Fall is here! The color of the trees starts to change to the warm dark orange, mornings are chillier, and many of us already start our Halloween decoration. This new season asks for more cozy Sundays with a big cup of hot chocolate. Thankfully, we have the best recipe for you, vegan peppermint hot chocolate with CBD. A recipe that’s not only delicious but also healthy and calming.
We wanted to recreate one of the most traditional recipes incorporating cannabinoids and all the good and healthy ingredients. CBD is well known to have many properties that may help with appetite, sleep, hormones, and even pain. For this vegan peppermint hot chocolate recipe, we used cacao, monk fruit sugar, oat milk, dark chocolate, vegan whipped cream, and CBD oil.
Ingredients’ health benefits
Cacao
Have you ever seen where chocolate comes from? Cacao is a bean that comes from a tree first harvested in South America about 5000 years ago. The bean can be processed to make cacao or cocoa powder. Cacao powder is made from fermented beans that have not been roasted while cocoa powder is made from a high-temperature process and often contains added sugars and dairy products.
The healthier version to use in your recipes is cacao powder. It contains fibers that are healthy for your digestion helping to reduce the risk of irritable bowel syndrome and other digestion conditions. Cacao may also reduce high blood pressure, risk of heart attack, improve brain function and mood, among many other health benefits.
Monk Fruit Sweetener
This type of sugar is extracted from the monk fruit, a small fruit originated in Southeast Asia. This natural alternative to regular cane sugar is zero-calories and at least 100 times sweeter than sugar. Studies have shown that monk fruit has very little impact on your daily calorie intake, glucose, and insulin levels.
CBD oil
Cannabinoids are derived from hemp or cannabis and are well-known to have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. Studies have shown that CBD may help reduce chronic pain, regulate sleep, appetite, and digestion.
For more information about CBD health benefits visit our latest articles on our blog!
Let’s get to the recipe!
Prep Time: 10 mins | 4 servings
Cooking Time: 5 mins
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups vegan whipping heavy cream (or any of your choice)
1 1/2 cups plant-based milk. Suggestion oat milk, it’s creamier than other plant-based drinks
Monk fruit sugar or any sweetener alternative of your choice
A pinch of salt
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1-2 drops 1000mg CBD peppermint oil
Sweetened vegan whipped cream, for garnish. You can use the remaining vegan whipping heavy cream.
Chocolate shavings or cacao powder for garnish
Directions:
In a saucepan, combine the cream, milk, sugar, and salt and heat over medium-low heat. When the cream mixture just begins to steam, add the chopped chocolate, and stir, until melted. Stir in the peppermint oil. Divide the hot chocolate among mugs and top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.
Enjoy your healthy and tasty cup of hot chocolate!