I’m a sucker for traditions. Growing up, I always begged my mom to go all-out for Christmas. I also always, always drank hot cocoa when it got cold outside. Now that I’m older, I wanted to make a “healthy” version that I could drink guilt-free without a sugar hangover.

In my youth, I would pile my hot cocoa with All of the Toppings: whipped cream, cinnamon, marshmallows, the whole shebang. It’s a shame that Instagram didn’t exist then (and that I’m not much of a photographer), because these hot cocoa creations were straight-up photogenic.

Sadly, I can no longer eat the sugary things that I used to love. That rules out marshmallows and whipped cream. Regular hot cocoa mixes, too, aren’t really an option, since they usually consist of two main ingredients: cocoa powder and sugar.

Luckily, I recently stumbled upon a wholesome and healthy hot cocoa recipe when I was trying to figure out what to do with some maca powder that I bought on a whim from Trader Joe’s. There’s a healthy version of everything, and hot cocoa is no exception!

Unlike traditional hot cocoa, this “healthy” version contains many more ingredients, including maca powder, cinnamon, coconut oil, and cayenne powder. Each of these ingredients adds a unique taste to the hot cocoa that sets it apart from what I remember as a kid.

These unique ingredients also provide a range of health benefits. Maca powder, for example, is a natural mood and energy booster, and cinnamon is rich in antioxidants. Best of all, this hot cocoa contains absolutely no sugar. Instead, it uses maple syrup as a natural sweetener.

I played around with the original recipe a bit, and I’ve now come up with my own perfectly yummy, healthy hot cocoa. I’ll definitely be making this for the rest of the cold months. Wintertime is officially complete.

Source : https://www.littlethings.com/i-tried-healthy-homemade-hot-cocoa/