Jazzed-Up Hot Cocoa and My Ingredient Hacks

Anybody for “Hot Cocoa?” When I think of cold winter days and nights, I immediately think of hot cocoa. I love anything to do with chocolate and could probably drink a glass of this beverage any time of the year. Lately, I’ve been experimenting using different ingredients in my “Hot Cocoa” to jazz it up. No, I’m not referring to adding liqueur — although this is tempting. My version of “Hot Cocoa” uses a few ingredients to add nutritional and taste appeal. Along the way, I’ve discovered a method to get cocoa powder to dissolve, to disguise it’s bitter taste and a find way to deal with the lactose content of milk.

Challenging Recipe – Ingredient Hacks

“Hot Cocoa” is such a simple beverage, yet it can be so challenging to prepare. For example, cocoa powder is hydroponic and just doesn’t readily dissolve in milk. Who wants cocoa powder floating in your glass of hot cocoa? My goal was to make “Hot Cocoa” using ingredients already on my kitchen shelf, such as cocoa powder, without having to run to the grocery store to purchase a special ingredient. In other words, I want to be able to make a mug of “Hot Cocoa” in a snap. Here’s what I did. But first, a little trivia about the nutritional value of the chocolate.

Nutritional Value of Cocoa

Cocoa powder and chocolate are derived from processed cocoa beans. Cocoa beans are the seeds of the Theobroma cacao tree which grows in countries along the equator. These raw beans are quite high in nutritional value and are one of the richest foods in flavonoids and polyphenols. The potent antioxidant properties of these flavonoids have many health benefits. These compounds protect body from free radicals which causes damage at the cellular level. For example, research shows that cocoa beans can lower blood pressure, help with vascular intregity (unstiffening arteries), and help improve cholesterol profiles. Several interesting research studies have explored how cocoa can help the brain with memory. In theory, cocoa should help with immune function, help fight chronic diseases and combat the effects of aging. Cocoa beans are also very rich in vitamins and minerals including magnesium, iron and calcium.

But wait…there’s a catch. The cocoa beans are processed through various steps including fermentation, drying, roasting, grinding and alkalizing (Dutch processed cocoa) to turn the beans into cocoa powder. And, eventually ingredients such as sugar, cocoa butter, milk and flavorings are added and cocoa becomes chocolate.

The more the cocoa beans are processed the more the flavonoids are destroyed and the nutritional value is decreased. Cacao powder is a minimally processed form of the cocoa bean. It still is very high in flavonoids. However, it is expensive, plus it is bitter. Dutch processing, or alkalization, removes much of the bitterness of the cocoa bean, but also destroys the flavonoids and eliminates most of the nutritional benefits of cocoa. Cocoa powder which has not been Dutch processed is available. It still contains only about 18% of the flavonoids as the more unprocessed form of cacao powder.

Although it is tempting to say that cocoa powder is a “health food,” in reality it has very few of the nutritional benefits as unprocessed cocoa beans. You can get more of the flavonoids by using cocoa powder which is not Dutch processed and has a content of at least 70% cocoa.

Back to making “Hot Cocoa.” Here are several of my ingredient hacks.

1. First, I am determined to use cocoa powder, rather than chocolate bars or morsels, since cocoa powder is always on my kitchen shelf. I am using Hershey’s Cocoa Powder which is not “Dutch Processed.” (It should say on the label if the product is “Dutch Processed.” For example, Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa is Dutch Processed.”)

There are two challenges with using this cocoa powder to make “Hot Cocoa.” 1. Cocoa powder is notoriously difficult to dissolve in milk or water. 2. Cocoa powder is bitter.

1. To dissolve the cocoa powder, I discovered that mixing cocoa powder with sugar cane syrup rather than table sugar is the trick. (You can also use maple syrup, Steen’s blended syrup or molasses.) Stir the cocoa with the sticky cane syrup to make a paste. Then it is a simple matter of stirring in milk and heating the mixture.

2. Cocoa powder is bitter. To disguise the bitter flavor, I added several addifional flavor ingredients. These included:
1. instant espresso powder.
2. a dash of salt,
3. a tiny bit of vanilla extract.

Espresso powder enhances the flavor of chocolate without adding bitterness. It also adds caffeine. A good wake up call for me! Although chocolate has some caffeine, it is really minimal. Salt and vanilla extract — when used in tiny amounts — also are flavor enhancers.

Lactose-Free Milk — Fairlife Milk

“Hot Cocoa” is a milk-based beverage. Unfortunately, many of us develop lactose-intolerance as the years go along. Lactose is the type of sugar which is primarily found in cow’s milk. Lactose-intolerance means that our gut loses the enzyme which is required to split the two-susgar lactose compound into simple sugars. Without a way to break down the lactose sugar into glucose and galactose (the basic sugar molecules), the lactose can’t be absorbed from the digestive tract into our bloodstream. The lactose slides on into the large intestine pulling liquid with it causing diarrhea. Or, bacteria ferment the lactose leading to gas, bloating and cramping. If you drink large quantities of milk this can be quite annoying.

Using plant based milks — such as almond milk, oat milk, coconut milk or soy milk — can avoid this problem. We’ve also discovered a brand of cow’s milk, Fairlife milk, which is ultra-filtered. This process removes the lactose out of the milk.

The patented ultra-filtered process presses the milk through a filtration system which separates the milk into its five components: water, fat, protein, vitamins and minerals, and lactose.  The components are recombined in a specific ratio to create the final milk. The resulting milk is lactose-free, higher in protein and calcium. And it tastes good. I’ve had are no problems with disgestive discomfort with this milk. 

Finishing the “Hot Cocoa”

To finish the cocoa, I add my “cocoa syrup” to the milk, stir and heat. For one glass, I use a large measuring cup. My “hack” here is to cover the measuring cup with a damp paper towel to avoid splatters. If I’m making several cups of cocoa, I heat the milk in a small saucepan.

Cocoa is finished in a “snap.” My it cold outside today. Perfect time to have a cup of hot cocoa along with some “Molasses Ginger Cookies.” My “Hot Cocoa” is soothing and and flavorful. And so easy to mix up. Enjoy my simple recipe!

After making this recipe over and over, these are the ingredient porportions which I use to make one cup of “Hot Cocoa.” Notice that I use 12-oz milk rather than an 8-oz cup. It is easy to double this recipe to share some with my husband.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/cocoa-food/Chocolate-products

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4696435

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/benefits-of-cocoa-powder