Dairy-free hot chocolate mix

Hot chocolate is a quintessential winter drink that everyone thinks of when it gets chilly. It’s so easy to change up hot chocolate with whipped cream, peppermint candy, cinnamon, and more!

It’s hard to find hot chocolate mixes at the store that are allergy-friendly. A couple winters ago I decided to make my own mix so I could enjoy a warm drink with my husband.

The only downside to this recipe is that you do need to have milk of your choice on hand. There are bags of coconut and soy milk powder that you can buy at the store to mix with water, but I think they alter the flavor too much. Somehow coconut milk from the carton just tastes better in this hot chocolate recipe.

I decided to use Fair Life lactose-free milk when I made the hot chocolate today, but I also love making it with almond milk.

Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Mix all the ingredients together.
2. Add 3-4 tablespoons to a hot cup of milk of your choice.
3. This mix makes 4-5 cups of hot chocolate.

Notes:

• I used high quality cocoa powder. That will affect the flavor of your hot chocolate.
• The kind of milk you use (lactose-free, almond, soy) should be unsweetened to avoid a sugar overload- unless that is what you are going for. No judgement here.
• You can easily add 1/4 cup of add-ins to your mix, such as peppermint candy, marshmallows, or chocolate chips.
• There are great options for whipped cream- Cool Whip is lactose-free and there are plenty of non-dairy whipped creams that come in the typical canister you find other whipped creams in.
• In case you are wondering, I found these vegan peppermint marshmallows at Natural Grocer’s. The brand is Dandies. They are just as sweet and fluffy as your typical marshmallows!

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Lactose-Free German Pancakes

Breakfast foods are so versatile- they make Saturday mornings memorable, bring friends together for a late brunch, or make dinner quick and easy. Even though we don’t have kids, we still have plenty of days when I come home exhausted and don’t want to make a true dinner- so we have breakfast for dinner at least once a week.

One of our favorite things to eat for breakfast (or dinner) is German Pancakes. They have six eggs in them, which is three times the amount I put into normal pancakes, so I like to think that we get some protein in under all that syrup.

I prefer to bake the German pancakes in my cast-iron skillet, but it’s perfectly fine to bake it in a 9×13 glass pan too.

Recipe

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs
• 1 cup of lactose-free milk
• 4 Tablespoons of lactose-free melted butter, plus 2-4 tablespoons more for melting in the pan
• 1-2 Tablespoon of sugar
• 1/2 Teaspoon of salt
• 1 Teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 cup of flour
• One thinly sliced apple (Optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and place the 9-inch cast-iron pan or the 9×13 pan into the oven.
2. Place all of the ingredients except for the flour into a blender.
3. Then add the flour.
4. Blend together until smooth, scrape down the sides of the blender, and blend again for a few more seconds.
5. Add the 2-4 tablespoons of butter into the preheated pan and let it melt. It should only take a few seconds.
6. Pour the blended mixture into the pan and bake for 15-18 minutes. The edges of the German pancakes should be golden brown and puffed past the sides of the pan.
7. Top with maple syrup and sautéed apples (optional).

Side Notes:

• You can mix everything in a bowl with a whisk, of course, but the texture isn’t as smooth without the blender.
• I prefer baking German pancakes in a high-sided cast iron skillet because it turns out thicker and has a custard-like consistency, but they are delicious no matter what you bake it in!
• I like to put apple slices on the bottom of the pan and bake the German pancakes on top, but my husband doesn’t like the texture. So I sautéed the apples until soft in some Ghee, honey, and a little cinnamon to top my German pancakes. Delicious!
• If you are wondering where I get my lactose-free butter and milk, I have recipes on how to make your own on the blog.

Easy DIY Lactose-Free Milk

This is less of a recipe and more of a life hack to save money- and your stomach! Milk is used in so many ways that it’s hard to cut out of my diet. My husband prefers me to use milk over milk alternatives when baking, and truthfully, so do I.

Of course, I enjoy a good bowl of cereal with some chocolate almond milk, but it’s hard to convince my husband that almond milk is tasty.

So I turn to lactose-free milk instead of dairy alternatives but it gets expensive. That’s why I decided to make it myself. It’s super easy and cheaper!

Now I don’t have to worry about buying two kinds of milk every week for my husband and me. Such a relief!

If you are like me, you need a nice glass of milk with just-out-of-the-oven cookies. Now you can have that creamy milk without worrying about paying more than you actually need to!

Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 Gallon of milk
• 2-4 tablets/ drops/ caplets of lactase

Directions:

1. Take 2-4 tablets/ caplets/ drops of lactase and put them into your milk. Shake the milk well and let it sit for at least 24 hours. If needed, let the milk remain in the fridge for up to 4 days before using.

Side Notes:

• This recipe does need you to know how sensitive you are to lactose. If I put two tablets of lactase into a gallon of milk, I can use it within 24 hours. But other people might need to wait 3 or 4 days before using it.
• If you use lactase tablets, I recommend crushing them up before putting them into the milk. If you use caplets, I would open the caplet and put the powder directly into the milk. I haven’t used lactase drops before, but I know that you can buy them on Amazon. Let me know if you use them and what your experience is like!
• On occasion we see some funky clumps of milk, but it has never bothered us. I am guessing it has to do with something the tablets or caplets have in them. If this would bother you, I would recommend buying the lactase droplets instead. (Although I don’t know if it eliminates the lumps because I haven’t used them before.)