Three Herbal Hot Chocolate Ideas
As I write this it’s snowing outside, the first snow of the season. Cold weather, playing in the snow and spending a good hour or more as an adult shoveling snow always makes me want to have a hot chocolate when I come inside.
As tasty as hot coco mixes in packets are, we can do so much better by getting herbs and spices and real cacao involved. Making your own hot chocolate mix means no weird preservatives, artificial flavorings or thickeners. I’m all about healthier holiday treats.
So why make an herbal hot chocolate? Because raw cacao powder is rich in antioxidants, copper and magnesium and is a gentle herbal bitter. While the herbs, depending on what you add, can aid in digestion or stimulate blood circulation. Plus, some herbs are just the perfect match for cacao.
All the recipes below use raw cacao powder and do not include sugar. I’ve listed the ingredients in parts so that you can scale up the recipe if you wish using a tablesoons, cups, buckets… hehe, if only I could make these recipes in bucket amounts.
For an example in the small jars I used to photograph this reciepe I used the following amounts
4 tablespoons cacao powder
1 tablespoon dandelion root powder
1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
8 oz of hot water
Feel free to add honey to sweeten to your liking.
Three Herbal Hot Chocolate Recipes
“Winter in the Desert” Hot Chocolate
raw cacao powder
cinnamon powder
chili powder (preferably chipotle)
maca root powder
mesquite powder
hot water or milk of choice
“Snuggle Me” Hot Chocolate
Ingredients:
raw cacao
damiana powder
rose petal powder
ginger powder
hot water or milk of choice
“Real Peppermint and Cacao Hot Chocolate”
4 parts raw cacao powder
1 part peppermint powder
8 oz hot water or milk of choice
One extra recipe:
“Cold Hands” Hot Chocolate
Ingredients:
4 parts raw cacao powder
1 part dandelion root powder (like Dandy tea)
1/2 part ginger powder
1/2 part cinnamon powder
8 oz hot water or milk of choice
Method:
Thoroughly mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Then transfer to a jar and label.
When you are ready for a cup, boil 8 oz of water. Add 1-2 tablespoons of the mix to your cup and add water and stir well. Enjoy!
