Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Decadent Hot Chocolate for the (Moderately) Lactose-Intolerant

I was never a milk-drinker as a child, but I always loved hot cocoa. So when the Micawber household gave up cow's milk some years ago (to spare the lactose-intolerant Micawber tummies), I thought we'd have to give up rich hot cocoa too. Rice milk, and the coconut milk beverage we now prefer, are good on cereal and adequate for cooking. But they fall short of cow's milk in terms of flavour and mouth-feel, yielding a disappointingly thin-tasting cocoa.

Then last winter a chocolate brainwave struck. Mr. M and I may be lactose-intolerant, but we can consume any amount of heavy whipping cream without noticeable ill effects (lucky us!). Why not use cream in our non-bovine cocoa to give it some body and richness? And ... double brain wave ... how about using chocolate chips instead of the usual cocoa powder-and-sugar base?*


Thus a simple recipe was born. Rich, chocolatey, and not too sweet, it's hot cocoa for grownups. (Though you may certainly add marshmallows if you wish). I have no idea how many calories or fat grams it contains - and frankly I don't care. This is drinkable dessert in a cup. :)

Decadent Hot Chocolate for the Moderately Lactose-Intolerant

For each 10-oz mug, you will need:

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream**
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 oz. milk substitute of your choice (or cow's milk for those who can tolerate it)

Bring cream to a boil in small pan. Remove from heat and add chocolate chips, whisking until completely smooth.


Whisk in milk or milk-like fluid :). Return to stove and heat until steaming, stirring frequently.

Pour into a beautiful cup, and drink in the chocolatey richness.

Have a sip!

Minty variation: use a peppermint stick or candy cane in the mug for stirring.

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*I can thank my sister for the chocolate-chip idea.
**Try to find cream without stabilizers or preservatives - Dean's is a good clean U.S. brand.

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26 comments:

  1. For a minute I thought you were going to make the whole thing out of cream.....as much as I love cream, I may have to draw the line there! And mint choc.....now you're talking!

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    1. Hmmm...I'd have to increase the chocolate, but it just might work....

      :)

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  2. In pictures and print it looks perfect, Sue!
    Thanks for posting :-)
    <3 Gracie <3

    I'm off to heat a pot of tea with honey to ward off a scratchy throat :-(

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    1. Thanks Gracie! Hope that sore throat feels better soon. :/

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  3. I think I could actually drink it with straight up cream...cream from pastured treated nicely cows, that is. Just a small amount in hmmmm...let's say an espresso cup and mint for sure!

    Thanks for pleasurable moment!

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  4. Yumm looking! Great ideas come to great minds :)

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  5. It looks and sounds delicious but I would never add marsh mellows. Arrrrg! It's the fat that makes food taste better, more intense, richer and smoother of course. I don't count calories too.

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    1. Yes - fat carries flavour. Everybody needs fat in their diet. (And I don't do marshmallows either. Arrrrg is right.) :)

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  6. Sounds delicious, and I'm not a milk drinker either, always hated the taste of it, as a child said it made me sick, now I realize I'm probably lactose intolerant.

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    1. Plain milk always repelled me, but chocolate milk I loved. Not that goopy pre-mixed stuff in a carton, but the kind you could make with Ovaltine or Nestle's chocolate powder. I still like it, but can't drink it. Probably just as well!

      :)

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  7. That sounds wonderful. Looks yummy. I am going to try that one. Maybe tonight after work.

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    1. It's very rich and satisfying. Hope you like it! :)

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  8. Oh how yummy! Must try this one.
    I cannot drink cows milk either but about 5 years ago I swapped it for goats milk. It has a double benefit. I don't get headaches with it , it tastes quite similar to milk and it is much higher in nutrients than moo-juice.
    Rosie xx

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    1. I would love to try goat's milk, but can't seem to find a local source. I've read that it's much healthier. (I feel like a traitor to my adopted state - Wisconsin is known as the Dairy State. But wait - I eat tons of cheese, so it's alright.)

      Anything to avoid headaches! :)

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  9. I've hated milk since I was a tiny baby; my grandmother said I would have no such part of it! Must have gotten a good dose of sour milk somewhere along the way. This sounds doable. I've been using almond milk, and that suits me just fine. I've liked it in coconut milk, too, although I agree that's a bit too thin for taste. My favorite is hazelnut milk, which in these here parts can be very difficult to find, darn it. (Oh, and we use plain cocoa and SweetLeaf.)

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    1. I haven't seen hazelnut milk before but it sounds delightful. :)

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  10. Oh, yum. Heaven in a mug. I'm sure I could go for all cream without too much protest.

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    1. Heaven in a mug is exactly right! Thanks Ginnie. :)

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  11. Wonderful! This I could do (well, if I could get the Goatmother to make me any). She might even use goat milk. The no sugar part is a big plus in my book. She even happens to have a nice block of bittersweet chocolate. You will notice that Rosie, up there, had the right idea. :)

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    1. Yes, and I immediately thought of you when I read her comment.

      P.S. You don't happen to be a cashmere goat, do you? If so I'd love to have some of your fiber.... :)

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  12. I make my hot chocolate in a similar way. My favourite is to use dark chilli chocolate (Lindt is good) for a bit of a kick on a cold day.

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    1. I think my husband would love that. Thanks for commenting! :)

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