Ohh.. this one is near and dear to me so you get two. All can be bought at whatever grocery you go to - the coconut sugar is definitely at Whole Foods, health food stores, etc.

Not so poncey:

2c whole milk or coconut milk

5oz bittersweet chocolate, at least 70%, finely chopped

2tb light brown sugar or coconut sugar

Heat the milk in a saucepan. Once its warm, whisk in the chocolate, stirring until melted and steamy hot. If you want thick hot chocolate, cook at a very low boil for about 3 minutes, whisking frequently. Note: be careful and keep an eye on the pan as it could boil up a bit during as it starts to bubble.

This actually gets better as it sits so if you can wait a few hours.. it's worth it. Just reheat, sweeten with a little of the brown sugar or coconut sugar. A few sprinkles of flakey sea salt on top is damn yummy.

Kinda poncey

1 quart half and half or whole milk or coconut milk

8oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

4oz milk chocolate, finely chopped

tiny pinch of salt

1/2tsp ground cinnamon

Warm about a third of the half and half or milk or coconut milk, with the chopped chocolates and salt, stirring until the chocolate is melted.

Whisk in the remaining dairy/coconut milk heating until the mixture is warmed through. Add the cinnamon.

Use a stick blender, hand blender, or a whisk, and mix the hot chocolate until it’s completely smooth.

You can replace part of the liquid with some nice strong coffee or umm.. hit with a shot of booze at the end.

Simply I melt a block of 85% in single cream. At Christmas I do 2/3 cream, 1/3 Baileys Irish cream.

1 cup Coconut milk to 2 T cocoa, plus honey/sweetener to taste. I also sometimes add cinnamon.

Warm milk on stove (warm slowly...don't boil) and then whisk in cocoa & sweetener until combined. Pour into mug and enjoy. 8)

I just created an interesting hot cocoa recipe that i am calling paleo-ish because of the use of kefir (for those of you who could use the gut healing).

-about a half-cup of store-bought vanilla-flavored kefir (i know, i know, it's slightly artificial) -several tablespoons of cocoa-powder, til the mixture is dark-ish -pinch of powdered sugar / agave sweetener to taste -about 10 little 73% (or so) dark chocolate chips

stir it all together on the stove in a little pot, til hot. taste and see if it needs more kefir, cocoa, or sweetener to even it out. it turns out pretty divine. i could imagine melting more 70-100% dark chocolate pieces in it. but in the end you really dont taste kefir sour-ness, which is hard for me to deal with

Regarding the question about destroying the bacteria...yes the bacteria will be destroyed but ingesting bacteria is the not the sole purpose for consuming kefir. The culturing process consumes the lactose in the milk and makes it much more easily digested and the nutrients more bioavailable...that part is not lost with heating.

Mix in 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder with extra virgin coconut oil until you get a nice thick paste. Pour hot water (or coffee) 3/4 of the way up, add in coconut milk for the rest, about a teaspoon of vanilla extract (the real stuff), maybe some sprinkles of cinnamon, sometimes a tiny bit of cayenne pepper powder for warmth.

I drink it unsweetened. Could also throw in a shot of tequila, rum, or Frangelico (or instead of coco powder use Nutella, and skip the coconut oil for the same flavor.)

I've also used a teaspoon or two of extra virgin red palm oil instead, but it adds a grassy flavor and a reddish twinge.

• heat 8-12 oz of liquid (milk or water) in sauce pan on low heat and remove before it boils (if using water, microwave for 2 minutes also works).

• pour hot liquid into mug

• add one heaping tablespoon of raw cacao powder

• half capful of pure vanilla

• a tiny pinch of pure stevia (Kal brand is the best in my opinion)

• a spoonful drizzle of raw honey is also an option for those that don't mind a natural sugar instead of stevia

• optionals: a pinch of fresh ground cinnamon and/or nutmeg adds some nice holiday spice. also, if you're feeling a little frisky, you can add some rum or brandy for a different kind of kick!

• stir that action

Result: Bangarang Hot Cocoa!

Here's my easy peasy paleo hot chocolate, based on Carrie Brown's recipe:

1 tbsp coconut butter (make your own from coconut flakes if coconut butter is not readily available)

2 heaping tbsp cocoa powder (I like Trader Joe's brand)

Sweetening agent of your choice to taste (it's OK with out sweetener)

Optional: a little bit of heavy cream or full fat coconut milk

Place the above ingredients in a mug. Add enough hot water to stir the ingredients into a thick syrup. When everything is dissolved, fill the mug up with additional hot water. Add cream or coconut milk as desired to make it a little creamier.

I pack some coconut butter, cocoa, and sweetener in a small jar and take it to work. I can have hot chocolate at work just by dumping the contents of the jar into a mug and adding hot water.

I freeze my coconut butter in ice cube trays. Remove from freezer when they are solid, store in an airtight jar. Then it's easy to grab a cube of coconut butter (my "cubes" are fish shaped!) to add to the mug for hot cocoa.