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It might be summer somewhere. But it is still the first week of March and we are in Canada which means it is still winter here. Though it doesn’t look like winter compared to the rest of Canada, it is still pretty cold for the Lower Mainland, British Columbia. So, without any excuses, it is a perfect time of the year for the heartwarming vegan hot chocolate!
If you have been following me for a while, you have probably learned a few weird facts about me 🙂 As a kid, I was extremely picky about food.
I didn’t like Chocolate!
Yes, this is how weird I was.
Aaaand, maybe for that reason, I didn’t like hot chocolate as well…
Have you ever met anyone who doesn’t like hot chocolate???
Yes, that was me. Until I grew older wiser and realized that it was not the hot chocolate that I didn’t like.
It was how it was made.
Though it was made with real cocoa (I don’t recall seeing hot chocolate blends back in the USSR), it was still missing on something… And then something magical had happened…
I remember reading a book one night (though I don’t remember what the book was about), and there was a beautiful scene described there:
The book character was sitting in a small cafeteria somewhere in Europe sipping thick hot chocolate.
That moment, in my mind I pictured myself sipping that thick dessert.
I cannot even call it a drink as it was that thick and rich in my mind 🙂
Hot Chocolate Experiments
Because hot chocolate in my imagination was supposed to be that thick, very rich, very-chocolate-full dessert/drink, I had to experiment with real cocoa and real chocolate. I didn’t want to use the pre-made blends, as they would not stand my dreamlike thickness standards.
And one day, I got what I wanted. It was that hot, rich, sweet enough, but not too sweet, real hot chocolate from my dreams 😉
But then, a few years later, I became a vegan 🙂
And here we are again.
Experimenting with different kinds of plant-based milk, vegan chocolate, and sweeteners. Working towards a perfect drink.
But,
leaning more towards simplicity. Sometimes perfection is in the simplicity 😉
Vegan Hot Chocolate Recipe
Don’t forget to add just a few vegan marshmallows or the coconut whipped cream to the glass or serve them with this banana bread to make it even better, and here you are.
Imagine yourself sitting in a small Alps village cafeteria… overlooking beautiful mountains with skiers and snowboarders running down the hill… sipping this rich and heartwarming drink…
Do you see what I mean?
This hot chocolate will warm your heart and make your soul sing. Who said that vegan hot chocolate cannot be delicious?
By the way, if you don’t use it right away, it will turn into chocolate dessert – kind of like a pudding or jello. It will still be delicious but won’t be called HOT Chocolate anymore 😉
Enjoy!
XOXO
Nat
- 3 cups plant-based milk we like using almond milk for this recipe
- 2 tbsp rice powder
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips optional
- 1/2 cup vegan marshmallows optional
Pour plant-based milk into a small pot and turn the heat on medium. Add rice powder to the cold milk and keep stirring the blend until a few bubbles start forming and the liquid thickens a bit.
Add chocolate chips (optional), cocoa and maple syrup. Keep stirring until chocolate melts.
Turn the heat off. Pour hot chocolate into glasses or cups, garnish with some marshmallows, and serve.
Enjoy!
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