Hot chocolate can be a healthful drink if you make it right. As I reviewed here, cocoa is rich in flavanols, compounds that can make blood vessels more flexible and able to expand. This circulatory system influence seems to have far-reaching health benefits: over the last decade an impressive body of research has linked cocoa consumption with cardiovascular benefits, and more limited research shows benefits for skin health (reduce signs of photo-aging and improve elasticity), blood lipids, and Type 2 diabetes, and cognitive function – yes, it seems chocolate can even help the aging brain!  Athletes might be interested in emerging research looking at cocoa flavanols and athletic performance and recovery.

But most prepared hot chocolate mixes and chocolate syrups and powders tend to be overly sweet and the little cocoa/chocolate that they do contain is processed with alkali, which reduces the flavanol content.

MAKING YOUR OWN hot chocolate mix is worth the effort (which is fairly minimal). You’ll be rewarded with a soothing chocolatey beverage that is actually good for you. The recipe below makes a delicious hot chocolate, thanks to cocoa and real dark chocolate that combine to produce a decadent and rich drink.

Is hot chocolate really that healthy?

Of course, you still need to consider the extra sugar and calories you’re adding to your diet, because if you don’t need these, their harm could outweigh any potential benefit of cocoa flavanols. For athletes, if you drink hot chocolate after a workout when your body can use the sugars, it’s a near perfect recovery drink. The carbohydrates and sugars will help replenish glycogen stores and the protein in milk helps repair muscle damage. A bonus with this cocoa-rich recipe, is new (albeit limited!) evidence suggesting that cocoa flavanols can help enhance recovery and possibly athletic performance.

How to Make Your Own Hot Chocolate Mix

You can make a healthy cup of cocoa by combining 2 tbsp. of cocoa, 1-2 tbsp. sugar and  2 tbsp. milk; heating over low heat and adding 1 cup of milk.  But I find having a mix on hand makes the process easier, and using a food processor to blend the ingredients allows them to dissolve better.

Here is a recipe for a basic cocoa-rich hot chocolate mix; you can make it more healthful by reducing the sugar a bit, and more decadent by increasing the amount of dark chocolate.

Ingredients

Hot Chocolate Mix

• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder*
• 1/2 cup chopped dark or semiweet chocolate or semisweet chocolate chips
• ¾ cup white sugar
• 1 tbsp. cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp. salt

To Make the Hot Chocolate

• Milk of choice (ratio of milk to chocolate powder is about 1 cup milk for each 3 Tbsp. hot chocolate mix)

*see Choosing the Best Cocoa Powder below

Directions

1. HOT CHOCOLATE MIX. Combine cocoa, chocolate, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a food processor. Process until blended to a fine powder (about 1 minute).  Transfer to an airtight jar, where you can store the mix for about 2 months.  This makes about 2 cups of mix (about 10 servings of hot chocolate).
2. MAKE THE HOT CHOCOLATE (for each cup milk, add 3 Tbsp. of hot chocolate mix).
   In a medium pan, heat milk (until it starts to steam) and stir in the hot chocolate mix. Stir or whisk well until the hot chocolate mixture is dissolved (about 2 minutes). Whisking vigorously produces a nice foam on top of the drink.

This makes about 2 cups of mix (around 10 servings of hot chocolate).  This hot chocolate may separate a little quicker than commercially prepared mixes, so if you’re putting it in a thermos or travel mug, give it a good shake before consuming.

Nutrition Per Serving

3 Tbsp. Mix combined with 1 cup of 1% milk

• 235 calories
• 10 g protein
• 40 g carbohydrate
• 7 g fat
• 4 g fiber
• 170 mg sodium
• 495 mg potassium

Which Chocolate Source Contains the Most Flavanols?

The fresh cocoa bean is the richest source of flavanols, and products with a high cocoa content, like cocoa powder, are typically rich in flavonols. A study of commercially-available chocolate and cocoa-containing products ranked flavanol content as follows (in decreasing order): natural cocoa powder, unsweetened baking chocolate, dark chocolate, semisweet baking chips, milk chocolate, and chocolate syrup.

Choosing the Best Cocoa Powder

Cocoa powders vary quite a bit in terms of flavanol content.  Some are processed with alkali (i.e., Dutch-processed, also called “European style” or “alkalized”), which darkens the powder and produces a somewhat milder cocoa.  This processing also reduces flavanol levels (but to varying degrees, since the amount of processing varies among “dutched” products).

“Natural” cocoa powders are a better bet in terms of health, but you may find these more bitter, and they can be difficult to find. Product names don’t tell all, as not all alkali-processed products are called “dutched processed.”  Checking the ingredient list can help, but not all manufacturers list the alkaline agent to process the cocoa (e.g., potassium carbonate or sodium carbonate). My limited investigation found that Fry’s cocoa and No Name brand cocoa are Dutch processed, while Hershey’s Natural is not.  Color can also be a guide (though somewhat counterintuitive) – a rich dark-colored powder is likely processed.

Although you can use dutch processed or regular cocoa interchangeably in your hot chocolate mix, cocoa processing will influence baked goods (you can read more about cocoa processing and baking here and here).

Recipes with Cocoa and/or Dark Chocolate

• Flourless Chocolate Cake
• Rich CHOCOLATE cake (with beets)
• Rich Chocolate Glaze
• Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Bites
• Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Shake

 

 

 

 

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