Low-sugar hot chocolate mix with raw cacao powder and adaptogens like reishi mushroom, maca, ashwagandha, and he shou wu. The perfect low-caffeine cozy beverage to replace coffee or matcha.
To a large jar or container add cacao powder, ashwagandha, reishi mushroom powder, maca, tocos, ground cinnamon, and he shou wu (optional). At this point you can keep it unsweetened and sweeten to taste per batch, or you can add sweetener. We opted for a bit of stevia (we like Trader Joe’s stevia packets, and we added about 5, so 1/2 a packet / serving). However, not all stevia is made equal, and commonly they’re much sweeter, so add little by little! Alternatively, you could sweeten with coconut sugar. We’d recommend 1-2 tsp / serving, so as the recipe is written, roughly 3-7 Tbsp.
Will keep stored at room temperature (preferably in a cool, dark place) up to 3 months.
TO MAKE HOT CHOCOLATE
To a high-speed blender (or small blender), add hot water (or dairy-free milk), hot chocolate mix (3 Tbsp per 1 serving), coconut butter (optional), and collagen (optional). Add sweetener of choice if not added when making mix. Note: If using dairy-free milk in place of water, you can opt to skip the tocos and coconut butter.
Blend on high until creamy and frothy — about 1 minute. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more sweetener to taste, cacao for rich chocolate flavor, maca for malty flavor, or coconut butter for coconut flavor / butteriness. The adaptogens / mushrooms can be a bit on the bitter side, so adding more coconut butter, cacao, and sweetener will offset this.
Serve and enjoy immediately. You can also make this in a big batch for the week and reheat throughout the week as needed either on the stovetop in a saucepan, or in our go-to milk frother. Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator up to 3-4 days (though best when fresh). Not freezer friendly.
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Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with stevia as the sweetener and without optional ingredients. *In this recipe, tocos (rice bran solubles) largely plays the role of replacing dairy-free milk as it acts like a milk powder when blended. However, if using dairy-free milk in place of water, it (and the coconut butter) can be omitted. Also, some readers have commented about potential arsenic risk with tocos, so use your own judgement and exercise caution if consuming daily (I'd say leave it out if you're concerned). *Collagen is something we add for a little protein. If vegan, we love this vegan collagen from Moon Juice.