Cayenne Cinnamon Hot Cocoa

Add a kick to your hot chocolate this season by whipping up some of my newly famous Cayenne Cinnamon Hot Cocoa! Those cold and snowy days are coming fast and furious now.  There is nothing I like better than a little spot of something hot to warm me up.  But if you add a dash of cinnamon and cayenne to your drink, the warmth really starts to glow!

I am a by the rules sort of cook. I don’t usually stray far from a recipe, but my daughter Allie is the master of experimentation. Sometimes these forays go to far, but the spirit is spot on. I’ve been trying to give myself a playful little Allie hat and this recipe the result of our last snow day experimentation. Yay! We had to drink a LOT of hot chocolate to come up with this well-tested recipe, of course!

I never really knew the benefits of cayenne were so numerous, but they are! Benefits include helping digestion, relieving migraine pain, reducing joint pain, supporting weight loss and boosting metabolism. I certainly don’t think cayenne can be a cure all, but I’ll take these positive effects along with the yummy warmth it adds to any drink.  So this makes me feel all the better about consuming so much! Enjoy!

Cayenne Cinnamon Hot Cocoa Recipe

Makes 3 servings

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups 2% milk
2 1/2 T  hot cocoa (I still love Ghirardelli the best)
2 1/2 T  sugar
1/8 t cinnamon
1/8 t cayenne
gourmet vanilla marshmallows

Directions:

:: Warm the milk over low heat on the stove top.
:: Stir in the cocoa and sugar until dissolved.
:: Add spices and stir.
:: Top with fancy marshmallows!
Warm on up!

I would love to stir this batch of hot cocoa up with this beauty! Shameless request for Christmas present – ahem!

Hope you’re staying warm this December!