Disclosure: I was provided with a sampler of In The Raw Sweeteners to facilitate this post. No other compensation was received. All opinions stated are my own.
This week, winter arrived here in Ohio. We got 6 inches of snow overnight, the kids got their first snow day of the year, and we had to remember where we stashed all our hats, gloves, and scarves. With the arrival of colder weather, I immediately started craving one of my favorite wintertime treats – homemade hot cocoa. No – not the stuff that comes from a mix – watery and containing more sugar than flavor. I mean the real stuff – rich and chocolatey, simmered on the stove. It makes my kitchen smell like a candy shop every time I make it. The taste is simply amazing. It reminds me of melted chocolate pudding. Yummy!
So of course with the cold weather we experienced this week, I had to make myself some hot chocolate. I am trying to cut back on sugar though, so I thought I would try something a little bit different. Instead of sweetening my homemade hot cocoa with maple syrup or table sugar like I usually do, I tried sweetening it with Monk Fruit In The Raw. Have you heard of this amazing sweetener? It has zero calories. However, unlike other zero calorie sweeteners, this one is made from real food, not created in a lab.
I had never tried Monk Fruit In The Raw before so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the hot chocolate tasted just like when I make it with regular sugar – decadent with just the right touch of sweetness.
Super Easy Hot Chocolate For One Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (mini chocolate chips melt faster!)
- splash of vanilla
- 1 packet Monk Fruit In The Raw Sweetener
In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate chips in the milk, stirring constantly until they are melted and smooth.
Add the half and half and continue stirring until the milk is steaming.
Remove from heat and add the splash of vanilla and the Monk Fruit. Stir to combine. Serve with a candy cane if desired.
My recipe is to make one serving, but you can easily scale it up to make for more people. You need 2 parts milk, 2 parts half and half, 1 part chocolate chips, and 1 packet Monk Fruit In The Raw Sweetener per serving. For our family of five, I typically use 2 cups milk, 2 cups half and half, 1 cup chocolate chips, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1 tbs of sweetener.
I am going to be testing out some of my holiday baking recipes using Monk Fruit. You can substitute it cup for cup for sugar in your favorite recipes. After Thanksgiving, Christmas cookie baking kicks in in earnest in our house. So I will be using Monk Fruit in some of those recipes and will share the recipes with you in a few weeks.
For more information on Monk Fruit and other In The Raw Sweeteners, be sure to visit InTheRaw.com.
If you are going to be doing any holiday baking in the upcoming weeks, then I have a giveaway for you.
One lucky A Heart Full of Love reader is going to win $50 worth of In The Raw Products that they can use for all their holiday baking.
The winner will receive
- Sugar In The Raw
- Stevia In The Raw Packets, Jar and Bakers Bag
- Monk Fruit In The Raw packets and Bakers Bag
- Agave In The Raw
- Sugar In The Raw Organic White
- In The Raw Measuring Spoons
Interested? Be sure to throw your name in the hat for a chance to win. Entry is easy through the Rafflecopter form below. The giveaway is open to US residents only and ends December 5th, 2014. Good luck!
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