This weekend was a whirlwind. A fun whirlwind, but I’d like an extra morning that can be lazy, pajama-filled, and include a blanket and this cup of hot chocolate. Ahh.
I suppose Monday and a snowstorm will do.
Saturday I helped throw a baby shower for my sister, who is due with a little boy January. For the shower, we filled the food spread with her biggest cravings, like root beer, kettle chips, and an intense hot chocolate bar.
As you may expect, a hot chocolate bar is possibly the most Pinterest-type thing ever. The first time I created a hot chocolate bar (yes, it’s been more than once), I immediately purchased a bunch of mason jars. For that first HC bar, I believe I even had name tags to show what was in each mason jar (even though, umm, they’re clear glass, so…): toffee bits, toasted coconut, mini marshmallows, Andes mint pieces, salted caramel and crushed oreos. All of these mason jars sat beside a crockpot full of hot chocolate made with 2 cans of sweetened condensed milk.
Told ya – INTENSE.
On Sunday, after I cleaned up from the shower, I ended up making yet another batch of hot chocolate. Since it was just for me, I decided to make it a little better-for-me than the all-out hot chocolate buffet. In the version I’m sharing today, almond milk replaces higher-fat alternatives such as sweetened condensed milk, whole milk, or coconut milk. To get a creamy, velvety texture, I added a little arrowroot starch. If you don’t have arrowroot starch, corn starch will work as well.
The steps of this recipe couldn’t be easier – whisk together the dry ingredients, heat up the milk and vanilla, add the dry ingredients, boil for 5 minutes, and BAM, creamy vegan hot chocolate craving satisfied.
In addition to the tastylicious benefits of this recipe, it’s not too bad nutritionally. In fact, let’s allow cocoa a moment to brag about its attributes. According to my nutrition calculator, this cocoa-centric recipe offers the following pros:
High in dietary fiber
High in manganese
High in magnesium
High in vitamin A
Very high in vitamin E
OH, hey, did you need an excuse to drink hot chocolate on this Monday? I’m here for you, friends, and I’ll drink (sugar) to that.