Chocolate milk must be one of the best childhood memories ever (or adulthood memories as well, in my case)!!! And it’s probably more to do with chocolate than it is with milk.
Thinking about it, it’s all about chocolate really, as I didn’t enjoy milk as a kid at all. Not even a little bit. The taste, the smell and texture (especially when it was a warm milk) was giving me nausea, and back then, I could not imagined anything worse than warm milk. But mum always knew how to sneak in things we hate into our diets, without us noticing (or tasting) a thing! Chocolate milk was defo one of the best things, and I could drink buckets of this stuff without complaining until my bladder will burst…
After creating my Vanilla Bean Iced Coffee (click here), I got quite addicted to coffee ice cubes and it got me thinking… why not to try and freeze different things into ice cubes?!? The idea is not new, I’m sure you have seen this before, but just in case if somehow you have missed it, or perhaps didn’t have a chance yet to test and try it for yourself, then I highly recommend you to do so.
Especially if you are planning on hosting any kind of summer parties or BBQ’s or any gatherings with friends and family. I can guarantee you, there will be at least one person, who will say: ‘Wow! What a great idea! How did you come up with that?’, and :’Oh, this is ahh-mazing!’ and you will probably hear quite few ohhhh’s and aahhh’s and more than likely lots of mmmmmmmm’s. Do you know what I mean? In case if you don’t, they are flippin awesome!
Making nut milk from scratch sounds quite scary and time consuming, but trust me, it’s easier than making a toast, you just need to get yourself cheesecloth or thin cloth kitchen towel (there are also special nut milk bags), and some nuts! In the past, I have also came across the recipes that didn’t require use of cheesecloth, and also tasted out of this world! And making your own nut milk is not time consuming at all, you just have to make sure to soak the nuts in water before (I would recommend overnight). Plus, we all know what goes into milk nowadays, don’t we? So once again my friend, if you have not tried making you own nut milk yet, I think you are loosing out! Do you like loosing out? I didn’t think so…
This chocolate hazelnut milk will bring the smile to your face, and it will be hard to wipe it out. It doesn’t contain any refined sugar, as you only using dates to sweeten it up, and agave nectar is optional. It’s clean of any nasty ingredients, and in my opinion it tastes gazillion times better comparing to normal milk. Winner winner, chocolate hazelnut milk for breakfast and dinner! It tastes so sweet and creamy, you may cry when it’s over and your glass is empty…
Luckily, you can store it in a fridge in a glass jar or bottle for up to 5 days (just make sure to shake it before use!). The recipe below is not including time for soaking the hazelnuts overnight.
- 2 cups hazelnuts (soaked in water overnight)
- 4 1/2 cups water
- 5-6 dates
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- pinch of salt
- 3/4 cup coconut cream
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 3/4 cup freshly brewed and cooled coffee
- 2 tbsp maple syrup (optional)
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In a blender combine together coffee, coconut cream, with vanilla essence and agave nectar (if using).
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Pour into ice cubes molds and freeze for at least 2-3 hours or overnight.
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Drain your hazelnuts and rinse them well under cold water.
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Using high powered blender, blend hazelnuts, add water and dates and blend all together.
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Using cheesecloth, nut milk bag or thin kitchen towel, slowly pour hazelnut milk mixture into the cloth and gently squeeze the bottom of the cloth to release milk into bowl or a jug.
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Using blender, mix together milk, cocoa, vanilla bean paste and pinch of salt, blend until smooth.
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Pour over coconut cream & coffee ice cubes.
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Enjoy!
This sounds like the best chocolate milk ever!! Dates, vanilla bean, hazelnut milk–um yes, yes and YES! I was a total chocolate milk fanatic as a kid too (actually I just drank an entire carton chocolate almond milk last week so I guess nothing has changed haha!) but this sounds like the fancy sophisticated version compared to the sugar filled stuff I used to drink. Plus those coffee ice cubes really are perfect to impress guests with. I can just see it now: Anna Banana’s Vegan Coffee House 😀 I am loving all these summertime coffee beverages lately though!
Haha! Thanks Natalie, and glad to hear you also a lover of choccy milk!!! Isn’t it the best thing ever?!? Almost like a liquid chocolate, and I would happily drink a lake worth of this stuff every day! 😉 And that Anna Banana vegan coffee house sounds interesting…You will defo be invited to a grand opening! 😉 thanks for your sweet and awesome comments! Xxx
Ha! I’d love to come to Anna Banana’s coffee house, I agree with Natalie! And my fav tip here in your recipe is the use of homemade coconut cream and coffee ice cubes! Amazing idea Anna!
Hey Dee, you and Natalie will be the first ones to be invited!!! 🙂 Thank you so much for you lovely and encouraging words! Big hug! XXXX