, either use low fat or use full fat that you have diluted 1:1 with water.
- If using corn starch/potato starch for a thicker hot chocolate, add it to the dry 2 1/2 tablespoons of hot chocolate mixture and stir well to combine. Spices such as cinnamon or cayenne can also be added here. If using cayenne, a generous pinch is enough.
- Add the mixture to the saucepan and whisk for 2 minutes until dissolved and thick.
- Whisk for a minute or two until the mixture has dissolved. If you added the starch, it will also have thickened.
- Pour in to a mug and enjoy!*trust me, use a large saucepan otherwise your mixture may boil over when the dry mixture is added to the heated milk. I use the largest size saucepan, in a size smaller than a stockpot.
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