The Hot Cocoa Conundrum

One of the things I've been trying to figure out since David's dairy allergy is a really tasty hot cocoa recipe. Now, one thing you must know about David is that he LOVES hot cocoa, and it is his daily drink of choice from the time the geese start flying south in the fall to when we see the blossoms of the tulips in the spring. Realizing he wouldn't be able to drink any made with milk for at least three months while waiting to go back for allergy testing, we have attempted numerous substitutions to please his palate. The other thing to know about David (and all of my kids to be honest) is that he is not very picky when it comes to food...or so I thought. The hot cocoa dilemma has been a challenge, to say the least. I tried the following: heating chocolate rice milk (which David said tasted "like chocolate followed by burnt rice"), homemade cocoa mix with vanilla soy milk (to which David replied, tasted
"like a bunch of vanilla liquid and a little bit of chocolate"). After finally finding a dairy-free recipe I thought would work, I gave it a try. Unfortunately, David still thought it didn't taste good. Finally, I made one last attempt today. Trying a simple homemade mix with a few changes of my own, I knew we had a winner when David not only said it was good but also finished up the entire batch himself! Here's my take on David's Drinkable Dairy-Free Cocoa~ I bet you'll like it even if you don't have to do dairy-free.
Buono Appetito!

David's Drinkable Dairy-Free Cocoa

Yield: 4 servings

1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder (I use the stuff in bulk from Winco)

1/3 c. granulated sugar

1 oz. Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate, finely grated (I used the cheese grater for this)

1/2 c. water

1 1/4 c. plain soy or rice milk

2 c. coconut milk (I use Silk brand- found in the refrigerated section at Roth's)

homemade marshmallows, for topping, if desired (or store-bought, if you must)

In a medium saucepan combine cocoa powder and granulated sugar with wire whisk. Add water and heat mixture over medium high heat until it comes to a boil, stirring constantly. Stir in grated chocolate and mix until chocolate is melted. Slowly whisk in soy milk and coconut milk and reduce heat. Simmer five minutes and serve with marshmallows on top.