hot chocolate three ways

We love a big, steaming cup of hot chocolate on brisk winter days, post-ski or snowshoe, or to wind down after a busy work week. With the bounty of New England herbs and veggies that can be dried and used throughout the winter months, making sipping cocoa mixes that use real, freshly ground ingredients to flavor them makes the freshest, healthiest treat to stave off the chill from a polar vortex or Nor’Easter. And BONUS: you can use them in your favorite baking recipes, or serve them chilled over ice!

We grind pure dark chocolate from Ecuador for our Drinking Chocolate mix, and make our thick, silky European-style hot drinking chocolate with 6 Tbsp chocolate mix per 8 oz liquid (served by the cup in our shop on Saturdays). It can be made with hot milk or plant-based mylk of your choice (we prefer full fat original oat, it doesn’t add a flavor to the chocolate, just a rich creamy base). Or, if you’re a purist and prefer a brighter flavor, hot water (there’s enough cocoa butter to add a touch of creaminess and body).

We went a little crazy with flavors for our seasonal Sipping Cocoas, our ground single origin Ecuador chocolate blended with premium cocoa powder and freshly ground spices, fruits, flowers or herbs for our Sipping Cocoa mixes. All are dairy-free (except the Bonfire Blend, made with rich, caramel-y dark milk chocolate) coming up with creative blends made with local ingredients, from the cool and refreshing Forest Blend with Vermont spruce and wildcrafted peppermint, Bonfire Blend with Vermont maple sugar and smoked sea salt, and our limited edition seasonal blends like the umami Deep Woods Mocha Blend with medicinal mushrooms and roasted dandelion root (keep an eye out in the shop and on social media for product drops!). With no artificial flavors or colors, the pure aromas come through with each sip and make this one elegant chocolate drink to savor.

And don’t forget our dark and milk chocolate Tavo Cocoa Sticks aka submarinos, perfect for travel, the office or a quick snack. An Argentinian tradition, these solid chocolate cigars can be stirred into hot coffee drinks or warm milk, vegan mylks, or hot water to your taste, and you can nibble on the chocolate as you enjoy. So civilized.

Fresh unsweetened whipped cream or fluffy homemade marshmallows are our favorite accoutrements for hot drinking chocolate, but fresh heavy cream whipped with a nip of your favorite liqueur, natural pure extract, coffee, tea or fruit juice concentrate is pretty darn amazing. Check out our simple instructions below to make a dreamy flavored whipped topping and pillowy plant-based marshmallows!

Simple Recipes

Drinking Chocolate & Sipping Cocoa Recipes

For one serving of hot chocolate, simply heat 8 oz. of milk/mylk over medium heat until just scalding, then turn off the heat and whisk in 3 or more Tablespoons of Drinking Chocolate (we use 6 Tbsp for a Parisian style sip) or Sipping Cocoa Mix. Voila!

Pour freshly made hot chocolate into a heat resistant container like a pitcher or canning jar, let cool to room temperature then refrigerate. Pour over ice for a refreshing, rich and delicious treat.

Our amazing little mixes can also be used in recipes from rich and flavorful ice cream sauces, to swapping them out for chopped chocolate and cocoa powder in your favorite baked goods.

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Flavored Whipped Cream Topping

Per one pint of chilled heavy whipping cream, add one or two tablespoons of the following and whip in a chilled metal bowl until soft peaks appear:

• liqueurs like Frangelico (super tasty paired with Forage Blend Cocoa & Bonfire Blend Cocoa), Chambord (try it with Heart Beet Blend Cocoa), Kahlua (yummy with Spicy Xocoatl Cocoa)
• syrups & sauces like Maple Syrup (delicious with Bonfire Blend Cocoa), raspberry sauce (super good with Heart Beet Blend Cocoa), lemon or lime juice (zesty with Golden Chai or Heart Beet)
• strong brewed coffee (we love it with all of the blends), tea (Mint is amazing with Forest Blend, Earl Grey with Bonfire Blend, and Chai with Golden Chai Blend)
• Create your own combinations! Have fun!

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Make at Home Marshmallows

We use seasonally flavored marshmallows from Vermont Marshmallow Company here in the shop to float on the top of Drinking Chocolate and Sipping Cocoas, as well as to pair with our bars to make yummy s’mores. They are the pillowy-est, most delicious marshmallows ever, but they do contain gelatin so they are not safe for vegans and vegetarians. Here’s a simple vegan, corn syrup-free recipe to make your own delicious, fluffy marshmallows at home so you don’t miss out!

• ~1 cup confectioners’ sugar to coat pan & marshmallows
• 1/2 cup arrowroot powder
• 4 tsp agar agar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas)
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 1/2 cups raw organic granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown rice syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract, or your favorite liqueur or housemade extract

• Brush the bottom and sides of a 9-inch square baking pan with vegetable oil. Dust the pan generously with confectioners’ sugar and arrowroot powder mixture (we use a fine mesh metal strainer), knocking any excess sugar out of pan.
• In a heavy 3- to 4-quart saucepan, over medium heat, add agar agar and water and whisk together until it begins to boil. Let boil until it begins to thicken, about 3 minutes.
• Add the rice syrup, and then the granulated sugar and salt, whisking until all incorporated. Once dissolved, using a candy thermometer continue boiling without stirring until the thermometer registers 240°F (soft-ball stage). (Caution: the mixture might foam up and boil over, so turn the heat down slightly if necessary!) Remove the saucepan from the heat and let stand briefly until the bubbles start to dissipate.
• With the mixer on low speed, beat the aquafaba and cream of tartar, gradually increasing the speed to high and beating until stiff peaks. Turn the speed down to medium and carefully pour the hot sugar syrup into the aquafaba mixture in a thin stream down the side of the bowl. Gradually increase the mixer speed to high and beat until the marshmallow is very thick and forms a thick ribbon when the whisk is lifted, about 5 minutes. Beat in the vanilla/extract or liqueur.
• Scrape the marshmallow into the prepared pan wetting your fingertips with a little water to spread the sticky mixture evenly and to smooth the top. Let stand, uncovered at room temperature, until the surface is no longer sticky and you can gently pull the marshmallow away from the sides of the pan with your fingertips, at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Dust a cutting board with confectioners’ sugar. Use a rubber spatula to pull the sides of the marshmallow from the edge of the pan and invert onto the cutting board. Dust the top with confectioners’ sugar. Brush a long thin knife with vegetable oil and dust with confectioners’ sugar to prevent sticking, re-coating and dusting the knife inbetween cuts. Cut lengthwise into strips and then crosswise to make cubes of your favored size. Coat marshmallows one at a time in confectioners’ sugar, using a pastry brush to brush off any excess. Marshmallows can be stored in an air-tight container for up to a month!

Go here for a recipe for Chocolate Drizzled Lace Cookies, perfect for dipping into hot chocolate drinks

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