Maple Hot Cocoa

Every winter my kids beg for hot cocoa. Nothing beats coming in from an afternoon of playing in the cold than enjoying a nice steaming mug. When I was a kid, the only thing I knew of hot cocoa was that it came in little individual sized packets with dried marshmallows in it.

Since my kids were little, I've been making homemade. Homemade hot cocoa really couldn't be easier. When it is made with no added chemicals, preservatives, and real milk- it can't be beat.

This recipe for maple syrup hot cocoa I found over at a site I love called diy Natural. This is essentially the same exact recipe I had been making for years, but they used pure maple syrup as the sweetener instead of refined granulated sugar. Let me tell you friends, this is seriously delicious.

Maple Hot Cocoa
(Source: diy Natural)
((Printable Recipe))

Ingredients:
1/4 cup cocoa powder (I personally love Hershey's Special Dark)
pinch of sea salt
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
4 cups whole milk (please do not skimp on this)
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Mix together the salt, cocoa powder, maple syrup, and water in a medium sized sauce pan. Bring the mixture to a boil and boil for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

2. Add the milk and heat until it reaches a desired temperature, being careful not to boil it.

3. Turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla. Serve with homemade marshmallows.

Serves 4.