Recipes to Nourish

Real Food & Natural Living

Nourishing Honey Sweetened Hot Chocolate

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Nourishing Honey Sweetened Hot Chocolate is chocolaty and comforting like the old fashioned kind we all grew up with. This version has lots of optional, wholesome and healthy add-ins.

Mug of hot chocolate.

Nourishing honey sweetened hot chocolate?!

Is there such a thing as NOURISHING hot chocolate?! Well yes there is! 
 
Mug of frothy hot chocolate.
 

I have fond childhood memories of my grandma making hot chocolate for me {she called it hot cocoa}. When I would visit her, she would make me hot cocoa every morning as soon as I woke up. It was such a special treat and I always knew she made it for me with lots of love.

 
Mug of hot chocolate.
 

I want my girls to be able to enjoy hot chocolate the way I did as a little girl. But I’m not okay with the mainstream packaged versions or the kind made with syrups or powders.

All of the mainstream kinds of hot chocolate are full of refined sugar, high fructose corn syrup and corn syrup. No thanks!

Mug of hot chocolate.

My version uses nourishing ingredients and is heated at a low temperature so it retains most of the beneficial nutrients.

Both Little Love and Tiny Love are fond of nourishing honey sweetened hot chocolate just like me. It is a favorite in our home during the colder months and holiday months.

This nourishing honey sweetened hot chocolate is the perfect treat on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning too!

Hot chocolate in a mug.

Nourishing Honey Sweetened Hot Chocolate

Nourishing Honey Sweetened Hot Chocolate

Nourishing Honey Sweetened Hot Chocolate

Yield: 3 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 7 minutes
Total Time: 12 minutes

This real food Nourishing Honey Sweetened Hot Chocolate is chocolaty and comforting like the old fashioned kind we all grew up with. This version has lots of optional nourishing add-ins.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons raw cacao powder (<-- this is the fair-trade cocoa I use)
  • 2 tablespoons raw honey {I use local raw clover creamed}
  • 2 teaspoons organic vanilla extract
  • 3 cups raw/organic/grass-fed whole milk {See About page for Resources, scroll down to bottom of page}

Instructions

  1. Add milk to a medium-size saucepan and heat over low heat for about 7 minutes or until desired temperature. 
  2. In a small bowl, combine cacao powder, honey and vanilla. Stir until it makes a paste. This helps break up any cacao lumps. 
  3. Add cacao mixture to the warm milk, stir until cacao mixture has completely dissolved. 
  4. Serve immediately and top with optional homemade honey sweetened whipped cream or homemade marshmallows.

Notes

You Will Need: Medium-Size Saucepan, Small Bowl

Note: Recipe can easily be doubled. 

Optional Nourishing Add-Ins:

  • Pasture Butter ... yes butter! It's absolutely delicious + creamy + rich. I add about 1 tablespoon to mine. I like this + this brand. 
  • Grass-fed Collagen ... I use this because it's high in protein, dissolves in liquid + does not alter the flavor. It's known for having gut-healing properties + known for strengthening bones + teeth. A win win if you ask me! I add about 2 tablespoons {or more} which equals about 10 grams of protein. I love this grass-fed collagen. My family uses it daily. 
  • Cinnamon makes a lovely addition too. I love this organic cinnamon that supports the protection of the orangutan. I use about 1/4 teaspoon for the whole batch. 
  • Celtic Sea Salt ... a little pinch of salt tastes delicious + adds a little bit of savory to the sweet. It also adds a small amount of extra nutrients + minerals. Unrefined sea salt is actually very good for your health {table salt - not so much}. This is my absolute favorite brand. I usually add just a pinch of sea salt ... about 1/16 of a teaspoon {I don't measure it, I just sprinkle a dash in}. 
  • Grass-fed Gelatin ... instead of the collagen. I only use gelatin when I'm not using collagen and when I want a foamy "marshmallowy" top. To get the delicious thick foam on top, place heated hot chocolate in a high-powered blender, add desired amount of gelatin {I usually add 1-2 tablespoons} and blend for at least 25 seconds. Pour into cup and enjoy all of that yummy foam. My kids love it this way. I love this brand of grass-fed gelatin. It has the same benefits as the collagen listed above + has a good amount of protein. 

Dairy-Free Option: Substitute full-fat coconut milk for the raw milk. I use this BPA free organic coconut milk that has no added guar gum.  

Recommended Products

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 3 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 229 Total Fat: 9g Saturated Fat: 5g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 2g Cholesterol: 24mg Sodium: 106mg Carbohydrates: 28g Fiber: 1g Sugar: 24g Protein: 9g
This nutritional information was auto-generated based on serving size, number of servings, and typical information for the ingredients listed. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, please calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients and amounts used, using your preferred nutrition calculator. Under no circumstances shall the this website and the author be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on the given nutritional information. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
© Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
Cuisine: American / Category: Beverage

Are you on Pinterest? I pin lots of yummy real food recipes + more there. I have a board just for Gluten Free Treats and Beverages too! Come follow along. 

The Art of Great Cooking With Your Instant Pot Cookbook - 80 INSPIRING GLUTEN-FREE RECIPES MADE EASIER, FASTER AND MORE NUTRITIOUS IN YOUR MULTI-FUNCTION COOKER | Recipes to Nourish // Instant Pot Recipes | Pressure Cooker Recipes | Gluten Free Recipes | Healthy Recipes | Real Food Recipes

 
 
 
 
Healthy Chocolate Peppermint Marshmallows are so festive and special for the holidays! These real food, naturally sweetened marshmallows are easy to make, a fun treat to snack on, delicious in hot chocolate, and perfect as a homemade holiday gift! | Recipes to Nourish
 
 
Healthy Sweet Beet Hot Chocolate is a fun twist on the traditional warming drink. This beautiful, deep pink and creamy nourishing drink is protein-rich, Paleo friendly, chocolaty and sweet with subtle earthy notes. | Recipes to Nourish

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  4. I hope you enjoy it! It is so simple, and the nice things is it’s not a science, so really you can add any amounts of the cacao or honey, you can alter it completely to your liking 🙂 Take care.

    Reply

  5. This looks so delicious and a great treat! Thank you so much for sharing your great recipe with Full Plate Thursday. Hope you will have a fabulous week and come back soon!
    Miz Helen

    Reply

  11. Hi Emily, thanks for sharing the hot chocolate recipe with us. Sounds delicious. Will have to try it this winter and it just might become a favourite!! I recently found your blog and am now a follower. Please pop on over and visit my blog and perhaps you would like to follow me also. I would love that. Hugs, Chris

    Reply

  14. This is amazing! I agree with the other readers its so yummy!!! Our family can’t stop making it now that its cold out. Its a great substitute for Swiss miss which is chock full of sugar. Thank you so much for posting and sharing your recipe!

    Reply

    • Thank you, you’re so kind. We love it too, it’s a favorite when the weather gets colder. Best wishes to you and your family 🙂

      Reply

  15. We get our Raw milk from Claravale as well. I thought I recognized that bottle! lol We get ours through real food bay area.com for anyone that’s interested and can’t find it in a store. Sadly I can’t have the milk *sobs* I wonder if this would be good with coconut milk. mmmmm

    Reply

    • Coconut milk would be delicious! I’ve heard that’s a great resource in the Bay Area for real food 🙂

      Thanks for stopping by! Be well.

      Reply

  18. This is the right inspiration at the right time – my daughters flask needs something warm for a forrest day in her Kindergarten. Great idea to mix honey and cocoa – we always used hot water, but the honey method doesn’t dilute the milk! Do you heat the milk to just 40 C to keep it raw and keep honey benefits?

    Reply

    • I hope she has a great day on forrest day. I don’t really worry about the actual temperature, I don’t own a thermometer either. I have always read that even if you’re heating your raw milk, you’re still getting a better quality milk. To be honest I don’t always use raw milk because it’s not always in our budget. But when I do use it, I just warm it for longer over a low temperature – so it never boils, just gets it to a very warm drinking temperature. The WAPF site says, “Gentle heating is probably okay, such as putting cheese in an omelet, warming milk (but not more than you can touch it without burning).”

      Reply

  22. Hi Emily,
    This brings such sweet memories of my childhood and the hot chocolate that my Mother used to make. This recipes sounds so delicious and I love that you use grass fed organic Milk. Thanks for sharing on Real Food Fridays Pinned & tweeted!

    Reply

  23. Hi Emily,
    Just a note to let you know that I have chosen your post as one of my features for this weeks Real Food Fridays blog hop that goes live every Thursday @ 7pm EST. Thank you sharing and being part of our mission to make it a healthier world.

    Reply

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