Dairy Free Hazelnut Hot Chocolate

Nothing warms you up like home made hot chocolate in the Winter.  Of course you can buy those packets of hot cocoa at the store, but using real chocolate melted into it just brings it up a notch and makes it more special.  A good cup of hot chocolate like that passes for dessert as far as I am concerned.  Also, if you make it at home, you can make fun variations of it! I use non-dairy milk in mine, usually coconut because it is naturally sweet and rich.  The recipe I am sharing with you today uses coconut milk blended with hazelnut milk to create a heavenly combination when the chocolate is melted into it reminiscent of Nutella.  It happens to be vegan and refined sugar free but you would never know because it tastes so good!

Author: Amy Lyons O’Neil

Amy has worked for Fresh and Natural Foods since 2006 contributing to the variety of healthful foods we offer. She graduated with a degree in studio art from Bethel University in 2007, but in her senior year of college, found that her passion was with the art of food. She later used her photography and culinary skills to create a vegan food and recipe blog, Fragrant Vanilla Cake. She has also written 3 cookbooks. She specializes in vegan and vegetarian recipes. Local, fresh and organic food has always been her focus in whatever she creates.

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Servings: 2 | Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 5 minutes | Ready in: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups full fat coconut milk
• 1/2 cup hazelnuts, soaked in filtered water for 30 minutes and drained
• 8 oz Luv dark chocolate chunks, or Lily's chocolate chips
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

1. In a high speed blender, combine the coconut milk and hazelnuts.  Blend on high until it is smooth, then pour through a fine meshed strainer into the top of a double boiler.
2. Add the chocolate to the double boiler as well, and cook whisking often until the chocolate is melted completely and the mixture is uniform in color.  Whisk in the vanilla, and pour into serving glasses.
3. Enjoy!