The minute the cold weather hits, out comes the cocoa powder to make hot cocoa. It's been a favorite winter beverage in the Magee house since my girls were old enough to ask for it! Since none of us particularly like drinking milk as a cold beverage, hot cocoa is a welcome opportunity to get some of that calcium, vitamin D, and protein that low fat milk so aptly provides.
Not to ruin the whole celebration of hot cocoa or anything, but depending on how you make the hot cocoa and the embellishments added to it, we could be talking about a high nutrient beverage with about 120 calories and 1.2 grams of fat OR we could be talking about something that is in the ballpark of a rich dessert with about 350 calories and 20 grams of fat (12 grams saturated fat). So...if any of this matters to you, here is the "lighter" way to look at the basic three ingredients in hot cocoa:
The Lighter Way To Look At Hot Cocoa
* Cocoa powder (about 2 tablespoons unsweetened) [40 calories, 1 gram fat, 0 g saturated fat, 2 grams fiber]
* Nonfat or 1% lowfat milk (about 1 cup) [83 calories, .2 gram fat for nonfat and 102 calories and 2.4 grams fat for 1% lowfat milk]
* Powdered sugar/sweetener (about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons) [45 calories for 1 1/2-tablespoon or 60 calories for 2 tablespoons]
If you want to add extra flavors without getting into the triple digits in calories (and double digits in fat grams), shoot for items that add flavor without a lot of calories like cinnamon, peppermint or vanilla extract. Remember a little peppermint extract goes a long way (add a drop first and taste before adding more). You can also serve your hot cocoa with a candy cane as a stirrer. That's one way to use all those candy canes from Christmas.
1-Minute Is All You Need!
One of my favorite hot cocoa blends is Moonstruck's Mexican or American Hot Cocoa which is a combination of their special cocoa and powdered sugar that is then added to milk. To make a cup of 1-minute hot cocoa, all you do is warm a cup of 1% milk (or nonfat milk) in the microwave for about 1 minute on HIGH. Then stir in the suggested amount of whatever cocoa powder you are using. Because the milk is nice and hot, the cocoa powder (blended with the powdered sugar) is easily stirred in.
