John's Healthier Hot Chocolate
Basic Dark Chocolate Hot Chocolate Recipe v10 - makes 3 cups.
| Quantity | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 3 TBSP | Cacao powder |
| 3 TBSP | Dark semi-sweet chocolate chips, or any good chocolate |
| 1 TBSP | Chicory root granules or some other coffee substitute, such as Pero, Postum, or those made from roasted figs or peanuts. |
| 1/2 TSP | Monk fruit powder |
| 1/8 TSP | Stevia powder |
| 1/8 TSP | Vanilla bean powder or extract |
| 1/16 TSP | Salt |
| Varies | Add your choice of milk or creamer. I use embē organic unsweetened coconut milk from Walmart. My 2nd choice is Aroy-D coconut milk, it tastes good but contains an emulsifier (Polysorbate 60). |
| Varies | Add hot water until the total volume is 3 cups (24 fl oz) |
| Optional | Flavor addition as desired: |
| 1/2 TSP | Anise Seed |
| TBD | Cinnamon |
| TBD | Peppermint / mint (breath mint?) |
| TBD | Toffee or Carmel |
| TBD | Peanut butter or other nut butter |
| TBD | Chocolate truffle |
| TBD | Grated orange peel |
| 1/8 TSP | Red cayenne pepper powder |
| TBD | Ginger powder |
STEEP THE ENTIRE MIX OF INGREDIENTS IN HOT WATER FOR A FEW MINUTES THEN STRAIN THROUGH A VERY FINE STRAINER.
Nutrition
Sugar content can be estimated from the chocolate chips plus the small amounts of natural sugars in the coconut milk and chicory root. Typically about 9-10 grams per 1.5 cup serving, plus any additions.
Fiber content is about 3 grams per 1.5-cup serving, from the cacao powder and the chocolate chips.
Caffeine. Roughly 18 mg per serving, assuming there are about 12 mg in each table spoon of cacao powder.
Theobromine. Varies widely, from 37 to 130 mg per tablespoon of cacao powder.
IngredientsCacao powderCacao vs Cocoa. Cacao is minimally processed and should have more nutritional value.Dutch processed Cocoa is not my favorite.Better cacao makes better hot chocolate.Be aware of heavy metal content. It's my understanding that this depends mostly on the soil where the cacao is grown.Some brands require straining.I have not tried making my own cacao powder. This could be done by grinding cacao nibs. The result could be healthier and I'm curious to know the impact on flavor.CreamersCoconut milk is my favorite creamer as long as it has not been powdered. In my experience, powdered coconut milk ruins the flavor of any hot chocolate mix I have ever tried. I believe freeze dried coconut milk would taste good, but I have not found a source for this. The taste of spray-dried coconut milk powder is inconsistent, it often has a burnt chemical taste that is unacceptable to me.SweetenersSugar. I have not found a way to make good tasting healthy-ish hot chocolate with zero sugar, but I don't add more sugar than what's included in the chocolate chips.Monk Fruit. I approve and use.Stevia. I approve and use.Allulose. I tried this but dropped it from my recipe due to the mild side effects that were similar to sugar alcohols. The taste is very good and I will still allow it occasionally.
EmusifiersI'd like to try something that will help prevent the solids from separating to the bottom. Maybe some kind of emulsifier? I'm going to try powdered lecithin.
Would the lecithin make the recipe less healthy?
What are some other possible emulsifiers?
ChallengesSludge. Frequent stirring required to keep the ingredients mixed. Otherwise, the solids sink to the bottom. This is probably mostly from the cacao. What is the solution?Deceptive food labeling.Undisclosed ingredients.Corrupt food producers.Corrupt food dealers.Unethical/incompetent/ineffective government regulation of food.