When the weather turns chilly, a warm, comforting drink is in order. A steaming cup of hot cocoa brings back memories of warming up after sledding all day and visions of cozy Christmas Eves.

But cocoa isn’t just for drinking; you can add cocoa powder to many recipes to add a little depth and character to your dishes and desserts. You’ll even receive some health benefits if you use organic, raw, unsweetened cocoa powder. “According to a study conducted at Cornell University, the antioxidant concentration in hot cocoa is almost twice as strong as red wine. Cocoa’s concentration was two to three times stronger than that of green tea and four to five times stronger than that of black tea,” reports mnn.com. And that’s just one of the many benefits!

Here are a couple cocoa recipes for your drinking pleasure as well as a couple ways you can incorporate cocoa into your cooking.

To Drink

Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate, Sally’s Baking Addiction

The perfect recipe for those on the go, you can head outdoors for the afternoon to enjoy a Pure Michigan winter and return to the RV to the enchanting aroma of hot cocoa.

Ingredients

  •  6 cups whole milk
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened natural or Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • toppings: marshmallows, chocolate candies, candy canes, chocolate syrup, salted caramel, etc.

Directions

  1. Place all of the ingredients into a large slow cooker. Vigorously whisk to get the cocoa powder as mixed in as possible – you don’t want it all floating on the top. Keep whisking for a minute or 2 until it’s all combined.
  2. Cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 4 hours. Make sure you whisk it every 45 minutes – 1 hour to make sure the chocolate isn’t burning on the bottom.
  3. Serve warm with marshmallows or other optional toppings. Store leftovers in the refrigerator and warm up on the stove or in the microwave.

Coconut Hot Cocoa – Mother Nature Network

We can’t beat what the author said about this hot cocoa recipe: “For dairy-free, sugar-free, nut-free diets this recipe may be as close as you get to cocoa nirvana. And for anyone else, if you’ve got the ingredients, this version is super salubrious and delicious.”

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons canned coconut milk
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 3 soft pitted dates
  • 1 tablespoon cacao powder
  • Dash of cinnamon

Directions

Put all ingredients in the blender and puree until very smooth, gently heat in a pot on the stove. Sip and dream of the tropics.

To Sprinkle

Slow Cooker Chili – Feastie.com

Chili isn’t just about tomatoes and ground beef. A little bit of cocoa is a key ingredient in this recipe’s flavor profile that will make this chili win the blue ribbon at home and at the annual chili cook-off.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 pounds lean ground beef
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
  • ½ cup water
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1½ tablespoons chili powder
  • 1½ tablespoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder (you can substitute chilies in adobo sauce as well. Add to taste.)
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 (15 ounce) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

Instructions

  1. Heat a large skillet with olive oil.
  2. Add in ground beef and onion. Cook until meat is browned and no longer pink. Drain excess grease.
  3. Add the ground beef and onion mixture to a slow cooker.
  4. Add in the rest of the ingredients except the beans.
  5. Cook the chili on low for 4-5 hours or on high for 2-3 hours. Add beans to chili 30 minutes prior to serving.
  6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Serve immediately with your favorite toppings!

To Indulge

Hot Cocoa Almond Bark – Love & Zest

For this recipe, replace the instant hot chocolate mix with unsweetened cocoa powder. It’ll add a little more bitterness to offset the sweetness of the other ingredients – plus, then you won’t be missing the health benefits!

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate
  • 4 ounces white chocolate
  • ¼ cup  Lightly Salted Almonds, chopped
  • ¼ cup miniature marshmallows
  • ½ packet instant hot chocolate mix

Instructions

  1. Melt chocolate on stovetop by filling small pot a third of the way full with water, and place a heat proof bowl that fits tightly on top of pot.
  2. Place dark chocolate in bowl and heat over medium low until melted thoroughly, stirring often.
  3. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and pour dark chocolate on parchment, spreading chocolate out evenly into thin layer.
  4. In clean heat proof bowl, repeat process to melt white chocolate.
  5. Scoop melted white chocolate out of bowl and pour on top of dark chocolate. Run spatula through chocolate to make a marbled look with white and dark chocolate.
  6. Top chocolate with almonds and marshmallows.
  7. Using a fine mesh sieve, sprinkle hot chocolate on top of bark.
  8. Allow to cool in refrigerator until chocolate hardens.
  9. Break chocolate into bite sized pieces to form bark.