When I was a little kid and would trick-or-treat with my sister and brother on Halloween, my mom would always ask us to save all of our Almond Joys for her. I could never figure out why she wanted them, because in the pecking order of candy, they seemed to rank near the bottom, just slightly above those hard candies found in waiting rooms. But one day-- mind you, 10 years later-- I woke up, and LOVED coconut. Maybe it's a growing up thing, but I think it happened over night (Congrats, you've now reached adulthood because you like coconut! Here's your 401k). I've always been an almond lover, but once I reached my coconut awakening, I realized how on-point my mom was with that coconut-almond flavor combo. Ahhhh, it's just the best.
Hot chocolate is the universal drink of happiness in the winter time. And if you're living anywhere other than Los Angeles (LA is experiencing a heat wave right now, if you haven't heard), then you're probably in need of a winter pick-me-up. Do you want the indulgent deliciousness of a hot chocolate? Yes. Do you want something that's not packed with heavy cream, and is actually vegan and dairy free? Yes! Do you want a marshmallow topping that's made without corn syrup and preservatives and all that yucky stuff? Definitely, yes. Do you want something that combines the awesomeness of chocolate, coconut, and almonds? YES!
Ok, well read on and the (almond) joy of healthier hot chocolate can be yours!
As mentioned, this recipe...
- is Vegan, Dairy free and Gluten free
- uses no corn syrup or gross preservatives for the marshmallow goodness
- takes under 10 minutes to make (including the whipped topping)
- is perfectly warming and delicious in the winter!
"Almond Joy" (Coconut Almond) Hot Chocolate with Healthier Marshmallow Creme
dairy free wintery goodness in a mug | makes 4-6 servings
Ingredients:
For the Hot Chocolate:
1/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder or Cacao Powder (for Cacao, I swear by this brand.)
2 15oz cans Coconut Milk
1/2 cup Coconut Sugar (can use light/dark brown sugar instead)
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 cup chopped bittersweet [56% or 64%] Chocolate (If vegan/ DF, make sure your chocolate is dairy free-- this Gerbs chocolate is great! If you're not vegan, this is the best in the world. )
2 tsp Pure Almond extract
For the Marshmallow Creme:
2 Egg Whites
1/2 Cup sugar (I used Cane sugar here, I also often use normal white granulated)
Note: this marshmallow creme is not vegan, but "Oh She Glows" has a great vegan whipped cream recipe using more coconut!
Directions:
- Preparing the marshmallow creme (8 min total): Set up your stand mixture. Place two room temperature egg whites and 2 Tbs of sugar into the bowl. Beat together on medium to medium high speed, forming soft peaks.
- While the peaks are forming, take a small sauce pan and add the remaining sugar (6 Tbs) and 2 Tbs water (can add up to 1 Tbs more, if it appears very dry). Only stir once at this point to combine it and don't stir it again! Heat this mixture over medium heat. At the first sign of bubbles over the entire surface, take the mixture off the heat (in other words, the outter edges will boil and show bubbles first-- when you see bubbles over the entire surface area, namely in the middle, it's done! Don't burn your syrup-- take it off).
- Slow your mixer to medium-low (about 3 on a kitchen aid) and steadily pour in the sugar syrup. Increase speed to medium high, and beat for another 4-5 minutes, until it's glossy.
- I know this recipe is more complicated than most I post, but seriously, it's SO worth it-- If you have any questions about making this, message me or leave a comment! Don't be afraid to try it!
- Preparing the hot cocoa (6 min total): Combine the coconut milk, sugar, and salt over the stove-top in a medium pan over medium heat. Bring down to a simmer and stir until the sugar dissolves (for me, 3 minutes).
- At the same time, heat 2/3 cup water (a tea kettle or microwave works) and whisk in the cocoa powder.
- Whisk the cocoa powder into the mixture. Then, whisk in the chocolate until the mixture is smooth. Take off the heat, and before serving, stir in the 1 Tbs almond extract.
Enjoy! x
