Loco Hot Cocoa

I’m just going to say it. No one should ever buy a packet of hot cocoa mix. Unless… well, unless you’re camping or something and you can’t make it homemade. That’s really the only time I think it might be acceptable. And even that’s a big if. Next time you walk past some Swiss Miss at the grocery store, take a look at the ingredient list:

Sugar, Corn Syrup, Cocoa (Processed With Alkali), Hydrogenated Coconut Oil, Nonfat Milk, Calcium Carbonate, Less Than 2% Of: Natural Flavor, Salt, Dipotassium Phosphate, Mono- And Diglycerides, Carrageenan. Contains Milk.

Mmmmm, sounds delicious doesn’t it? …Hardly. The fact is there is nothing even remotely similar between homemade hot cocoa and the stuff from the packet. If you’ve ever had hot cocoa made from scratch you know exactly what I’m talking about. There is just no comparison. AND… one is natural and good for your health and the other is processed and very, very, very bad for it.

It was a gloomy day today so when my kids came home from school I whipped them up a batch of homemade hot cocoa and topped it with my all-time favorite thing – a big dollop of heavy whipped cream! They were very happy and said I was ‘the best mommy ever!” and I was pleased knowing that it was sugar free AND good for them.

Here’s how I make Loco Hot Cocoa:

1. You will need 1 1/2 c. of half and half, 1 1/2 c. of whole milk (when I’m feeling decadent, I use heavy cream and half and half), 1/3 c. ZSweet (or to taste), 1 1/2 to 2 Tbsp. high quality cocoa powder (I use Valrhona) and about 1 1/2 c. heavy cream, whipped.

2. In a medium size sauce pan or pot, add the half and half and milk and heat gently on medium heat. Whisking, add the cocoa powder and sugar. Whisk frequently and be careful the milk does not come to a full boil. You don’t want to scald it. You want to warm it up until it’s just shy of a boil.

3. When it’s heated pour into mugs and top with freshly whipped heavy cream.

Now… go into your kitchen and throw away any packets of hot cocoa mix. You don’t need them anymore. It’s so easy. Just make it from scratch.

Happy Eating! 🙂

Cocoa Crack

Cocoa Crack. That’s right. Cocoa…CRACK.

It’s everything the name implies. Deep… dark… addictive. And just a little bit scary. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart. But if you’re into dark chocolate like I am and you live by the chocolate motto ‘bitter is better’ then this stuff is for you. Even if you’re not into dark chocolate you should still try this. You might be surprised at how good it really is.

It’s possibilities are endless. Sometimes I’ll add peppermint extract and some peppermint stevia for that cool Peppermint Patty rush. Or I’ll add coconut flake and vanilla for some Mounds action. Or just walnuts like a See’s Candy. I’m telling you, sky is the limit here.

But wait! There’s more…

Cocoa Crack is so amazing that you can even use it as… wait for it………….. your very own home-made Magic Shell ice cream topping!! It’ll coat and harden on your ice cream like a suit of armor. It’s magical I tell you!

Clearly this discovery thrilled the kid in me as I have vivid memories of my mom occasionally bringing home some Magic Shell. We’d all get our ice cream and then start squeezing the life out of that bottle, the magic oozing out onto our ice creams and then the inevitable hardening right before our eyes. Followed of course by… crack. Spoons thumping against the chocolate barrier. Yes, I loved me some Magic Shell.

Cocoa Crack is by far one of my favorite little Primal treats. Not only is it super easy to make and I can whip up a batch in less than 58.6 seconds… it’s also good for you. Really good for you.

To make it you only need three ingredients.

Coconut Oil:

If you don’t know about the benefits of coconut oil then I ask you… have you been living under a rock?? You’re really missing the boat. Or maybe you’re one of those people who are still under the impression (through no fault of your own) that coconut oil is evil and saturated fat is BAD-BAD-BAD. If so then take a look at this and this. Coconut oil is not only tasty it’s down right miraculous. It’s a fat burner. It’s brain food. It’s great for your skin and hair. The list of benefits is a mile long. Did I mention it’s a FAT BURNER??

My personal favorite brand of coconut oil is Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. It’s so delicious, I can eat it straight. Right off the spoon. I keep it right on my counter and use it for the majority of my frying needs. Coconut oil has a melting point of 76 degrees F, so depending on how cool or warm it is it will be either hard, soft or somewhere in between. This low melting point is what makes the ‘magic’ happen in Magic Shell by the way… when coconut oil meets cold it solidifies.

Cocoa Powder:

Your cocoa crack is only as good as the quality of your cocoa powder. This is very important because if you try to make it with, say…Hershey’s Cocoa Powder or some other low-grade cocoa powder it’s going to taste more like Cocoa Crap.

I’m a chocolate snob so I use Valrhona cocoa powder. Yes it’s expensive but it’s the best. And it’s my indulgence. But if you need a more budget friendly choice Pernigotti, Frontier and Ghirardelli cocoa are all good choices.

Sweetener:

My sweetener of choice is ZSweet. I think it tastes amazingly like sugar and it leaves me with no weird aftertaste. And believe me I’ve tried many different sugar substitutes but ZSweet keeps me coming back. Lucky for me they also offer a powdered version which is a big deal. Ever try making a butter cream frosting with a sugar substitute that just won’t melt?? It’s like chewing on an emery board. But every one has a preference so just use whatever sweetener you like. And if it’s powdered… even better.

Here’s how you make it:

1. In a smallish bowl mix together melted coconut oil, cocoa powder and sweetener. The ratio of coconut oil to cocoa powder is about 1:1. If you make a batch that yields about one 3.5 oz chocolate bar it’ll be approximately 4 Tbsp of coconut oil to 4 Tbsp of cocoa powder. I usually use half the amount of sweetener (2 Tbsp of ZSweet) but I suggest sweetening to taste. The consistency should be liquid but not runny or overly oily.

2. Here’s the trickiest part. Find something in your kitchen that you can line with parchment paper and can contain your cocoa crack and give it some nice edges. You don’t have to have edges but it’s better when it has a uniform thickness. Things I have used in the past include a shallow ramekin, a small shallow toaster oven tray, a plate and a home-made foil contraption (my favorite). Anything will work really you just want to make sure that the cocoa crack isn’t too thin otherwise it will melt way too fast when eating it.

3. After your cocoa crack is contained put it in the freezer for about 15 minutes. And make sure it’s level while it’s chilling. Depending on the amount made it should be completely solid by then.

4. Remove from the freezer and eat it or just break it into pieces and like a little hamster, store it for later. I usually make smaller batches and store it in a Tupperware container labeled “PMS Medicine” in the freezer.

If you’d rather not eat cocoa crack straight up because it’s too intense, here are a few other options:

• Cocoa Crack Covered Strawberries
• Cocoa Crack Covered Almonds
• Cocoa Crack Magic Shell (!!)
• Cocoa Crack Peppermint Bark
• Cocoa Crack Nut Clusters

You get the idea… have fun with it. 🙂

Happy Eating!