Another hot chocolate recipe couldn’t hurt for the month of December, right? I can’t believe that we’re right on the edge of holiday time and that 2018 is wrapping up. How are you planning to spend your last month and how are you going to make it count? I know that last week I was talking about how easy it is to get overwhelmed with winter holiday stuff. I looked back at my journal entries from the first week of this year, revisited my goals, and reminded myself to not feed into the pressure/perfectionism of the season and to just try to enjoy it as it is.
I’m heading to the city for brunch with friends this weekend (at a restaurant I’ve been dying to go to) and we’re also getting our Christmas tree and fixing up the outdoor decorations. I tend to do the same jumble of evergreen, pine, birch, dogwood, boxwood, and magnolia branches every holiday season, but I’m going in a slightly different direction this year. I’ll be sharing on Instagram stories if you’re into seasonal porch decor hehe. I might try to squeeze in a baking project of some kind, but I also might just go easy. Anyway, hope you enjoy these links, this rich maple walnut hot chocolate, and a couple pics of my dogs :) Big hug!
I am all about fully embracing holistic strategies for wellness and turning to modern medicine when necessary. A friend suggested Shirodhara Therapy as a treatment for stress and nerve tension recently and I seriously feel soothed just reading descriptions of the procedure.
Another climate solution that isn’t a new hybrid car? Worldwide gender equity.
Along with trying to get the world to eat wholesome, plant-based food, my other obsession is NBA basketball. It goes without saying that I love food-focused NBA stories and this one about the Pancake King is great.
“There is a reason the fashion industry clings to old-fashioned ways of doing things – it is cheaper and it is easier. We can only fix this mess if we work together.”
Books I’m looking at this month: Kintsugi Wellness, Almost Everything, Unsheltered, This Will Only Hurt a Little, and Managing Oneself.
The concept of self-care has turned into this monster of the wellness industry, designed to make you buy things out of a sense of lack. This piece on the pressure to have the glow of a newborn hints at that idea. “Not that long ago, the words ‘you’re glowing’ was a compliment reserved for women at very specific life stages: new love, weddings, and pregnancy. It was a signal of feminine energy, of fertility. Now, we’re expected to glow every damn day.”
Maple Walnut Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
- ¼ cup raw walnuts, soaked for at least 4 hours
- 2 tablespoons vegan chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 12 oz boiling water
Equipment
Notes
- You’ll need a sturdy/high-speed blender for this one. You can run the finished product through a fine mesh strainer if you’re fussy about texture. I don’t mind the thick, walnut-y sediment at the end of an unstrained version though :)
- You could use stevia-sweetened chocolate chips if you want to cut the sugar a bit here.
- If you’re up to it, some coconut whip is excellent on top!
Instructions
- Drain the walnuts. In an upright, high speed blender, combine the walnuts, chocolate chips, cocoa powder, maple syrup, vanilla, salt, and boiling water. Slowly bring the blender up to high speed. Blend the hot chocolate until smooth and creamy. Pour the maple walnut hot chocolate into your favourite mug and enjoy!
The addition of walnut bitters and or coffee is what really makes this cozy experience transcendent for me. Thank you for this recipe!
Hi! I made this hot chocolate for myself after putting my 4-year old to bed, and found it delicious and filling, without being too creamy.
I first blended the pre-soaked walnuts with the water, then strained the milk through a fine mesh strainer. Then, I put the strained milk along with all of the ingredients in a large measuring jug in the microwave to heat it up.
In lieu of the chocolate chips, I used 17.5g of 70% Lindt chocolate and increased the maple syrup to 10 ml (2 teaspoons), which was a lovely balance.
I’ll make it again tomorrow and share it with my child for our afternoon tea snack.
This is the first time I made this recipe (and the first fro your blog) and for my first attempt, it was great. I love how easy it was and the fact that it wasn’t too sweet. It reminds me a little of Mayan style hot chocolate where it’s made with water instead of milk. I need to tweak a few things (like actually get a brand of chocolate chips and maple syrup that I like, the kind I used happened to be around) and I want to see what happens if I add less water. But this seems like a recipe I’ll definitely make and play around with again.
I’m loving all these cozy pictures! Happy holidays to you and yours, Laura. Hope this is a restful and joyful season for you!
I love hot chocolate and I have never tried a vegan version. Or a version with maple or walnut. I think I need to change that today.
… I’ve tried scouring the internet but to no avail… I MUST know where those gold shearling slippies came from. They’re perfect!
They’re from J Crew! A few years old at this point though :)
-L
This sounds wonderful! I will be making this soon, thank you for sharing your awesome recipes and incredibly sweet doggie photo’s you made my day. Happy holidays!
Thanks so much Kathy! Happiest of holidays to you as well <3
I did the nutrition on this. Over 10 g protein! Plus chocolate is high in magnesium. A bone building, nerve soothing tonic that is perfect for holiday stress. I am just learning vegan so I am very pleased with this!
I had no idea! Thanks for running the numbers on this, Colleen. Plants are truly amazing :D
-L
The timing of your post was perfect! After reading it, I felt inspired to finish my decorating and found a special porcelain ornament my mother had given me. As I turned to place it lovingly on the tree, I somehow fumbled it and it dropped to the floor. It was broken and so was my heart. I was super sad and was ready to cry until I remembered that I had set aside the walnuts for the super chocolate bevie from your post. Mom was a big chocolate fan so I Whipped it up in no time was sipping that lucious concoction. Thank you so much for all that you do. Your recipes and post are amazing and I am so grateful that you share your thoughts and inspirations with us. Peace, chocolate, vegetables, and soft fuzzy puppy muzzles. :) Helen
Helen, thank you for this generous and sweet comment! I’m so sorry about your family heirloom ornament, but glad that the hot chocolate helped a bit. Sending my hugs :)
-L
Love Parallel! Had a fabulous dinner there this past summer and have been meaning to go back, I didn’t know they did brunch. I’m also currently reading HBR’s Managing Yourself (along with a few others from their productivity series – I always find a lot of applicable take-aways in them). :)
Brunch was so good! Also took home A LOT of tahini haha. That giant mill they have in the back is mesmerizing!
-L