Monday Munchies: Clean DELICIOUS Hot Cocoa with a Pumpkin Variation option

Ok I love hot chocolate from time to time, especially on a weekend morning with my kids when it's cold, and we have had such a cold snap. I adapted this from a recipe that I used to make. Dairy and I became enemies somewhere along the way. But the cool thing was, what I discovered was a pretty adaptable fairly clean recipe, a little peppermint extract and it's a candycane hot chocolate, and my favorite version, a pumpkin. This is still 158 calories per serving, this recipe makes 2 servings. But at least when you're family wants hot cocoa, you have a GREAT rich delicious option! Let me know what you think!!

1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
pinch of salt
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons maple syrup**
⅓ cup chopped 100% dark chocolate

In the saucepan mix into the milk, salt, vanilla, and maple syrup. Bring the mixture to a light boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve and combine the ingredients. Once the milk comes to a light boil, turn off the heat and stir in the chocolate until its all melted into the milk. Serve immediately

For the pumpkin Variation Additionally add these ingredients:

3 tablespoons pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
pinch ground nutmeg

In the saucepan mix above ingredients same but add the pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Bring the mixture to a light boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the spices and combine the ingredients. At this point you can enjoy the hot pumpkin milk (which is crazy good) or continue to the next step and add the chocolate.
Once the milk comes to a light boil, turn off the heat and stir in the chocolate until its all melted into the milk. Serve immediately.

**I'll be honest with you here and say that I also added stevia for more sweet, this is not a super sweet recipe.

If you're looking for a great option that's not a TON of calories but hits that sweet tooth just right, this is one of my new faves!!!