Hot Cocoa is my all-time favorite warm drink during these winter months. I am so excited to share a few healthy hacks to make this recipe health promoting! Before I get started on how to make your healthy hot cocoa, have you ever wondered where this drink is from and how it got so popular? It started as early as 500 BC with the Mayans who started drinking a chocolate mixture including water, cornmeal, and chili peppers. Hot cocoa has been found throughout history including in the early 1500’s in Europe explores brought cocoa beans and chocolate introducing this special drink which spread across Europe.
The way hot cocoa has been made has varied all throughout the world. Traditional hot cocoa is made with chocolate, sugar, and milk. I want to share this amazing recipe with you for a healthy hot cocoa that is health promoting. My health promoting hot cocoa includes almond milk, cocoa powder, dates, and vanilla. Substituting dates and cocoa powder is an amazing switch for sweetening our hot cocoa in a health way. Dates have potassium, manganese, magnesium, fiber, and lots of other vitamins and minerals. Raw cocoa powder is known as a super food because its packed with vitamins and minerals such as iron and calcium. I also love how easy this recipe is to make.
Ingredients:
1 cup almond milk unsweetened
3 dates pitted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tablespoon raw cocoa powder
Directions:
Place all items in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth
Pour the mixture in a pan on the stove top to warm
Enjoy!!
