How to Make Healthy Hot Chocolate

Steaming hot chocolate just goes with chilly holidays and the winter season! Ever thought about making it healthy? Try some of the following steps to make it beneficial for kids and adults while keeping it a delicious and satisfying treat for the season.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• unsweetened cocoa mix
• dark chocolate 1 oz
• fat-free milk
• a sugar substitute
• cinnamon (optional)

1. Bring 18 oz of fat-free milk to a simmer on the stove. DO NOT BOIL! With this step you are getting the benefit of Vitamins D and Calcium.

2. Add in cocoa that is unsweetened, 1 oz. of dark chocolate and a sugar substitute of your choice. With this step you are getting the benefit of antioxidants from the dark chocolate while still cutting out calories. (Dark chocolate that is 73% pure cocoa is bitter, but still tolerable to most.)

3. Stir until smooth. Make sure the dark chocolate has dissolved completely into the mixture.

4. The recipe will make approximately 2 cups of hot cocoa. Adjust the sweetener to match your taste. Children might desire a little more sweetener to balance out the bitter taste of the dark chocolate.

Tips & Warnings

• Sprinkle in some cinnamon if you desire a Latin twist.
• Add dark chocolate shavings to the top for decoration.
• Choose dark chocolate that has a higher percentage of pure cocoa.
• Add vanilla soy to make it healthy for your hear. (Thanks for the idea, Villain)

[walker7]

on 11/1/2009 Sounds great...thanks!

[cclofmead]

on 5/21/2009 Healthy hot chocolate sounds delicious! Great article!!5 *

[imagery]

on 5/21/2009 Good idea, I love hot chocolate.

[joni04]

on 5/21/2009 Looks like I am not the only one that thought this article was great! Thanks for making my fav thing healthy!

[Susanh]

on 5/21/2009 Yes! What a great way to enjoy hot chocolate without the guilt! Agave nectar might work for the sweetener too.