Perfect for Winter: Hot Cocoa with Shortbread Wedges

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In this post, I will give you the perfect evening snack combination for cold winter evenings: an aromatic shortbread wedge with some steaming homemade cocoa.

I originally made this shortbread as a nice little addition to one of my homemade cocktails (I’m a bit of an amateur mixologist if you didn’t know yet). But it tastes great on its own as well. The inspiration to pair it with a mug of hot cocoa came from the wonderful winter scenery behind my window.

The shortbread wedge is a perfect, and more importantly “clean”, snack for any occasion. It’s made solely from wholesome ingredients that don’t need any chemical additives to taste good. There is something satisfying about enjoying a nice treat without any guilt about what you are putting in your body. The butter provides a warm, almost creamy, aroma and plenty of vitamin K2. The almond flour combined with coconut flour has some natural sweetness in it and creates the crumble-like texture. Thanks to the combination of these two flours, the shortbread is also grain-free so it shouldn’t give you any digestive troubles. And the raw honey just completes the picture, enhancing the already rich flavors and giving the shortbread some additional sweetness that is perfect for curling up under a blanket while snow is falling outside. Just use quality butter, flour, and sweetener and you will know what I am talking about!

And the hot cocoa recipe is so simple yet so elegant! I cannot think of any other beverage I drink as much as this one during the winter season. It’s ideal for those evenings when you just want to wind down after a long day and prepare your body for sleep. By warming yourself up before bed, you will sleep better and be more rested the following morning.

The coconut milk is combined with cocoa powder to make the already rich base for your hot cocoa. The peppermint extract provides a nice refreshing aftertaste so that the drink doesn’t feel too heavy and the vanilla extract gives it a nice holiday-like fragrance. Combine that with some honey and you have the perfect hot cocoa recipe!

Shortbread wedges

Necessary equipment:

  • measuring cups
  • a round pan OR a glass pie plate
  • a large mixing bowl
  • optional: a pastry blender
  • a sharp knife
  • a spatula

Ingredients:

  • 1 3/4 cups of almond flour
  • 1/4 cup of coconut flour
  • 1/4 cup of raw honey
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) of cold butter
  • 1 t. of vanilla extract
  • 1/2 t. of sea salt

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
  2. Butter your round pan or pie plate and set aside for now.
  3. Combine the almond flour with coconut flour and salt in a large mixing bowl.
  4. Pour the honey in and add cold butter diced into small cubes.
  5. Use a pastry blender to combine the dough until you can pea-sized crumbles. Alternatively, you can use your hands but it will take longer.
  6. Transfer the crumbly dough into your prepared round pan. Spread it as evenly as you can.
  7. Bake for 40 minutes. You will know the shortbread is ready when the edges turn golden.
  8. Take the pan out of the oven and cut the wedges shape while the shortbread is still warm.
  9. Leave to cool completely.
  10. Using a spatula, lift each of the wedges out of the pan. Serve with hot cocoa.

Peppermint Hot Cocoa

Necessary equipment:

  • a saucepan
  • a whisk
  • mugs for serving

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups of coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup of cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup of raw honey
  • 1 t. of peppermint extract
  • 1 t. of vanilla extract

Instructions:

  1. Put the coconut milk in a saucepan and heat over low medium heat.
  2. Add in the cocoa powder and keep whisking until it completely melts.
  3. Add in the honey and continue to whisk so that your cocoa is smooth and without lumps.
  4. Add in the extracts and keep whisking until combined.
  5. Pour the still hot cocoa into two mugs.
  6. Serve with the shortbread wedges from the recipe above.

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