Decadent Hot Chocolate and the Greatest Snack
Hot chocolate is my favorite hot beverage. I don't drink coffee nor do I like anything coffee-related or flavored. So that limits what I can drink as both a treat and to warm up. I enjoy herbal teas, I love hot cider, but nothing quite beats the creamy deliciousness of hot cocoa.
I've looked at a million hot chocolate recipes on Pinterest and this one is my favorite. Hers is a gluten free/dairy free/vegan recipe though you can make it with real milk if you want to. It is the creamiest, most decadent, and delicious treat to relax with and enjoy with some popcorn and a movie.
Creamy & Rich Hot Chocolate
Serves: 2 Mugs
Ingredients
- 1½ C Dairy Free Milk (I like almond milk)
- ½ C Full Fat Canned Coconut Milk
- ½ C Dark Chocolate Chips (I love Ghirardelli's dark chocolate chips but if you want dairy free, use the Enjoy life Brand)
- 1 tsp. Honey or Maple Syrup, optional
- ¼ tsp. Pure Vanilla
Instructions
- Pour the non-dairy milk and coconut milk into a small saucepan. Warm over medium-low heat, then stir in the chocolate chips.
- Stir until melted. Add more milk if it's too sweet or honey to sweeten if it's not sweet enough.
- Serve with coconut whipped cream if desired.
Like I said before, I love to pair this with some popcorn (the greatest snack ever!). Popcorn is my favorite snack of all time. I gave up microwave popcorn three years ago because of all the nasty stuff in it! Now I buy organic popcorn kernels in bulk at the grocery store and pop them on my stove. Which works great because we don't have a microwave in Lil Blue anyway!
Stove-Top Popcorn Recipe
Ingredients
- Organic popcorn kernels
- 2-4 Tbls coconut oil
- Sea salt
Instructions
- Choose a small-medium sized saucepan. Add 2 Tbls of coconut oil and melt on Med-High heat.
- Drop one or two kernels in the oil. Wait until they pop before adding more kernels so you know the oil is hot enough.
- Pour in as many kernels as it takes to coat the bottom of the saucepan in one layer. Shake the pan so all the kernels are coated in oil. Close with lid to keep heat in.
- Shake saucepan periodically and wait until popping lessens. Once it's barely popping pour into a large bowl.
- Melt 2 more Tbls of coconut oil (or you can use raw or grass-fed butter too) in the saucepan and drizzle over the bowl of popcorn. Salt as desired then mix all together with a spatula.
This hot chocolate and popcorn combination makes for a wonderful sweet and salty treat! Treat yourself to a decadent and relaxing night in. :)