Back to basics, with this easy hot cocoa recipe (and video)…

Mood: Twinkle Lights + Snowflakes + Cozy Everything + Cloud Cocoa. This is how I serve hot cocoa, and I wanted to share it with you guys! I am not reinventing the wheel too much here, but little tweaks in prep and toppings make this cocoa extra fluffy and magical. Perfect for the holiday season!

Cloud Cocoa. Whipped cream, fluffy, white, thickly swirled like a sparkling snowbank, bouncing on a sea of steamy hot chocolate. A dusting of cinnamon and chocolate and winter holiday magic is served. My Cloud Hot Cocoa is our after-dinner dessert beverage of choice during these cool fall and winter months. Easy to make and totally dairy-free.

A background haze of twinkly white lights and humming holiday music will make things extra cozy..

Blend it. Instead of using just a spoon or fork to stir your cocoa, blend it, like in an actual blender. (A wand frother would work too.) Blended cocoa becomes extra foamy. You are looking for those tiny bubbles to let you know your cocoa is nicely whipped.

So fluffy..

Watch me make it..

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How to make Cloud Cocoa, aka the fluffiest, puffiest, loveliest cocoa ever..

Six Steps…

Step One: Gather your ingredients. A fave cocoa mix (try my DIY version below, or store-bought vegan suggestion.) Milks? I usually use a blend of soy and either almond or pea milk. I always use some of the soy or pea-based milk because it tends to blend up fluffier than just using almond milk. See my vegan milk guide here. Whip: Try store-bought coconut, soy or rice whip, in cans for pretty swirls. Or DIY coconut whip. Toppings: nutmeg or cinnamon, vegan dark chocolate (and a zester) for grating the chocolate. Mug: A wide-brimmed mug will maximize fluffiness.
Step Two: Warm up your milk. I usually pop mine in the microwave for 2-3 minutes.
Step Three: Pour the warmed milk into a blender and blend with the cocoa mix. Optional: add in a pinch of cayenne or a few drops of vanilla extract. Sometimes I will add a pinch of sea salt too! Blend on low for a minute.
Step Four: Pour the cocoa into mug(s).
Step Five: Pop cocoa back in the microwave for about ten to twenty seconds, this helps fluff up the milk a bit more!
Step Six: Swirl whip on top, generously! Add spices and chocolate over top. Serve right away, before the whip melts down too much. Enjoy!

Looking for super cute mugs? I am obsessed with the designer Rae Dunn (she did the mugs I used in this post, and all my latte posts, really..) You can find some of her other mugs on Amazon. Amazon also makes a basic wide-brimmed white mug.

Store-bought vegan hot cocoa mix? I switch between DIY-ing my cocoa and using a store-bought brand and giving it a few homemade tweaks. My favorite brand + flavor: Spicy Aztec Cocoa from Lake Champlain. However, I find that store-bought “cocoa mixes” are usually a bit too sweet for my tastes, even my fave brands, and especially if you are adding a generous swirl of sweet whipped cream on top. So I always tweak by adding some unsweetened cocoa OR whole (70-80% cacao) dark chocolate pieces, melted into the blend. My friend Sophie also has an awesome superfood cocoa mix, which is really the only blend I do NOT find too sweet, yay: Cacao Magic. Note though, it usually blends up slightly grainy from the chia seeds and raw cacao nibs, but totally doable if you want your cocoa superfood-boosted.

Curious about chocolate? Check out my Everything Chocolate Guide.

Winter mood… (Pics from Iceland, Sweden and Switzerland! Read my travel posts here)

*Iceland. Land of magical ponies + snowscapes.

*Iceland, land of #cozy.

*Icelandic cutie! Talk about fluffy..

My two go-to cocoa blends:

1) Store-bought Blend. 2 parts Spicy Aztec + 1 part 100% pure unsweetened cocoa powder or 70-80% dark chocolate bars (2:1 ratio) + pinch of cayenne and a few drops of vanilla extract. Sometimes a pinch of pink salt.

2) 100% Homemade blend. See recipe at bottom.

Whip. Did you know that vegan whip in a can is popping up everywhere? I spotted that Whole Foods now has a 365 brand coconut whip, and Soyatoo is a great soy or rice whip option. Or try the ‘cool whip’ style coconut whip from So Delicious (in the freezer section).

Extra chocolate on top is never a bad idea..

Happy cocoa sipping!..

Kathy’s Hot Cocoa Mix

By Kathy PatalskyPublished 11/10/2017
This easy DIY cocoa mix is rich and sweet with a slight hint of spice.

Ingredients

3/4 – 1 cups organic vegan sugar (I stick to 3/4 cup, but for a sweeter cocoa, do the full cup)
1 cup cacao powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne (double if you like spicier cocoa)
1/2 vanilla bean, sliced down the center to expose the seeds

Instructions

Sift cocoa if for the least clumpy mix – but this step is optional. Add everything to a small mixing bowl and toss well to blend.
Pour into a glass jar or a baggy and seal for future use. When using, be sure not to add whole vanilla bean to cocoa, it really just infuses a lovely essence. For a stronger vanilla flavor, add a few drops to your hot cocoa when making it.

Yield: 8 servingsPrep Time: 00 hrs. 10 mins. Total time: 10 mins. Tags: cocoa mix,vegan,holiday,drink, beverage,chocolate,dessert,gift,christmas,winter,seasonal,