With all of the craziness of Christmas time, it is hard to find time to sit down and relax. It seems I am always running around trying to get that last gift purchased or running to the store for more tape to finish wrapping presents. In the middle of all that, I try to just take a moment and relax so I don’t get too overwhelmed. My favorite way to do that is with a mug of Mexican hot chocolate.

Back when I did the Whole30 program, I started really limiting my dairy intake. I found that I just felt better when I didn’t overload my body with dairy. Of course, I still love the creaminess milk adds to my coffee or to hot chocolate but I found that I could get by using cashew milk in place of traditional dairy milk. The creaminess is the perfect addition to my daily coffee or, when I am splurging a little, this Mexican hot chocolate drink.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Ingredients:

2 cups unsweetened cashew milk
4 Tbsp cocoa powder
2 Tbsp honey
1 tsp cinnamon, divided
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
mini marshmallows

Let’s Make It:

1) In a small pan, heat milk over medium heat until steaming. Do not boil.

2) Whisk in cocoa, honey, vanilla, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper. Whisk until combined. Remove from heat and pour into mug.

3) In a small bag, toss marshmallows with remaining 1/2 tsp of cinnamon. Shake to coat well. Top hot chocolate with the cinnamon marshmallows. 

I absolutely love the flavor of this hot chocolate. The cashew milk is perfectly creamy and so delicious. The hint of spice from the cinnamon and cayenne pepper is the perfect thing to match with the rich chocolate flavor. Of course, you can’t have hot chocolate without marshmallows and I love the extra dimension the cinnamon adds to those. Just the perfect thing to warm you up on a cold day and help relax away all the holiday stress.