My son loves hot chocolate. According to him, the coffee shop at church serves the best cup. I was able to hunt down the brand and nutrition information and not unlike any other brand of hot chocolate mix, a 2 Tbsp. serving has 25 g of sugar (that's before any milk is mixed in). The next time we went food shopping, I checked out labels for all different brands of hot chocolate mix, even the organic varieties. They all had one thing in common, the first ingredient was sugar. In my post, A Lesson in Label Dissection, we learned that according to the FDA, the ingredient list on a food label is the listing of each ingredient in descending order of predominance. Which means, the aforementioned hot chocolate mixes have more sugar than any other ingredient.
So, what's a health conscious mom to do? I propose you make your own delicious-tasting hot chocolate mix and nix the sugar (and the dairy). That's what this mom does anyways and it couldn't be any easier or tastier. I'm working on a sugar-free marshmallow replacement as well, so stay tuned!
I love, love, love, dark chocolate and up until recently have been happily baking with Hershey's Special Dark cocoa. Although not necessarily the highest quality cocoa, it is gluten-free and delivered in the dark chocolate department. However, since finding out Hershey's financially contributed against labeling GMOs I decided I would boycott the company. What can I say, I believe in voting with my food dollars.
Although I haven't found another dark cocoa, I have found an organic, fairly-traded cocoa that has quickly become my favorite. In this recipe for healthy sugar-free Hot Chocolate Mix, it is divine.
Combine that with the fact the cacao is grown without the use of chemicals or pesticides and the workers are paid fair wages and I am a happy camper.
I have been combining 2 Tbsp. of the mix with 8 oz. of hot unsweetened almond milk and then using my milk frother to mix. I am loving this so much, it has replaced my nightly dark chocolate habit. I have also snuck it into my morning cup of French press dark roast coffee for a fabulous mocha.
As far as my son, the hot chocolate connoisseur is concerned, he gives it two thumbs up.
Ingredients
- 1 c. Cocoa Powder
- 1 c. Granular Sweetener - for sugar-free I recommend Swerve or Birch Xylitol
- 1 tsp. Celtic Sea Salt
Directions
- In a pint jar with lid, combine cocoa, sweetener and salt. Mix with a spoon.
- Store sealed in cupboard.
Notes
This recipe has been tested with my preferred ingredients. Please consider, if I recommend a substitution, it will be included as a note in the recipe.
To make hot chocolate, combine 2 Tbsp. of mix with 8 oz. of your favorite non-dairy alternative milk, I prefer almond milk.
Per Serving 25 calories, 1 g fat, 4 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 2 g NET CARBS, 1 g pro (calculated using unsweetened almond milk and Swerve)
