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Bittersweet Chai Hot Cocoa

February 14, 2011 by KimiHarris 27 Comments

Thanks for stopping by! If you're interested in healthy eating check out my free gifts! and subscribe to get regular email updates. *Some links may be affiliate.*
Thanks for stopping by! If you're interested in healthy eating check out my free gifts! and subscribe to get regular email updates. *Some links may be affiliate.*

In celebration of love and romance, I thought I would share one more chocolate recipe. This hot cocoa is infused with the warming spices of chai and lightly sweetened, for a bittersweet chocolate treat. So delicious! Once again, I experimented with having only two teaspoons of sugar per serving. This left the hot cocoa quite bitter (my four year old and I love bittersweet chocolate, so we loved it), and the coconut milk made it very creamy. To keep it within the two teaspoons of sweetener, I also made the servings small. However, this was so rich, I found a small cup was quite enough.

TheseΒ  would make a lovely midday treat on Valentine’s day or anytime. Of course, fudge or truffles would be nice as well. Or bittersweet chocolate tart or berry chocolate tart…..or raspberry chocolate coconut flour cupcakes or chocolate covered strawberries. Can you tell that I like chocolate?

Also, please visit my two new sponsors! I will be giving a full review (and giveaway) of these lovely product soon, but if you want to indulge yourself with some wonderful “lotion bars” that have been a huge blessing for my dry hands, please check out Made On: Lotion Bars. The Au Chocolat gift package would be a great gift to self. I try to only use skin products that use all natural ingredients, and not only do these fit the bill, but they work so much better for me than most lotions. More information to come! Secondly, check out the reusable sandwich and snack bags and wraps that Eco Lunch Gear makes. These are quite a favorite around here. They are very convenient and I love the “wrap” style, as they are so easy to clean. And it helps us not throw away so much plastic. (It doesn’t hurt that they are so cute too, so much more fun than plastic bags).

Bittersweet Chai Hot Cocoa

You can make this sweeter by either adding stevia, or more sweetener. What sweetener you use will effect how sweet it is (honey is the sweetest, coconut sugar, the least sweet). We tested this recipe using whole cane sugar (rapadura). I used a chai rooibos tea for a naturally caffeine free tea. This makes 4 small servings. Serve in small cups.

    1 14 ounce can of full fat coconut milk
    1/4 cup of cocoa powder
    2 tablespoons whole cane sugar, coconut sugar, honey, maple syrup, or sweetener of choice.
    1 1/2 cups of hot water
    3 bags of chai tea
    1 teaspoon vanilla

1) Steep the three bags of tea in the hot water for the length of time as prescribed on the box.

2) In a small pot, whisk the cocoa and sweetener with 1/2 cup of the coconut milk until there are no lumps Add the rest of the coconut milk and the chai tea. Bring to a simmer and then take off the heat. Add the vanilla and serve.

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KimiHarris

I love beautiful and simple food that is nourishing to the body and the soul. I wrote Fresh: Nourishing Salads for All Seasons and Ladled: Nourishing Soups for All Seasons as another outlet of sharing this love of mine. I also love sharing practical tips on how to make a real food diet work on a real life budget. Find me online elsewhere by clicking on the icons below!

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Filed Under: Dairy Free, Desserts, Gluten Free, Uncategorized, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Katie

    February 14, 2011 at 11:37 am

    Sounds delicious! I wish I had some chai tea on hand but I ran out. πŸ™ Might need to get some next time I am State side. Thank for sharing this yummy treat!

    Reply
    • Katie

      February 16, 2011 at 11:44 am

      So this IS delicious! My friend had some chai tea so needless to say I promptly made this for us when she pulled out her tea bags. I am drinking it right now. Thanks! πŸ™‚

      Reply
      • KimiHarris

        February 16, 2011 at 12:23 pm

        So glad you like it! I love this drink. πŸ™‚

        Reply
  2. Jenny

    February 14, 2011 at 11:46 am

    The local coffee shop I visit makes something very similar – they call it Indian-spiced chocolate and it’s heavenly.

    Reply
  3. Genevieve

    February 14, 2011 at 12:02 pm

    Yum!

    Reply
  4. Katie

    February 14, 2011 at 1:00 pm

    Wow — this sounds super good!

    Reply
  5. City Share

    February 14, 2011 at 1:14 pm

    I like the use of coconut milk and chai tea. Thanks for the great idea. Happy Valentine’s day.

    Reply
  6. Magda

    February 14, 2011 at 1:25 pm

    Hi Kimi,

    Your hot chocolate looks delicious.. and vegan.

    Also, I wanted to let you know that I love your blog and reading your blog has made me interested in the Weston A. Price Foundation. I recently got the opportunity to hear Sally Fallon speak and was excited because I thought I would learn more about soaking grains and other helpful items like that. However, I have to tell you how disappointed I was. Sally Fallon spent the entire hour insulting vegetarians and spouting ridiculously inaccurate information. I mean, to the extent that when asked, “what advice would you give to a vegan who wanted to have a child,” she said bluntly, “Don’t.” She went on to say that it wasn’t fair to the children because they would have birth defects. I was shocked since your blog is nourishing and also vegan-friendly. I absolutely agree with not eating processed foods, etc, but I wanted to ask how you are able to handle supporting the WAPF when their leadership says such things. Honestly, everything she said made her sound like a crazy person.

    Reply
    • Magda

      February 14, 2011 at 1:30 pm

      Sorry, I also forgot say that she said that factory meat farming was humane!!

      Reply
      • KimiHarris

        February 14, 2011 at 4:03 pm

        Magda,

        That surprises me as it was Sally Fallon who originally helped me understand the importance of buying grass fed beef, pastured chickens, etc. What was the context of her saying that?

        Reply
        • Andrew

          February 14, 2011 at 7:28 pm

          She said that in an interview at a site called Renegade Health during a series called the Great Health Debate. The interviews were free but are now on sale for 50 bucks and really aren’t worth that price. The questions were very focused on veganism and vegetarianism. She was chosen to argue a perspective and she did so strongly. Her view is that veganism is an experiment that hasn’t been undertaken by traditional societies and that it is abhorent to use children as guinea pigs. Harsh, but I think understandable.

          She didn’t condone factory farming. She did make a statement that she didn’t contextualize about deaths in factory farming being less violent than typical death in nature (i.e. a wolf tearing the neck off a deer).

          Reply
          • KimiHarris

            February 14, 2011 at 8:23 pm

            Thanks Andrew!

          • KimiHarris

            February 14, 2011 at 8:23 pm

            Thanks Andrew. That was helpful information. πŸ™‚

    • Carla

      February 14, 2011 at 3:53 pm

      Magda,
      Everyone is entitled to their options. Even Sally Fallon. In your opinion, she is wrong. That’s all right. In other peoples opinion, she is right. That is their opinion; and they have the right to their opinion.

      Reply
    • Carla

      February 14, 2011 at 3:55 pm

      Magda,
      Everyone is entitled to their opinions. Even Sally Fallon. In your opinion, she is wrong. That’s all right. You have the right to your opinion. The opinions of others shouldn’t prevent you from living your life the way you want to.

      In other peoples opinion, she is right. That is their opinion; and they have the right to their opinion. Your opinion shouldn’t prevent them from living the life they want to.

      Reply
      • Magda

        February 15, 2011 at 9:07 am

        Carla, I’m sorry if I was unclear. I never intended for my opinion to prevent anyone from living their life the way they want to. I just wanted to ask for Kimi’s opinion because I respect her viewpoints.

        Reply
    • KimiHarris

      February 14, 2011 at 4:01 pm

      Magda,

      The few times I have heard Sally Fallon speak, she has been gracious, but with strong convictions about what is truly healthy. I do share many recipes that happen to be vegan, since so many of my recipes are dairy free and I love that they have been helpful to my vegan readers. As you know, my diet is not vegan or even vegetarian, but I love communicating and sharing ideas with those who are. While I don’t promote veganism or vegetairnism, I feel like there is still helpful information we can share together.

      I can imagine that Sally’s words could seem quite shocking, especially if you aren’t on the same page as her on nutrition. But I don’t doubt, as harsh as she may have sounded, that she was trying to serve people with sharing what she did. I do think that prenatal nutrition is important (while nutritional deficiencies don’t cause all birth defects, they are known in the medical world to cause some). I would recommend getting your hands on Weston A Price’s original work,Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
      It’s a fascinating read and would help you understand where Sally is coming from (I don’t agree with everything in the book, and it’s just one man’s research, but it has greatly influenced me).

      I appreciate Sally Fallon’s work as I follow a lot of her research. And she was the one that introduced me to the beauty of foods like coconut oil and coconut milk. πŸ™‚

      Reply
      • KimiHarris

        February 14, 2011 at 4:06 pm

        Also, just for the record, I think that many cultures were able to maintain good health on a vegetarian diet, using grass fed milk and butter, and pastured eggs. πŸ™‚ I hope that my comment helped a little. I am hoping to sometime write out my own personal story of how the way I eat and this blog came to be. πŸ™‚

        Reply
      • Magda

        February 15, 2011 at 9:33 am

        Thanks Kimi. Unfortunately, she did come across as harsh and shocking as opposed to gracious. I agree with you that I prefer to focus on the items of commonality between us than on where we disagree. I continue to be interested in items like whole foods, coconut oil, soaking grains, kefir, grass-fed beef (my husband eats meat), etc. and look forward to learning more from you on these “nourishing” topics. I will check out Nutrition and Physical Regeneration, and try not to “throw out the baby with the bath water.”

        Reply
  7. Rivki Locker

    February 14, 2011 at 5:01 pm

    This looks just wonderful. I love the combination of coconut, cocoa and chai. I’ve clipped this and hope to try it soon. Thanks!

    Reply
  8. Cupid

    February 14, 2011 at 9:27 pm

    Wow, hot chocolate and psychology all in one spot. Maybe everyone just needs a little kaluha in their hot chocolate?

    Reply
  9. Rachel Wisdom

    February 17, 2011 at 6:27 am

    Could I make this and keep leftovers in the fridge to warm up later? It looks delicious, but I’m afraid I’m the only one in my family who would enjoy it (I’m the only hot drink lover). πŸ™‚

    Reply
  10. Cat

    February 1, 2012 at 5:59 am

    Hi all, I made a rice side dish last night that called for a can of coconut milk. When I looked at the nutritional info on the can, I was taken aback. I knew it was high in fat, but geez! I’m not usually anti-fat per se. I think healthy fats (olive oil, coconut oil, etc.) in moderation can really boost the yum in foods. But I recently was told that my cholesterol needs to come down, so I’m steering away from them more. Anyway, I’m doing the sugar cleanse challenge and don’t want to chuck out sugar only to add a butt load of fat….Just my two cents here.

    Reply
  11. Ally @ Om Nom Ally

    January 11, 2014 at 10:21 pm

    I’ve got a few of the Eco Lunch Gear products, their sandwich bags make transporting lunch a breeze. You’re right about them being cute too, I always look forward to lunch when it’s wrapped up in something pretty πŸ™‚
    Thanks for the hot chocolate recipe – for some reason I had never thought of using coconut milk before! It all makes sense now as it means I could use less sweetener and thanks to it’s full-bodied nature I could feel ever more satisfied!

    I’ve recently started a blog party focused on wholefood drink recipes and I would love if you would ever like to link up. It’s called the Weekend Wholefood Blender Party and starts every Sunday to promote smoothies, juices, herbal teas, fermented beverages and other home-made drinks. I love your blog and can see you love link parties – so I’d love to see you there sometime πŸ™‚ Thanks for posting this amazing recipe and have a great week!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Homemade Chai Rooibos Concentrate says:
    February 28, 2011 at 11:51 am

    […] if you want a less traditional chai, check out my recipe for Chai Hot Cocoa. Another scrumptious […]

    Reply
  2. Q & A: Normal Sugar Consumption for our Household says:
    March 2, 2011 at 10:09 pm

    […] you updated on my progress. My first two recipes following that guideline, the Truffles and the Chai Hot Cocoa were a success in this household. But other recipes may prove a challenge, unless I supplement with […]

    Reply
  3. 10 ways to ensure success when removing refined sugar from your diet says:
    January 27, 2012 at 4:40 pm

    […] 2″ keeping to 2 teaspoons a day, a bit of sweetener in a cup of tea is nice. This recipe for Chai hot cocoa follows the guidelines and you could even make truffles and still fit within the guidelines! […]

    Reply

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The information you find here at The Nourishing Gourmet is meant to help you become a better cook! This site is primarily for sharing family friendly recipes. It's not meant to give medical advice or to make any health claims on the prevention or curing of diseases.This site is only for informational and educational purposes. Please discuss with your own, qualified health care provider before adding in supplements or making any changes in your diet. Also, any links to sponsors or affiliates (including Amazon) may give me a percentage of the sale or a pay per click. Thank you for supporting this site.

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