After a long day of outdoor winter fun in the snow, nothing beats warming up with a fresh mug of gluten free hot chocolate. That’s right — this rich, creamy, soul-warming recipe is completely, 100 per cent gluten free. Even the marshmallows! Oh, and did we mention that it’s also entirely delicious?
Gluten free diets raise a lot of important questions. Is chocolate gluten free? being one of the most common, because, well, chocolate. Enough said.
While pure, unsweetened chocolate is naturally free of gluten, cross-contamination at the factory level is where the trouble lies. When cacao beans are processed in an environment that also processes wheat, for example, there’s a risk of your chocolate containing traces of gluten. For a person living with celiac disease, even traces are enough to cause severe symptoms.
In this decadent recipe, we’ve gone with Hershey’s SPECIAL DARK Mildly Sweet Chocolate Chips and Natural Unsweetened Cocoa, which are two of Hershey’s many certified gluten free chocolate products.
(Aside: for an up-to-date mega list of gluten free candy, check out this awesome post by Taylor, the man behind the Gluten Away blog)
Similarly, you may be wondering, are marshmallows gluten free? Another very important question when it comes to serving up the perfect batch of gluten free hot chocolate. About Health did some digging and found that both Jet Puffed marshmallows by Kraft and Doumak (who makes marshmallows and marshmallows only), are gluten free. Our perfect cup of gluten free hot chocolate is topped with Doumak Campfire® marshmallows.
Now that you’re probably drooling all over the place in anticipation, we present to you, our #1 gluten free hot chocolate recipe!
INGREDIENTS FOR 2 DELICIOUS MUGSFUL
1 3/4 cups coconut milk (or a 15oz can)
1/2 cup unsweetened gluten free almond milk
1/3 cup Hershey’s SPECIAL DARK Mildly Sweet Chocolate Chips
2 tablespoon Hershey’s Natural Unsweetened Cocoa + a little extra for dusting
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of sea salt
A few Chai VerMints, crushed (for optional dusting)
HOW TO MAKE IT
Mix coconut and almond milk together in a medium saucepan and stir over low heat until warm. Be careful not to let it burn.
Mix in the chocolate chips, cocoa, and vanilla. Whisk until the chocolate chips are completely melted and the mixture is fully heated. Stir in salt.
Pour mixture into two mugs and top with a small handful of Campfire® mini marshmallows. Dust lightly with a bit more cocoa powder and crushed Chai VerMints (optional).
Drink up!
Image courtesy of Vanwinkles.com
