Espresso Hot Cocoa (Made with Real Chocolate) and Homemade Roasted Marshmallows

Hot cocoa is one of my favorite things about cooler weather. I wanted to make a unique hot cocoa drink that I could impress my friends with and that contained healthier ingredients. So I present you this espresso hot cocoa with homemade roasted marshmallows.

This simple maple vanilla marshmallow recipe is from Noelle Kovary (you can find the recipe and more on her instagram @noellekovary). To really take the flavor profile up a notch, I used a culinary torch to give it a nice roast.

The great thing about these marshmallows is that the main ingredient is grass-fed beef gelatin. Traditional nose-to-tail diets contained a lot more gelatin. Today’s modern diet contains mostly muscle meats. To counterbalance that, it’s a good idea to add gelatin to your diet, especially with a meat-based meal. A diet high in gelatin will improve your skin, hair, joints and gut. It’s also a good source of copper and protein. If you want to learn more, Chris Kresser has a great article about the benefits of gelatin (click here).

Two brands of gelatin that I like:

• Perfect Supplements gelatin
• Aspen Naturals gelatin

For the hot cocoa:

• A knife and cutting board
• A small saucepan
• Measuring cups/spoons
• A whisk

For the marshmallows:

• A small saucepan
• A small bowl
• Measuring spoons
• A stand mixer or a hand mixer
• A culinary torch
• A storage container (I used a 9″ x 6″ baking dish)

• Cane sugar: can be substituted for pure maple syrup. Adjust to your desired sweetness.
• Espresso: can be substituted for espresso powder or strong brewed coffee.

• Homemade Roasted Peach Lemonade
• Mango Lassi