Spiced Hot Cocoa with Nutbutter

Hey there :)

Here’s a little follow up recipe for the cocoa nut butter. It’s a pretty nice recipe for those colder days and especially good after a workout as a little ( ..or maybe not so little, it’s quite filling ;)..) treat and protein boost. The protein mainly comes from the hemp milk but of course the nutbutter itself also has some of them. It’s also filled with a lot of minerals and some warming spices.

I used a wide range of spices here in this recipe and I think they combine well together. Adding pepper (cayenne and black) might seem off at first, but it gives the cocoa a nice extra zang so I wouldn’t omit them. It actually fits the overall taste pretty well.

If you don’t know where to buy hempmilk you can make your own pretty easily, I always make it myself. Just combine one part of shelled hemp seeds with 3 parts (I go by volume) of water in a blender and mix it up until smooth. No need to strain through a sieve or anything. Pretty fast and easy stuff. You don’t even need to soak the hempseeds if you don’t have the time as they are already soft. And of course you can vary the taste by adding some spices, salt or sweeteners to fit your preferences :) And for the nutbutter, I am confident that other nutbutters would work as well. I totally could imagine some creamy cashewbutter with it.. or even nutella if that is your thing.. although I have not tested it. I might add a bit more cacao if the used nutbutter doesn’t contain any and maybe adjust the sweetness if going for nutella. All in all this one is pretty open to interpretation. Use whatever you have, if you are fond of one particular spice, go crazy, add more or less maple depending on your sweet tooth. If you are going for a thicker drink, keep the hemp milk added to 2/3 Cups, if you don’t like it as thick, add a bit more :)

Ingredients

• 2/3 Cups – ¾ Cup hemp milk (depending on how thick you like it; and of course you can swap with other milk)
• 2 generous Tbsp. choco-brazilnutbutter
• 1 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1 ½ -2 tsp. cacao powder
• 1 tsp. lucuma powder
• ½ tsp. vanilla powder
• ¼ tsp. ground cardamom
• ¼ tsp. tonka bean, freshly ground
• ¼ tsp. nutmeg, freshly ground
• ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp. black pepper, freshly ground

 

Instructions

In a pan mix together all the ingredients with a whisk until well combined and heat on medium heat. Adjust spices, maple syrup and liquid to your likings.

You can drink it like this if you want, but I prefer to blend it up in a blender first to get it all frothy and foamy :)

Fill in a cup and sprinkle some hempseeds and some spices on top and add just a bit of freshly ground black pepper.