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October 30, 2006

Low-Carb Friendly Hot Cocoa Mix

My wife came across this tasty and dead-easy recipe for carb-friendly hot cocoa mix back in 2005.

If you enjoy hot cocoa but need to avoid the sugar found in most mixes, why not blend your own? This recipe was simply doubled from the Splenda version since we kept using it up.

It's nice to have a warm cup of cocoa as a guilt-free reward at the end of a long day.

Low-Carb Friendly Hot Cocoa Mix

2 Cups + 4 TBS Non-Fat Dry Milk
2.5 Cups Splenda Sweetener
1 1/3 Cups Powdered Fat-Free Non-Diary Creamer
1 1/3 Cups Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder

Put all of the ingredients into a large bowl, and mix with a spoon until well blended. Storing the blend in an air-tight container keeps it tasting good.

Buy larger quantities of the ingredients because it's less expensive and you've got a ready supply of raw materials if you open the container and find it empty.

Making Cocoa
Heat your water and spoon up 5 teaspoons of hot cocoa mix into a mug and add about a teaspoon of skim milk. Using the teaspoon, blend the milk and dry cocoa mix together until it forms a smooth, thick cocoa sludge in the bottom of the mug. now add your hot water and blend thoroughly.

This trick of adding milk and creating a cocoa sludge creates a smoother cup of cocoa, than if you simply added the cocoa mix to hot water.

Enjoy! :-)

October 30, 2006 07:31 PM | Food & Drink | add to del.icio.us

Comments

This will help me quite a lot, Mike - you know that :)

Thanks!

Posted by: Carlos Sisi at October 31, 2006 07:35 AM

You are very welcome! :-)

Posted by: Mike Rohde at October 31, 2006 10:46 AM

I just read a similar recipe somewhere else. They suggested good 'ol HERSHEY'S baking cocoa powder. I guess that uses the "dutch" process as well. I'll have to try yours out!

Posted by: Tim at November 3, 2006 04:08 PM

According to the Joy of Baking website, here's the difference between Dutch processed and Natural Unsweetned cocoa powder:

Cocoa powder is made when chocolate liquor is pressed to remove three quarters of its cocoa butter. The remaining cocoa solids are processed to make fine unsweetened cocoa powder. There are two types of unsweetened cocoa powder: natural and Dutch-processed.
Dutch-Processed or Alkalized Unsweetened Cocoa Powder is treated with an alkali to neutralize its acids. Because it is neutral and does not react with baking soda, it must be used in recipes calling for baking powder, unless there are other acidic ingredients in sufficient quantities used.

It has a reddish-brown color, mild flavor, and is easy to dissolve in liquids. Its delicate flavor makes it ideal in baked goods like European cakes and pastries where its subtle flavor complements other ingredients. Droste, Lindt, Valrhona, Poulain and Pernigotti are some popular brands.

Natural Unsweetened Cocoa Powder tastes very bitter and gives a deep chocolate flavor to baked goods. Its intense flavor makes it well suited for use in brownies, cookies and some chocolate cakes. When natural cocoa (an acid) is used in recipes calling for baking soda (an alkali), it creates a leavening action that causes the batter to rise when placed in the oven. Popular brands are Hershey's, Ghirardelli, and Scharffen Berger.

www.joyofbaking.com/cocoa.html

Let me know what you think of the mix. :-)

Posted by: Mike Rohde at November 4, 2006 09:42 AM

Great idea! ;-)

Posted by: Chris Meisenzahl at November 9, 2006 08:17 AM

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October 30, 2006

Low-Carb Friendly Hot Cocoa Mix

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