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The cold weather hasn’t subsided yet, and neither has our craving for hot chocolate. Gina wrote in with a request to make a natural version of hot chocolate mix that her son can enjoy on Cub Scout outings, and we thought this would be the perfect time of year for such a recipe.
We made a new version of this seasonal favorite by making it from scratch. There are no artificial ingredients or flavors in our homemade hot chocolate recipe. And, this homemade treat makes a wonderful Valentine’s Day gift! Check out the recipe we developed for Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix.
Conventional hot chocolate mixes may be highly processed. For some of the brands we checked out, the lists of ingredients included things like corn syrup, partially hydrogenated soybean oil (a trans fat) and artificial flavors. Our simple mix contains only five ingredients, and you’ll immediately recognize all of them. And of course our version doesn’t include any artificial ingredients. For flavor and aroma, we blended a vanilla bean with natural cane sugar to make aromatic vanilla sugar, and we used this to complement the cocoa in our mix.
Got a recipe that needs a natural makeover? Post it in the comments section below! If we select your recipe and publish the improved version on our website, we’ll send you a $25 Whole Foods Market gift card.
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Thanks for sharing this! I’ve been looking for a spiced hot chocolate recipe. This looks perfect.
February 10th, 2010 at 9:42 am
I’m looking for a natural makeover for canned Cream of Mushroom Soup — particularly for use in casseroles, like my mother-in-law’s Midwestern Enchiladas!
February 10th, 2010 at 10:55 am
My husband loves the classic green bean recipe where everything originates in a can. I would love to have a healthier recipe for that that doesn’t involve a can! Or maybe only cans of green beans. If it tastes good enough, maybe I can get him to ditch the other one forever! Thanks for your help!
February 10th, 2010 at 2:03 pm
Fabulous! Next up, how about a white chocolate version for those who cannot have cocoa? Many thanks!
February 10th, 2010 at 2:16 pm
I would love to see a dairy-free Irish Soda bread; I haven’t had any in years since it would be dangerous, and I miss it greatly, but can’t figure a way to do it.
February 10th, 2010 at 2:52 pm
Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (for recipes that call for the gross stuff in the can)… I can’t find a good substitute (Whole Foods and Trader Joes’ don’t carry anything that I can find). I like to use it for the filling in Chicken Pot Pie, Creamy Chicken Enchiladas, etc.
February 10th, 2010 at 2:54 pm
How ’bout you package this hot chocolate recipe up so we can buy it ready made????
February 10th, 2010 at 3:31 pm
What about if you want to do this with an alternative natural sweetener (like agave nectar) and if you are doing this vegan, no soy (a lot of people are very sensitive to soy)?
February 10th, 2010 at 3:48 pm
How about a pecan pie makeover? One that doesn’t use corn syrup.
February 10th, 2010 at 7:03 pm
I would love to have a healthy fudge make-over recipe! Fudge pieces are fun to decorate and a treat to bring to any party!
February 10th, 2010 at 8:24 pm
I would give anything to find a recipe for Stouffer’s Chipped beef! I love it but can’t eat it because of all the garbage in it.
February 10th, 2010 at 9:08 pm
hi there, since winter is still kinda here and i just love my comfort foods, how about a natural mac ‘n cheese recipe?
February 11th, 2010 at 12:22 pm
my wife and i have pancake/waffle saturday every week and would just love to have a more natural way of making this tasty breakfast, somehow aunt jemima is just not doing the natural thing!
February 11th, 2010 at 12:24 pm
I would love to see potatoes au gratin given a makeover!!
February 11th, 2010 at 5:27 pm
I’d love to see an improved version of a favorite comfort food, lasagna!
February 11th, 2010 at 11:47 pm
For hot chocolate, I don’t use any special ingredient, but it could be worth checking your version.
I don’t have a recipe now but would want to have a gift card.
February 13th, 2010 at 7:34 am
@Shannon: Try our recipe for Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2605
@Michelle: Check out our lighter version of Scalloped Potatoes: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2637
@Costette: Our Green Bean Casserole recipe uses fresh green beans and homemade baked onion rings for a topping: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/1284
February 16th, 2010 at 10:40 am
To Aejin Hahn,
You can use brown rice syrup (in equal parts) to replace high fructose in pecan pie recipes. NO noticeable difference in flavor or texture. Just sticky, gooey goodness!
February 17th, 2010 at 5:02 pm
[...] Whole Story » Blog Archive » Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix for V-Day [...]
May 10th, 2010 at 8:48 pm
I myself usually cook chocolate, but I liked your recipe. I’ll try to somehow make.
January 10th, 2011 at 2:08 am
Standard Biscuits & Shepherd’s Bread
2 cups enriched flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 to 4 tablespoons shortening
2/3 to 3/4 cup milk
Directions sift dry ingredients cut in shortening until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Add milk mix until milk follows fork around the bowl. Roll gently on floured surface. Pat until about 1/2 inch thick. Instead of using a biscuit cutter I use the top of a small drinking glass. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet 450 degrees 12 to 15 minutes. Makes one dozen biscuits.
January 29th, 2011 at 5:06 pm