Make Something: Sugar-free hot chocolate.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger      1 comments      link this post     




::Why make something? Read here.::

Use: Sometimes the best gifts are those you can use up and be done with. Few things are as nice as delicious homemade treats. However, Christmas often becomes a season of sugar overload, which we don't need since our food is already packed with sugar year round. I'm a chocoholic, though, and I love hot chocolate on these cold winter days.

I've created some very simple recipes for making seven different types of sugar-free hot chocolates. They include the Dark Hot Chocolate mix, which serves as your "base mix" which you will add other ingredients to. The other recipes are Vanilla Creme Hot Cocoa, Milk Chocolate Cocoa, Peppermint Hot Cocoa, Mexican Hot Cocoa, Mocha Hot Cocoa, and Chai Hot Cocoa. They are all very simply and use just a few ingredients. I used Splenda as my sweetener.

How: Here are the recipes.

Dark Hot Cocoa (base mix)

• 1/4 C nonfat powdered milk
• 1 1/2 T unsweetened baking cocoa
• 6 tsp (or 3 packets) Splenda
• Mix. Put two heaping spoonfuls in in a mug. Add hot water. Add milk if you'd like your cocoa a bit creamier, or to cool it down.

Vanilla Creme

• dark hot cocoa base mix
• 8 tsp. sugar-free International Foods vanilla creme hot drink powder

Milk Chocolate Cocoa

• dark hot cocoa base mix
• additional 1/2 C nonfat powdered milk

Peppermint Cocoa

• dark hot cocoa base mix
• 1 1/2 tsp peppermint herb tea leaves (choose a tea like Bigelow, with only peppermint as the ingredient)

Mexican Hot Cocoa

• dark hot cocoa base mix
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Mocha Hot Cocoa

• dark hot cocoa base mix
• 1 tsp instant coffee granules

Chai Hot Cocoa

• dark hot cocoa base mix
• a pinch to 1/4 tsp of cloves, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg
  

I realize that there are flavorings on the market that add more of a punch or would be easier to use than, say, peppermint herb leaves. I was trying to keep the ingredient list stripped down and dry, as well as find things that did not have sugar in them. You may find that liquid flavorings are better, and simply let your recipient know that adding liquid vanilla or peppermint flavoring to the plain base mix is the way to go. However, these recipes are all powder and will do the trick for the "just add water" crowd.

I did make these recipes up (today, in fact!) and tried to keep the flavorings from being overpowering. You may want to up the ingredients for a little more zip.

Gift It: I made individual servings of each, and included the cut-out recipe cards that are on the download. That way, the recipient can try the flavors and have the recipe to make the ones he or she likes. I put the individual servings in small snack-size plastic bags, labeled the bags as to what the flavor was, and then put them and the recipe cards in a decorated container. The recipes make enough for one or two cups of hot cocoa. You might want to double or triple them, depending on how you plan on using it as your gift.

Download the recipes here: Sugar-Free Hot Chocolate Recipe sheets (PDF)

Labels: make something day

Copyright (c) Julie R. Neidlinger      11/29/2007 05:22:00 PM      (1) comments      Links to this post    

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