The first time I made this hot chocolate, I had to double check if I had used sugar free chocolate. It tasted better than a lot of the hot chocolates I had tried in my life, so I was baffled that this was low carb/sugar free! I guess I was just conditioned to think “sugar free” means “not as delicious” or even “disgusting”. Oh boy, was I wrong! This newly forced low carb lifestyle has been teaching me a lot. Consequently, I’m not hating my fate (gestational diabetes) anymore! Living a low carb life does not mean having to eat only lettuce wraps. There are a lot of delicious carb free recipes out there! Will I still drink regular hot chocolate? Absolutely! But this version will keep making appearances at my home even after my baby is born and I can reconcile with my beloved carbs. Because it is darn good!
The difference between hot chocolate and hot cocoa
“Wait, Olivia, are you telling me they are not the same?” Yep, I am! They are very different. Hot cocoa is made from cocoa powder while hot chocolate is made from melted chocolate. Consequently, hot cocoa is lighter and not as rich as the latter. While I would never turn down a cup of hot cocoa, my heart belongs to hot chocolate! There’s something about that thick decadence caressing my throat that truly warms my soul. The secret is to start with chocolate ganache. Just warm up some heavy cream until it starts to show bubbles, remove from the heat and add the chocolate, whisking until silky and smooth! The hard part is to resist eating it by the spoonful! If you’re anything like me, it will probably happen. But don’t fret! Even if does happen, it’s okay. It’s sugar free, after all!
Where to buy sugar free chocolate chips
These little guys saved my life! I was so sad after learning that I had GD again. How could I survive pregnancy without indulging my sweet tooth every now and then? And then I learned about these. Now my life is filled with chocolate chip cookies, flourless cakes, brownies… All without guilt! If you don’t have them available next to you and you don’t wanna wait for them to be delivered, you can always use unsweetened chocolate chips and adjust the amount of sweetener. Or, if you’re feeling crafty, you can always make them yourself!
Spice up your low carb hot chocolate!
I will gladly drink up this low carb hot chocolate as is, but adding sugar free whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon really takes it to the next level! Feeling adventurous? You can spike it with booze or add a pinch of cayenne (or chili powder) for some heat. Other fun toppings are sugar free caramel, sugar free marshmallows, coconut shavings, crushed peppermint, sprinkles and even peanut butter!
You guys will notice that I don’t claim my low carb recipes to be keto. Maybe they are, but I’m not familiar with it enough to be sure, so I stay away from labels! Since I’m not a dietitian, I usually don’t provide nutritional info on my recipes. Also because you guys would probably never come back to my blog if you saw the calorie count of my cheesy recipes! haha Just kidding… Kind of! With so many tools and apps available, it is easy to just enter the data and figure it out yourself. That way I can rest at night knowing I’m not harming anyone’s health if I make a mistake. But if you trust me, even if just a little bit, please make this! It will knock your socks off!
Other Hot Chocolate recipes:
Mexican Hot Chocolate Hot Chocolate Frozen Hot Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix
