[Dairy-Free] Peppermint Hot Chocolate
Who loves chocolate? I do.
Who loves MINT with their chocolate? Yep, me too.
Who loves a warm, cozy mug of minty hot chocolate that is made from superfoods? Meeee. And I’m just going to go ahead and assume that you do to because you guys are my people, my invisible internet friends, my favorites.
And because you’re my people, I’m bringing you the best hot chocolate you ever did see. And it’s suuuuper healthy. Two thumbs up!
Did you know that chocolate is actually really good for you? It has an insane amount of antioxidants, can help you lose weight, lower your blood pressure and cholesterol, and can even help with that time of the month. Ladies, I know you get it. But, there’s a catch. These benefits come from the unprocessed forms of chocolate, like cacao powder, raw chocolate and dark chocolate. I’m talking about the kind that doesn’t have a bunch of added preservatives, chemicals, dairy and sugar. So that snickers bar that you’ve been eyeing does not fit into the healthy chocolate category.
This peppermint hot chocolate is made with raw cacao powder, which provides all of those benefits that I mentioned above, along with a good amount of potassium, magnesium and iron. I used the Navitas brand for this recipe and I LOVE this stuff. The flavor is rich and not too bitter, and I love that their company uses fair trade practices, and that their cacao is cold-pressed and milled at low temperatures to protect the nutrients. (This post is not sponsored by Navitas, I just really love their product.)
The addition of peppermint extract in this hot chocolate really makes it taste like Christmas in a cup. Either that, or girl scout thin mint cookies in a cup. Regardless, it’s so darn tasty, and you can drink it every day if you wanted to without any guilt of it bringing those dreaded holiday pounds along with it.
It only takes a handful of ingredients, about 10 minutes of your time, and you have yourself a delicious, nutritious chocolate-y drink. Now grab your warmest blanket, turn a Christmas movie on, and plop yourself on the couch with a mug of mint chocolate goodness.
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond milk
- 2 tbsp raw cacao powder
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1/8-1/4 tsp peppermint extract
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, add the milk, cacao, sugar, and extracts. (Note: make sure that you are careful not to use too much peppermint extract, a little goes a long way!) Whisk until combined.
- Bring to a low simmer and keep whisking to make sure that there are not any clumps.
- After it simmers for about a minute, pour into mugs and enjoy!
What a stellar idea to add peppermint extract to hot cocoa. It’s so easy and yet makes such a huge difference!
It definitely does make a huge difference! You just can’t go wrong with chocolate and mint 😉