Everybody has a hot drink of choice. I come from a family of coffee addicts, although I won’t touch the stuff. I typically drink tea to give myself a small caffeine boost in the morning, even though I hate tea too (don’t judge me). In all honesty, I’m not a coffee or tea person; my warm beverage of choice is hot chocolate.
Sure, hot chocolate doesn’t have caffeine, but it does taste approximately 1,000,000,000 times better than coffee or tea. And why is that? Because it’s chocolate; molten, liquid, creamy chocolate. If I could, I would down at least a mug or two every morning. That would be one sweet, sweet way to start the day.
There’s only one problem. Hot chocolate isn’t exactly low-calorie. In fact, the reason why I choke down a cup of tea every morning instead of bathing in drinking smooth hot chocolate is because tea has numerous health benefits and zero calories. Hot cocoa can’t really say either of those things.
Most of the time, when I need my hot cocoa kick, I turn to the 25-calorie packs of the instant stuff. They’re pretty good, but lacking in the usual richness provided by the real deal. So what’s a smart cookie to do? I’ll tell you: I whipped up a Raspberry Hot Cocoa for only 80 calories that tastes just as rich and indulgent as hot cocoa that will cost you triple the calories.
Smooth and creamy, this hot cocoa has tons of chocolate flavor, plus a sweet raspberry kiss. It’s warm and comforting, boosting that must-have frothy top. Suddenly, it’s okay to indulge in a mug of this warm chocolate stuff. Rejoice.
A Few Tips Before You Get Cooking:
- Don’t like raspberry? Leave it out and enjoy a classic hot cocoa. Or you can use a different extract flavor like mint.
- Note that if you don’t use the unsweetened variety of almond milk, you’ll be looking at much more calories and fat, plus the almond milk is a little thicker and creamier, which is ideal for hot chocolate. Unsweetened almond milk has 35 calories per cup, whereas regular 2% milk has 137 calories per cup and skim milk has 86 calories per cup.
- Looking for more low-cal hot cocoa? Try my Cinnamon Swirl Hot Chocolate for only 84 calories.
80-Calorie Raspberry Hot Cocoa
By The Smart Cookie Cook
Yield: 1 serving
Ingredients:
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tsp. sugar
- 1 packet zero-calorie sweetener (like Splenda)
- Pinch salt
- ½ tsp. raspberry extract
- Optional: marshmallows, for garnish (note: this will add a few extra calories, but marshmallows are relatively low in calorie as long as you stick to a small handful)
Directions:
- In a small pot over medium-low heat, whisk the cocoa powder into the almond milk until completely dissolved. Whisk in the sugar, zero-calorie sweetener, and salt.
- Continue to cook, whisking occasionally, until hot chocolate just begins to simmer. Remove from heat and whisk in the raspberry extract. Pour into a mug and top with marshmallows, if desired. Enjoy!
BUT WAIT.
There’s more.
I would like to present the second edition ofSmart Cookie Chatter. You guys gave me your questions on everything from my favorite pasta dish to making German pretzels. Check out my answers in the video below, and join in the chatter next week! Head over to the Smart Cookie Chatter Page and ask your question. Don’t be shy; I really love hearing from you. The topic this week is “kitchen conundrums.” I want to help you fix whatever troubles plague you in the kitchen! However, don’t limit your questions to this. You’re free to ask anything you want. Inquire about what color socks I wear, if you really want to.
Check out last week’s Smart Cookie Chatter here.
Recipes from this video:
3-Cheese Wagon Wheels with Spinach
