Gluten Free Hot Cocoa Mixes & Recipes

 According to the article Cocoa in the August/September 2011 issue of Living Without Magazine, cocoa, when ingested  properly, is a powerfully beneficial food.  The polyphenolic flavonids in cocoa are linked to overall heart wellness, including lower blood pressure, stronger blood vessels and improved cholesterol levels.  Dutch processed cocoa preserves and retains the nutrient benefits of cocoa.  I use gluten-free Saco premium Dutch Cocoa.  So, now that we all feel better about our chocolate consumption, here are a few of my favorite hot cocoa recipes.  I make fresh hot cocoa almost every night about 9 months out of the year as my dessert.

1 1/2 TBSP unsweetened cocoa or Saco premium Dutch processed cocoa 
3 tsp sugar in the raw
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 oz vanilla soy milk
2 oz organic 1% milk


1 1/2 TBSP unsweetened cocoa or Saco premium Dutch processed cocoa
3 tsp sugar in the raw
1/2 cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
4 oz vanilla soy milk or 4 oz vanilla almond milk
2 oz organic 1% milk

1 1/2 TBSP unsweetened cocoa or Saco premium Dutch processed cocoa

3 tsp sugar in the raw

1/2 cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

4 oz  lite coconut milk or 4 oz vanilla rice milk

2 oz organic 1% milk

1 1/2 TBSP unsweetened cocoa or Saco premium Dutch processed cocoa

3 tsp sugar in the raw

1/2 tsp cinnamon

4 oz coffee flavored soy milk

2 oz organic 1% milk

Be careful if choosing to use a hot cocoa mix.  Both the Starbucks and Nestle brands are manufactured on shared equipment with wheat/gluten.  Ghiardelli does not contain any gluten ingredients nor does it provide an allergy disclaimer on it's label regarding gluten.  However, after diligent searching on-line, I was able to verify that all Ghiardelli cocoa mixes are manufactured in a shared facility with barely malt and Ghiardelli does not test for gluten.