Coconut Hot Chocolate – Recipe!

Cool days and evenings lend themselves to sipping hot drinks by the fire, or enjoying while watching your favorite Netflix show.  I don’t know if any of you have seen Lupin on Netflix, but it’s worthy of a watch.  It’s like Emily in Paris only on steroids, and it is based on a fictional French novel about a gentlemen thief who sets out to avenge his family.  Omar Sy plays the lead roll and boy is he outstanding.  I heard that you should watch it in French with subtitles because his performance is even more amazing.  I watched it with dubbed over English, but I think I’ll go back and see the French version this time, it was that good.

Drinking chocolate has become a very popular item, especially in the wintertime and today, there are several high-end producers of this powered combination of cocoa, sugar and spices.  Some brands in their fancy metal containers make those pouches of cocoa mix sold at your local grocery look amateur in comparison, but I’m not knocking Nestle, if that’s your preference.  I find it’s helpful to have some form of drinking chocolate in my pantry because I can always add a spoon or two to a cup of coffee for a delicious mocha, or add it to warmed milk or plant-based milks for a cherished cup of hot cocoa.

Coconut milk is so rich and creamy and whether you buy it in the can, or larger cardboard container, either shelf-stable or not, it makes great hot chocolate.  When you mix drinking cocoa with coconut milk you get a thickened version of this popular hot drink.  The flavors are not overly coco-nutty, just rich and luxurious.  I dolloped the tops of my mugs with marshmallow cream because who doesn’t love the creamiest of meringue on top of a steamy cup of cocoa?  A dusting of shredded coconut brings this drink to fruition, and makes it a dessert in disguise.  Have a good weekend.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups coconut milk

1/2 cup drinking chocolate, any variety

1/4 teaspoons coconut or almond extract

1 cup marshmallow cream

1/4 cup shredded coconut, any variety

(Makes 2-4 Servings)

To Prepare:

1. In a saucepan, add coconut milk and drinking chocolate, whisk.  Warm over medium heat until just simmering.
2. Turn off heat and add extract, stir.  Ladle into mugs.
3. Top with a dollop of marshmallow cream and dust with shredded coconut.  You can always make it more adult-like and add 1/2 shot of your favorite liqueur.  Enjoy!