One of my favorite winter treats that I used to drink every day is Hot Chocolate. I used to make it with whole milk and sugar, often topping it with a huge dollop of whipped cream. Makes me shudder just to think about it! I still enjoy my favorite drink, but now I reap the benefits of this raw food recipe of the healthier version. Made from almond milk, cacao and agave, it is delicious and healthy. I keep the heat under 116 degrees, so I can maintain all the wonderful nutrients. It is warm and very satisfying!
- 1 C Almond Milk (see below)
- 1-2 T Cacao (to taste)
- 1 T Agave (or more to taste)
- Sprinkle of Cinnamon.
Combine all ingredients in a blender or with an immersion blender. The blender will thicken it nicely. Warm to 116. You can do this in the vitamix or VERY carefully on the stove. If you use the stove, you need to stop heating before it gets to temp as it will continue to heat even after the heat source is removed. You can use a candy thermometer to check temp.
Almond Milk
- 1 C Almonds, soaked at least 6 hours
- 4 C filtered water
- 2 dates
- 1 vanilla bean.
Drain almonds from soaking water. Add to vitamix with 4 C of the filtered water, dates and vanilla bean. Process for 2 minutes. Strain through nutmilk bag. You can save the remaining pulp, dehydrate it and use it as flour for other recipes.
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{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
This sounds so delicious – especially since it’s chilly outside!
OMG…love it!
Enjoy!
woweeee, that does sound delicious and so so simple:).
if you’re looking for a malty, horlicks substitute, try brazil nut mylk, with dates or figs, blended with as much maca as you like…
Also, blend until warm, then get on board the train to heaven!
inJOY
AngelicWildBoy
Thanks for sharing your inspiring story; as well as your delicious rawcipes
OH MY GOODNESS!!!! this looks super duper good. i must try it. thank you thank you!
This is tasty and definitely a good energy boost.
I love enjoying the classic flavors of autumn and winter without the health risks!
I also use brazil nut milk as Nate mentioned above. I love the rich flavor it adds to drinks. I don’t know if you are 100% raw, but if not and you occasionally treat yourself with a non-raw ingredient, for a wonderful whipped topping (which you could use on the cocoa), we sometimes use a prepared/boxed coconut cream (Kara brand). It whips almost exactly like dairy cream and tastes divine.
Also, one of the challenges I’ve had with the raw diet so far is the tendency to eat too many concentrated sweets (dates, agave, etc.), and I still have a candida problem, so I have been sweetening my nut milks with stevia. I just use a few drops of the liquid concentrate, but for purists I know you can buy powdered stevia leaf that is mechanically cold processed.
It’s so much easier to eat raw in the summer. We have so many great New England farms we hardly even need to cook. But now that winters coming we’re going to be forced back to tasteless fruits and vegetables that have traveled the globe to make it to our plate. Fortunately we did some preserving but it’s never enough for every meal. I look forward to seeing what you do with food in the colder months. The hot cocoa looks great. Have you tried sweetening with Agave nectar? I love it!
Yes..I use agave…it is in the recipe!
Thanks for all your kind words. I froze what ever I could to get through the winter. I do know what you mean. But it is also a good time to eat the denser foods that we associate with winter. I love eating with the seasons!
Nice post. Thank you for sharing.
xo
Eco Mama
Mmm… I’ll have to make some of this today!
xoxo
Oh my, that cacao drink looks GOOOOOOOD. I may have to try this tonight.. along with a couple other of your recipes for dinner! Yum! Thank you!
How do you know when the cacao reaches near 116F in the vitamix? The warm Cacao taste great! thanks for recipe.
I actually use a kitchen thermometer. They are inexpensive and work great.
I took your recipe above and changed it a little..which then led to me having something like 4 huge cups of this stuff over the weekend. I used Almond mylk, agave syrup (as the sweetener), vanilla bean scrapings, cacao, cinnamon, and a about 1/4 of a teaspoon of coconut oil. All I can say is …WOW! Thank you, it was soooo delicious and too tempting!
There’s a lot of controversy these days concerning agave nectar. Is it still a healthy raw sweetener? (I’m pretty confused; I stopped using it a year ago and now use maple and date sugar exclusively. Oh, and Stevia, too.)
If it IS a healthy sweetener, what do you look for when deciding on what product to buy? The word “raw” on the label?
Btw, this looks DELICIOUS. Love your photos as well. Such a beautiful & informative site. =)
Thanks!
Jennifer
how long the almond milk can stay in a fridge after you make it?
It turns pretty quickly. I would use it in 3-4 days.
This is so delicious! I love your site and the recipes. I have been “cooking” like a banshee the past few weeks and trying all kinds of things. So yummy! Thanks for the inspiration. My husband is raw as well so it makes life easier for me. He loves everything I make and is starting to get the hang of preparing stuff too. My college boys are eating healthier though not all raw, there’s nothing but fruit, veggies, nuts and seeds in the house so they’re kind of forced to, haha.
Ok, here’s the BIG thing: I’m trying to make my own chocolate, but I can’t find unprocessed (read: without sugar, milk, etc) already added to it. It looks like your recipe calls for raw cocoa…. where did you find it? Do you have a favorite source?
Thanks!
I order it on-line. Cheers!
Have you ever read that when you soak almonds, the calcium that is in the almonds is absorbed by the water.
Any other nut milks that you would recommend if I can’t eat almonds due to an allergy? Those talking about brazil nut milk do you make your own??
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