Vegan Hazelnut Hot Chocolate with Butterscotch Whipped Cream

I have been going on and on for ages now about how I want to get my hands on some hazelnut extract. Well finally I came across it by pure luck while I was looking for other ingredients. There is a great shop called Weigh 'N' Pay on Whitfords Ave in Woodvale. It is a bulk food store which has all of your baking needs as well as many ingredients that you normally find in health food stores, but in bulk. I really love this store and it has made my life a lot easier because they sell a lot of the products that I can't find in the grocery stores like Woolworths and Coles. 

Weigh 'N' Pay have so many different flavour extracts and on this trip I picked up hazelnut and butterscotch. I will be back for some of the others at a later date :)

I used the extracts to make hazelnut hot chocolate with butterscotch whipped cream. Vegan of course. It is a very rich and creamy drink, so it's probably better in small servings or else you might feel sick. It is perfect for all you people with a sweet tooth, and it was a great way to warm up my night and help me to unwind and relax. 

Vegan Hazelnut Hot Chocolate with Butterscotch Whipped Cream

Serves 1

Butterscotch whipped cream:

• 1 can coconut milk (or a can of coconut cream)
• 3 tablespoons icing sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon butterscotch extract

Directions

1. Place the can of coconut milk/cream into the fridge and leave overnight. 
2. Open the can of coconut milk. There will be a firm, waxy layer on top.
3. Scoop out this firm layer coconut cream that has solidified at the top of the can.
4. Stop as soon as you reach the water at the bottom of the can; don't include anything but the solid cream. (You can use the water in smoothies, or just drink it straight.)
5. Place this cream in the bowl of a stand mixer, or a large bowl.
6. Turn your mixer or hand beaters to high speed, and whip the coconut cream for 3 to 5 minutes.
7. Whip until it becomes fluffy and light, with soft peaks. Mix in sugar and butterscotch extract. 

Hot chocolate:

• 1 cup soy milk (or other non-dairy milk. If you use vanilla soy milk then omit the sugar and vanilla essence)
• 1-2 tablespoons cocoa powder (depending on how strong you like your hot chocolate)
• 1-2 teaspoons sweetener (depending on your taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon hazelnut extract/essence
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla essence

Directions

1. Heat all of the ingredients in a pot until hot (not boiling).
2. Pour into your favourite mug or glass and top with the butterscotch whipped cream. 

 

Decaffeinated pumpkin spice latte

I had some coconut whipped cream left over from yesterday and so I decided to make another great vegan hot drink which I have never tried before. 

There is a great recipe for pumpkin spice latte from the website Averie Cooks. I liked this recipe because it calls for pureed pumpkin to be used in the recipe, and I had pumpkin in my fridge that I wanted to use up (there's still a bit more left so I'll probably make another pumpkin dish later). Some recipes just use pumpkin spice, but I this one is the real deal. 

I'm not a coffee person, so I made a decaffeinated version of the original recipe.

In my mind, this is such an American drink, much like egg nog. Not many people here in Perth drink it, but it's popular in the States. 

This recipe was great. It was rich and creamy and warmed me right up. 

Decaffeinated Pumpkin Spice Latte

Serves 1

Ingredients

1 cup soy milk (I used 1/2 cup vanilla soy milk and 1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk)

1/4 heaping cup pumpkin puree (more if you really love pumpkin)

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice blend, or to taste (I used 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp mixed spice or all spice, 1/4 tsp cloves and 1/8 tsp nutmeg)

sweetener of choice, to taste (I suggest 2 tbsp agave or 2 tbsp brown sugar or a pinch of stevia to taste; or try honey, maple syrup, etc. to taste) - I didn't add any extra sweetener because the vanilla soy milk and whipped cream was sweet enough.

Directions

Combine and blend all ingredients in a food processor or blend all ingredients using a hand mixer or blender

Optional: Warm the finished pumpkin milk mixture in the microwave or on the stove top (I do a quick nuke of about 1 minute)

Vegan mexican hot chocolate and coconut whipped cream

The weather today in Perth has been appalling. It's been very stormy today. Heavy rains, strong winds, thunder and lightning; and unfortunately for all us here in Perth, it's forecast to be like this for the next few days. 

Even though I don't too enthused about the weather, I actually really love winter. 

One of the best things I love about the cold is that there are so many wonderful things out there to keep you warm. I love warm beds, fluffy slippers, hot drinks, cuddles, heaters etc etc. 

Due to the cold weather today, I thought it totally appropriate to brew up a nice hot drink to keep me warm. I did some googling and found a recipe for vegan Mexican hot chocolate and coconut whipped cream. Yes, it probably is as fatty as it sounds. 

Mexican hot chocolate is different from your ordinary hot chocolate in that cayenne pepper is added (find some health benefits of cayenne here). Have you heard of chilli chocolate ice cream? Well I think that has cayenne peppers added to it as well. You may think it totally gross to mix chocolate and chilli, but I don't think it's all that bad, and I guess it just comes down to personal taste preference.

I found this hot chocolate particularly yummy. It was very creamy and after the drink had cooled down, the heat from the cayenne spice still warms up your throat. It's different, I'll give you that much, but if you're feeling daring, I say go for it! 

The coconut whipped cream made it taste so  much better too. So if you're sweet tooth is crying out then make sure you serve this up with a nice dollop of the whipped cream. 

If you're somewhere in the world where it's drawing nearer to summer and it's hot, then maybe just bookmark this post and save it for winter :)

Vegan Mexican Hot Chocolate 

Serves: 2

Ingredients

2 cups non-dairy milk (I used vanilla soy milk)
3 heaping Tbsp Dutch-processed cocoa powder, or more for intense chocolate flavor
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp each nutmeg and cayenne
pinch salt (optional)

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, bring milk to a low simmer over medium heat.
2. Add cocoa powder, sugar, salt, vanilla and spices and whisk vigorously to combine.
3. Serve warm with coconut (or regular) whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate syrup or dust with cocoa powder.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 2 mugs; per mug: Calories: 388 Fat: 30 g Saturated fat: 26 g Carbohydrates: 31 g Sugar: 24 g Sodium: 95 mg Fiber: 6 g Protein: 5 g

Coconut Whipped Cream

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• ½ can full fat coconut milk (I used a can of coconut cream. You'll still need to chill it and scoop out the top layer)
• ¼ cup powdered sugar (I used CSR LoGiCane™ Low GI Soft Icing Mixture. It's a slightly healthier option)
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Place your coconut milk in the fridge overnight or in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour. Upon removal, be careful NOT to shake the can as you want the cream to remain separated from the liquid.
2. Open the can and scoop the top layer of cream into a chilled mixing bowl. Whip on medium-high until soft peaks form. (Add a dash of the remaining coconut liquid if it’s too thick.)
3. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and whip again to combine. Taste and adjust flavor/sweetness accordingly. Serve with hot cocoa and reserve the rest in an airtight container in the fridge for later use. Should keep for several days.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 4 servings; per serving: Calories: 167 Fat: 14 g Saturated fat: 12 g Carbohydrates: 10 g Sugar: 9 g Fiber: 1.3 g Protein: 1.4 g