Dairy-Free Gingerbread Hot Cocoa

 Tis the season to sit on the couch surrounded by family and friends with a warm cup of hot cocoa. This vegan friendly recipe is deceivingly easy to make! And when you take your first sip of this delicious and perfectly spiced hot cocoa, you will never want to buy hot cocoa at the grocery store, or coffee shop, again.

Ingredients

4½ cups unsweetened cashew milk

¼ cup + 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ cup maple syrup

1 scoop Garden of Life vanilla chai protein powder

1 tablespoon unsulfured molasses

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Optional: mini marshmallows

Method

1. Combine ½ cup of milk, cocoa power, maple syrup, protein powder, molasses, and spices in a small mixing bowl. Whisk mixture until smooth and lump-free.

2. Pour the remainder 4 cups of milk in a saucepan on the stovetop over medium heat.

3. When milk becomes warm, pour the chocolate mix into the saucepan.

4. Cook, whisking occasionally, until powders and spices are dissolved completely and hot cocoa is steaming, about 6 minutes.

5. Evenly pour hot cocoa into 4 mugs. Top with marshmallows and shaved chocolate, if desired. Enjoy!

Makes 6 servings

1 serving is 1 cup of hot chocolate (without marshmallow or chocolate shavings)

Macros for 1 serving

144 calories, 6.3g protein, 23.3g carbs, 4.3g fat, 16g sugar, 2.5g fiber