Today it is cold and it’s starting to rain, and due to rain for the next day or so. I understand that my cold isn’t cold to others, but the weather in the 40s and 50s is too cold for me. Given this, we decided that we needed to split wood and get stuff for hot cocoa. I’m not a big hot cocoa fan since it is too sweet for me and normally made with milk chocolate which I’m not a big fan of. Then I thought, hey I have mushrooms, lets’s look up herbal hot cocoa. The recipe I found that sounded the best to me is below. I modified it to my liking and to what I had.
Cocoa ImmuniTea Throughout the Caribbean, a version of hot chocolate called “cocoa tea” is extremely popular. Powdered cacao is blended into a paste with spices like cinnamon, allspice, and bay leaf, and formed into sticks or balls that are then allowed to dry. To make cocoa tea, you simply grate the desired amount of the “cocoa stick” and boil in water, then sweeten and add milk as desired. This recipe is reminiscent of traditional cocoa tea but also incorporates herbs that are especially lovely for immune system support during cold and flu season. Cocoa ImmuniTea Ingredients 3 tablespoons roasted cacao (powder or nibs) 1 tablespoon dried elderberries 2 tablespoons Astragalus root 1 cinnamon stick 3 ¼ cups water Raw honey to taste Milk or milk alternative to taste Reishi, cordyceps or other immune-boosting tincture (optional) Directions Decoct cacao, elderberries, Astragalus and cinnamon in 3 ¼ cups cold water, keeping at a low boil for about 15 minutes. Strain out the herbs and pour into mugs. Add milk and honey to taste, if desired (with the cinnamon, you might not need any additional sweetness!). I also like to add 1 ml or so of an immune system-supporting tincture for an extra boost. Serves 2. How To Make Herbal Hot Chocolate (3 Recipes!) – Herbal Academy
I recently got a coffee pot to use as an infusion/decoction pot. It is wonderful, I did chai tea last week while my mom was here. Today I used it for herbal hot cocoa, I filled the water area with water, then loaded all the herbs into the craft, turned it on, and left it for 1-2 hours. The result was heavenly.
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