Rich Sugar-Free Hot Chocolate Mix

Lucky for us, cocoa has a lot of health benefits!  From lower cholesterol to lower blood sugar, cocoa is our friend.  

However, we only get these health benefits from natural cocoa, not Dutch-processed cocoa most often used in store-bought hot chocolate.  Dutch-processed cocoa means that the cocoa beans have been washed in an alkaline solution of potassium carbonate, which neutralizes their acidity.  This makes the cocoa dissolve much quicker in liquid, but it also neutralizes all those health benefits.

I have played around with a few different recipes to settle on my very favorite homemade sugar-free hot chocolate mix.  A cup of this is a MUST for me every day in the winter!  It's a huge part of my hygge self-care, actually!

It's sugar-free, has the health benefits of natural cocoa, and has a richer flavor than any of the homemade hot chocolate mix recipes I've tried due to minimal use of nonfat dry milk.

It does have a little different flavor than packaged hot chocolate mixes, especially because of the natural cocoa (as opposed to the alkalized, processed cocoa we're used to in hot chocolate), but I hope you like it as much as I do.

RICH SUGAR-FREE HOT CHOCOLATE MIX

PREP TIME:  around 10 minutes for the mix, then just a few minutes to make a cup

INGREDIENTS

• 1  1/2 c. Nido dry whole milk (usually in the Mexican section of the grocery store), or any other brand dry whole (not nonfat) milk like Peak.  Alternatively, you can use powdered creamer in place of the dry whole milk.  
• 1/2 c. nonfat dry milk
• 1/2 c. natural unsweetened cocoa, sifted (to help it dissolve better in water)
• 1/2 c. sweetener such as Stevia (or more, if you like)
• 1 c. very hot water

DIRECTIONS

Combine the dry ingredients well, then store in a jar or cannister.  To make 8 oz. of hot chocolate, pour approximately 1/2 c. very hot water into a mug.  Stir in 2 Tbsp. (heaping, if you like) into the water.  Stir well and let sit for a minute to allow time for the dry mix to dissolve. You'll want to mix it more than processed hot chocolate mix that dissolves quickly--and you may need to smash any lumps in the mixture you might see.  Add the remaining 1/2 c. hot water and stir well.  Enjoy! 

Try this recipe, then comment and let me know how you like it in the comments!  And Pin it to Pinterest to save and share using the image below.

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