Chocolate Milk, two ways
It’s 1:52pm on Sunday. I’ve just put Walt down for a nap - a later one than usual, as we spent the morning at our friends’ house. For brunch our friends served bánh mì, with lots of coriander and quick pickled veggies. Gosh, they were good. I’d hoped Walt would sleep in the car on the drive home, but he was far too busy spotting trucks on the freeway. Once we pulled into our driveway he was properly tired, so I carried him into the bedroom, gave him a breastfeed and watch him plunge into sleep. I expect he didn’t even flinch when I turned the blender on just now to make myself a glass of chocolate milk.
Joan was around 16-months-old when she day weaned, very simply, by way of the “don’t offer, don’t refuse” method. As it turns out she wasn’t all that interested in breastfeeding anymore - before I knew it she was requesting to feed only before and after sleeps. Walt was a similar age when I started following the same method and, well, at two and a quarter he is still feeding as much as he did when he turned one. Evidently, he remains very interested. Perhaps this is why I find myself most afternoons searching for a snack that is at once energising and tremendously hydrating.
During autumn and winter I would warm milk and a date in a saucepan, then blitz them together with raw cacao powder, honey, coconut oil, cinnamon and almond butter to make a hot chocolate of sorts. This became an almost daily ritual. “Who want’s hot chocolate?” I would sing to my people. At some stage I began to crave something cooler, so would skip the steeping step and throw the same ingredients (minus the honey) into the blender, along with a frozen banana and some hemp seeds. Sometimes I’d add a little frozen cauliflower or spinach, both of which are very good in smoothies (provided you don’t use too much). Ground coffee power is another cheery addition, one which I’d skip if the kiddos were waiting by the blender for a pour (which they often were). One day after a rather large lunch I found myself wanting to make an afternoon drink that was not quite as filling as a smoothie, yet no less rich and hydrating. And that’s when I started making chocolate milk.
Have you tried Oatly chocolate milk? It’s good. It’s not particularly cheap, though. And so I decided to make a version from scratch, one that contained a bunch of ingredients that make me happy. After a little trial and error, I have two recipes to share with you - one using oats, another using tahini. I also trialed a version with cashews, but oat and tahini won. Walt was a most diligent taste-tester, brandishing a chocolate-stained chin for a few days. If you were to ask which chocolate milk he prefers, he would yell “HINI!”, while Ben and Joan prefer the oat version. I like both, particularly with the addition of ground coffee powder (which is surprising to no one, I’m sure).
NOTES:
The flavour and intensity of raw cacao power varies from brand to brand, which is why it’s important to taste and adjust the quantity to suit your preferences. I tend to add one heaping tablespoon to my milk - you might like more or less. If making it just for the kiddos, I would use only a couple of teaspoons.
Similarly, some medjool dates are bigger and sweeter than others. Feel free to add another date or more maple syrup if you want your milk sweeter.
I tried soaking the oats before rinsing and blending, and actually prefer the flavour and texture of unsoaked oats.
You will need a high-speed blender to get super smooth milk. This is our blender - it was an investment, for sure, and we have been so happy with it.
Feel free to use one cup of cow’s milk or pre-prepared nut/seed/oat milk instead of making your own (just leave out the oats/tahini, water and ice).
You can use cashew butter in place of almond butter (just be sure your nut butter is made only of nuts + salt). I wouldn’t use peanut butter, as it has a strong, distinctive flavour that I don’t fancy here. That said, I’m not a fan of chocolate + peanut butter together - if you are, you might like to give it a go.
You can easily double the recipe.
I haven’t yet tried making the milk and storing it in the fridge. I expect the oat version might get quite thick and sludgy, which doesn’t sound too good.
Chocolate Oat Milk
Serves 1
1 tablespoon rolled oats
1/2 cup cold water
A heaping 1/2 cup ice cubes
1 medjool date, pitted
1 tablespoon (plus a little more if needed) raw cacao powder
1/2 tablespoon coconut oil
1/2 tablespoon almond butter
2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
A small pinch of ground cinnamon
A tiny pinch of sea salt
Optional (and encouraged): 1/2 teaspoon ground coffee powder
Method:
Add all the ingredients to a high-powered blender and blitz on high until smooth. Don’t overmix, as it may become sludgy.
Taste and add more maple if you want it sweeter, more cacao powder for a more chocolatey flavour, or more water/ice if you want it thinner.
Pour into a glass and consume immediately.
Chocolate Tahini Milk
Serves 1
1 tablespoon hulled tahini
1/2 cup cold water
A heaping 1/2 cup ice cubes
1 medjool date, pitted
1 heaped tablespoon (plus a little more if needed) raw cacao powder
1/2 tablespoon coconut oil
1/2 tablespoon almond butter
2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
A small pinch of ground cinnamon
A tiny pinch of sea salt
Optional (and encouraged): 1/2 teaspoon ground coffee powder
Method:
Add all the ingredients to a high-powered blender and blitz on high until smooth.
Taste and add more maple if you want it sweeter, more cacao powder for a more chocolatey flavour, or more water/ice if you want it thinner.
Pour into a glass and consume immediately.
Heidi xo