My Guilt Free Hot Chocolate

Looks good, huh?  I've been trying for years to make a sugar free hot chocolate that tasted as good as the real thing.  I wanted something rich and creamy, unlike the watery stuff you get in the sugar free packets, that hardly resembles hot chocolate at all.   I'm just not that desperate.  But I do love a good hot chocolate and now I'm happy to say that my experimenting has paid off.  

I usually make one cup at a time, but if you're making for a crowd, adjust accordingly.  For one cup, I measure my milk into a saucepan and add one heaping tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa.  I don't use a measuring spoon, I just grab a big spoon from the drawer.  It goes without saying, but the better quality cocoa you have, the better the end result.

I add three packets of stevia.  I know some of you aren't stevia fans, but I can't detect any aftertaste, so it works great for me.  I like my chocolate sweet, so if you're going for more of a bittersweet cocoa, you might want to start with two packets.

Now, this is the ingredient that I think has led me to success.  I squirt one nice stream of agave into the milk.  I buy this light agave nectar at Aldi and have been using it for lots of things besides this cocoa.  I use it instead of honey in my sesame chicken recipe, and as the sweetener in my homemade granola.  I'm a fan.

I add a pinch of salt and a drop or two of vanilla extract.

Whisk it all together until the cocoa is completely dissolved.  Lumps of unsweetened cocoa are not a fun surprise in the mouth.  That's it!  I really like whipped cream in my cocoa, so I whip my own with a little stevia (powdered is good for this) for sweetening.  In fact, whenever I have a dessert that calls for whipped cream, I whip extra, for this very purpose.  I've discovered that if you whip the cream to just the right consistency, it will hold for several days in the refrigerator.  

This cocoa is divine!

I think I want a cup right now.