Spiced Hot Chocolate: The Ultimate Cozy Indulgence

Spiced hot chocolate

Yield: 4

Print

Ingredients

• 1l (4 cups) non dairy milk
• 4tbsp cocoa powder
• 1tsp vanilla bean paste
• 1/4tsp ground ginger
• 1/4tsp ground cinnamon
• 4tbsp maple syrup
• 1oog dairy free chocolate, grated

Serving

• 2tsp Cocoa powder

Instructions

1. Heat all the ingredients for the hot chocolate (except the grated chocolate) together in a saucepan until it reaches a light simmer, then add the grated chocolate.
2. Whisk until the chocolate has melted. Don't let it boil.
3. Serve your hot chocolate in mugs, top with a sprinkle of cacao powder.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 119Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 33mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 1gSugar: 16gProtein: 3g

A little history: hot chocolate

From ritual drink to cosy mug. Hot chocolate began as a spiced, unsweetened cacao drink in Mesoamerica—first by the Olmecs and later the Maya and Aztecs (often called xocolātl). Spaniards carried the custom to Europe in the 1500s, where sugar (and eventually milk) transformed it. By the 17th–18th centuries, London’s “chocolate houses” made it a fashionable, elite beverage. Sir Hans Sloane is often credited with popularising milk-based drinking chocolate in Britain (he likely didn’t invent it, but helped spread it).

Fun facts

• London’s first chocolate house opened in 1657; they became lively social clubs for the wealthy.

• The leap from “drinking chocolate” to modern cocoa powder came after 1828 with the press that separated cocoa butter—paving the way for today’s hot cocoa.

Nutrients & health perks (the science bit)

• What’s in cocoa? Cocoa is naturally rich in flavanols (like epicatechin), theobromine, and minerals (notably magnesium and iron). Alkalised (Dutch-process) cocoa is milder but can have much lower flavanol levels, so choose natural/non-alkalised when you want the most polyphenols.

• Heart & vessels. Randomised trials/meta-analyses show cocoa flavanols can improve endothelial function (flow-mediated dilation) and modestly lower blood pressure; large trials like COSMOS suggest neutral effects on major events overall but a possible reduction in CVD mortality. 

• Brain & mood. Flavanol-rich cocoa can increase cerebral blood flow and has shown small, short-term improvements in mental fatigue/positive mood in RCTs (effects are modest and not universal).