How to Make Sweet Diabetic Hot Chocolate Hot Cocoa

Spanish conquistadors introduced cocoa to Europe in the early 1500s.

Hot chocolate is a drink with far-reaching historic roots. The ancient Aztecs reserved the drinking of hot chocolate for their most exalted warriors. Spanish conquistadors, who conquered the Aztecs, brought the drink to Europe in the early 1500s. Although the original drink included wine and was not sweet, Europeans soon added sugar and cream. Modern hot chocolate is even sweeter than the original European version. This sweetness can be replicated with alternative sweeteners for those who are intolerant of natural sugar due to diabetes.

Things You'll Need

• Milk
• Cocoa powder
• Sucralose
• Whipped cream
• Cayenne pepper
• Vanilla
• Sugar-free dark chocolate squares
• Sugar-free flavored syrup

Instructions

1. Mix 2 tsp. of cocoa powder with 2 tsp. of sucralose until blended. Add 1 cup of hot milk and blend thoroughly for a basic and simple diabetic hot chocolate. Top with whipped cream.

2. Heat 1 cup of milk with 1/4 tsp. of cayenne pepper and 1/4 tsp. vanilla. In microwave, melt 1 1/2 oz. of a good quality, sugar-free dark chocolate. Stir the melted chocolate into the spiced milk until thoroughly blended to create an Aztec-inspired sugar-free hot chocolate.

3. Blend 2 tsp. of cocoa powder with 1 cup of hot milk until thoroughly mixed. Add 2 tsp. of a sugar-free flavoring syrup, such as hazelnut or mint. Stir to make a flavored, sugar-free hot chocolate.

Tips & Warnings

• Aspartame or other, non-nutritive, sweeteners can be substituted for sucralose.

References

• Chili Pepper Madness: Aztec Hot Chocolate Recipe
• University of California at Berkeley; Hot Chocolate Review; History of Hot Chocolate; Annelora Chieh Chou and Cedric Sze Chun Lau; 2002
• Facts About Chocolate: A Basic Hot Chocolate Recipe