Cocoa is one of the healthiest drinks that can easily replace coffee, and it also has many useful properties that coffee cannot boast of. Cocoa contains many useful vitamins, fatty acids and trace elements, such as iron and zinc, and the invigorating effect is mainly due not to caffeine, but to theobromine, which acts on the body much softer, has a fairly powerful antidepressant effect.

There are many recipes for a drink made from cocoa beans. The simplest is cocoa with milk, when 3-5 tablespoons of cocoa powder are poured into a liter of boiling milk and allowed to boil for several minutes. Sugar, cinnamon or vanilla can be added to the finished drink.

But it is important to know how to cook cocoa while preserving the maximum of useful substances in it. First, you need to choose cocoa powder that has undergone a minimum of processing. Secondly, you need to properly prepare cocoa, that is, do not boil the drink for too long, a few minutes of boiling over low heat is enough. This will allow a large amount of useful substances to stand out from the powder, while they will not have time to collapse. Cocoa is best consumed hot, as cold cocoa loses not only some of the taste properties, but also a fairly large amount of nutrients.

As you can see, making delicious and healthy cocoa at home is not difficult. In addition, you can cook it not only according to the classic recipe. For example, cocoa can be prepared in a coffee machine, this option is much easier, you just need to purchase a coffee machine with a built-in cocoa function and follow the instructions. There are even special machines that are designed specifically for making cocoa with milk powder. But although the speed of preparation of such cocoa drinks will be higher, they retain quite a few useful substances.

You can easily and quickly prepare cocoa at home in the microwave. To do this, pour a couple of teaspoons of cocoa powder and sugar into a bowl or cup, pour in a little hot milk (water) and thoroughly grind the mixture until the lumps are completely dissolved. Then add milk (water) about 150-200 ml, put in the microwave and bring to a boil at full power, it will take about 2 minutes. Thus, you can quickly prepare this tasty and healthy drink at home.

Cocoa is a favorite drink of many. Its preparation is not difficult. What is most interesting - there are a lot of options. And by experimenting with the ingredients, you can create a new, original drink every time. So now it’s worth talking about how to brew cocoa, and what is needed for this.

What should be cocoa?

It is very important to choose the right raw materials. All you need is a natural product. Instant cocoa is chemistry. And the real one is chopped beans.

It is important that the inscription "non-alkalized" be present on the pack. This suggests that the composition was not chemically treated.

Even in good cocoa, the fat content is at least 15%. Of course, there are no sticky particles and lumps in it. You no longer need to buy a manufacturer's product in which such particles once caught.

By the way, the quality of cocoa can be easily checked. Take a little powder, rub it thoroughly between your fingers and shake off. Is there a greasy coating with a pleasant coffee color? So the quality is excellent. This is a trace of cocoa butter - a healing and valuable substance of natural origin.

Classic recipe

It will take about 5 minutes to prepare a hot tasty drink. You will need:

• Milk - 0.3 l.
• Natural cocoa powder - 2 tbsp. l.
• Sugar - the desired amount.

First you need to pour the milk into a saucepan and heat it. In a separate bowl, mix sugar with cocoa. Slowly pour the resulting sweet mixture into the milk heated on the stove, stirring constantly.

Boil. Cook for 2 more minutes. You need to stir it constantly, otherwise the milk will “run away”. After 2 minutes, you can serve a drink. As you can see, nothing special is needed to make cocoa.

Hot chocolate with marshmallows

An interesting recipe for making a fragrant drink. For four servings you will need:

• Milk - 0.8 l.
• Cocoa - 3 st. l.
• Sugar - optional. Usually - 8 teaspoons, 2 for each serving.
• Small marshmallow marshmallows - 2 cups.
• A pinch of vanilla.

In a saucepan, you need to combine all of the above. Send it to medium heat and cook, stirring without interruption. The marshmallows should melt. This will take about eight minutes.

As soon as the drink becomes homogeneous, you can remove the saucepan from the stove. It remains only to pour it into cups and serve.

C adding cinnamon

This is also a very popular and simple cocoa recipe, so it needs to be mentioned. You will need the following components:

• Milk - 0.2 l.
• Cocoa powder - 1 tbsp. l.
• Cinnamon. One stick and a pinch of powder.
• Sugar - 1 tsp
• Whipped cream.

On a very low heat, heat the milk with sugar and a cinnamon stick, do not forget to stir. When it becomes warm, add cocoa. Cook for two minutes while stirring. Then remove the saucepan from the stove, remove the stick, pour cocoa with milk into a transparent glass. Add aesthetics to the drink by decorating with whipped cream, sprinkle with cinnamon. You can apply.

Cocoa with egg

This is perhaps one of the most original recipes. And if the classic cocoa is boring, you can try this option. You will need:

• Yolks of chicken eggs - 2 pcs.
• Milk - 0.4 l.
• Cocoa powder - 3 tbsp. l.
• Water - 2 tbsp. l.
• Sugar - 2 tbsp. l.
• Clove buds - 2 pcs.
• Ground cinnamon - 0.5 tsp

In a metal bowl, stir the milk with cinnamon and cloves. Boil over medium heat.

In a separate container, combine cocoa powder, half the indicated portion of sugar, water. Warm up over low heat. You should get a homogeneous liquid mass. While stirring, pour milk into it through a sieve. Remove from fire immediately.

Pour the remaining sugar into the yolks and beat them. A thick foam forms. Without stopping the process, pour cocoa into it. Again send to the fire. However, do not boil. You just need to warm it up. Then you can pour and serve.

Cocktail "Tiramisu"

Interesting drink and easy to prepare. Cocoa is an auxiliary ingredient here, but it is so delicious that it is simply impossible not to tell about the recipe. For two servings you will need:

• White ice cream - 100 g.
• High fat milk - 300 ml.
• Mascarpone - 100 g.
• Rum, liqueur or cognac - 2 tsp
• A pinch of cinnamon.
• Cocoa - 2 tbsp. l.

What should be done? Blend everything in a blender and pour into glasses. Sprinkle plenty of cocoa on top. A delicious dessert drink is made in an elementary way.

spiced drink

Cocoa with milk can be original if you experiment with adding different aromatic spices. Spice lovers are strongly advised to try the recipe, for which you will need:

• Milk - 0.2 l.
• Cocoa powder - 1 tbsp. l.
• Sugar - 0.5 tsp
• Cardamom - 1 box.
• Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
• Hot ground pepper - 0.3 tsp.
• A pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon.

First of all, you need to remove the seeds from the cardamom box. They need to be well crushed. Then all the spices will need to be combined with sugar and cocoa, pour in the vanilla extract and grind the resulting mass. Add there 2-3 tablespoons of milk previously brought to a state of boiling water. Stir.

Then this mass can be added to boiling milk. Stir and keep on fire for about a minute. Then you can pour into cups and serve. For beauty, it is recommended to sprinkle the hot drink with cocoa or pre-grated chocolate.

Alcoholic option

In continuation of the topic, I would like to tell you more about how to cook cocoa "for adults". In fact, there is nothing complicated about this. You just need to pour a little rum into a glass (50 ml is enough), and then cook cocoa according to the classic recipe and add it to alcohol. Decorate the drink with cream and grated chocolate. It turns out delicious and warming cocoa.

However, there is a more complex recipe. To implement the plan, you will need:

• Fatty milk - 0.2 l.
• Cocoa and sugar - 1 tbsp. l.
• A pinch of cinnamon.
• Liquor "Baileys" or "Sheridans" - 2 tbsp. l.

Here the principle of preparation is slightly different. Heat the milk, add all the dry ingredients except cinnamon, stir, wait until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add liqueur and cook for about three minutes. All this time you need to stir the drink. Then pour into a mug and sprinkle with cinnamon.

coffee cocoa

Maybe this is not the most unexpected taste solution, but it is definitely very original. Therefore, it is impossible not to tell about how to cook cocoa with coffee. Or, as it is also called - a drink in Romanian. You will need:

• Ground coffee - 1 tsp.
• Sugar - 1 tsp
• Cocoa - 0.5 tsp
• A small amount of vanillin.
• A little salt. Literally a few grains to eliminate the foam that occurs when brewing coffee in a Turk.
• Water - 1 glass.

Cooking cocoa does not take much time. In a Turk, combine all loose ingredients, except for vanillin, pour boiling water. Put on low fire. Brew coffee without letting it boil. When it is ready, do not immediately pour into a cup. You need to let him stand. After 5 minutes, add vanillin there. And after that, you can apply.

By the way, by increasing the concentration of the powder, it will turn out to make hot chocolate. To do this, you need somewhere around 7-8 tablespoons. The drink will be thick and strong. But it takes longer to cook. The mass of added cocoa is more impressive, which means that it will take longer to dissolve.

Other options

Based on everything that was said earlier, it was possible to understand how to cook cocoa. The implementation of any recipe in reality does not require much time. It is worth mentioning that there are still a lot of options for making a drink. You can make it with the addition of different ingredients.

Honey and ginger go well in a drink. Some make cocoa based ice cream. Others pre-beat milk in a blender, adding half a banana there, and then they brew a drink on this basis. Some still finely crush the nuts and pour the resulting powder into cocoa during cooking.

There is even a recipe with citrus zest. Lemon and orange “sounds” especially well in such a drink. And if you add some spices or spices, you get a drink with a multifaceted flavor palette that will definitely become unforgettable.

However, this is not the most original recipe. Some people blend wheat germ, oatmeal or bran together with milk in a blender, and then make a drink based on a similar mixture. It is called energy, because the carbohydrates that make up the listed supplements really tone and invigorate.

You can even throw some fresh sweet berries into the drink or pour grated chocolate directly into the milk for richness of taste. The main thing is that all the ingredients are pre-crushed. However, if you wish, you can simply strain the drink before serving it.

Surprising but true: many of us do not know the taste of real cocoa.

Representatives of the older generation still remember how in kindergarten they poured a magic drink from a teapot into mugs. But younger people are used to brewing various ready-made mixtures, which sometimes have a very distant relation to natural cocoa.

It is believed that the whole point is the lack of time, they say, there is a lot of fuss with natural powder. According to experts, this is not so.

It takes a few minutes to brew delicious cocoa at home. Provided that you know the technology of making a drink well.

You can read about the homeland of cocoa, how it grows, what benefits and harm it brings to the body.

How many grams of cocoa in a tablespoon and a teaspoon

To follow the recipe exactly, it is useful to know how correctly measure the required amount of cocoa powder. A tablespoon holds 25 grams, a teaspoon holds 9.

It is also important to know the calorie content of the product in order to reduce or increase its amount per serving as desired.

For example, fat-free cocoa powder is low in calories - 89 kcal per hundred grams of the product, in the usual (clean from additives and impurities) - 290 kcal.

Recipes for making cocoa from cocoa powder at home

The word "boil" in relation to cocoa is not entirely appropriate. High temperature has a detrimental effect on the beneficial properties of this product and can turn a diet drink into an ordinary, albeit tasty, drink.

That is why most recipes are focused on so that cocoa does not have to be kept on the stove for too long.

The drink can be prepared both according to the classic recipe and according to the original ones, for example, with ginger (this will be a cough recipe), with a banana and even with pepper.

Classic milk recipe

Mastering the "classics" is a must. This is the basic recipe., on the basis of which you can try some other options and fantasize.

You need to take a saucepan and pour cocoa into it (1-2 teaspoons per serving) and granulated sugar (two teaspoons). The mixture is poured with hot water.

You don’t need to pour a lot of it - your “semi-finished product” will have to resemble liquid sour cream in consistency. But you need to stir it properly so that not a single lump remains.

So, continuing to work with a spoon, pour hot milk into the saucepan, then put the dishes on the fire and bring to a boil.

A delicious drink (many people know this from their own experience) is for children, and even for adults, one drawback - it is covered with milk foam. There are ways to get rid of it.

Firstly, you can beat the finished cocoa until foam forms (not to be confused with foam), you need to do this with a whisk for 20 seconds. Secondly, you can boil cocoa in water, and add pre-heated cream to the mug.

How to cook with water

The method of making cocoa without milk is quite simple. Boil water (at the rate of 200-250 ml per serving).

Pour a teaspoon of cocoa powder and 1-2 tablespoons of sugar (for each serving) into another container, pour a little boiling water there, stir, then pour in the remaining water and put on fire for a couple of minutes, without ceasing to stir.

This drink goes well with condensed milk., however, in this case, it is better to cook cocoa without sugar. Condensed milk is added already in cups, to taste.

Cinnamon

The cooking technology practically does not differ from the classic recipe: sugar and cocoa are poured with a small amount of warm milk.

They fight lumps, and then pour milk into the mixture and put on the stove.

Cinnamon is added before the liquid boils. and cook for two minutes, stirring occasionally. It is advisable to beat the finished drink with a whisk to saturate it with oxygen and get a delicious lush foam.

With banana and ice cream

Banana cocoa - a rather original option The kids will definitely love it. To prepare it, you need a blender: with it, bananas and milk are whipped.

The resulting mixture is poured with hot cocoa. And to make the drink absolutely festive, they put a tablespoon of vanilla ice cream in each cup.

With liquor

Cocoa, sugar and a pinch of salt are poured with boiling water and put on fire. Add milk and remove from stove. Then comes the turn of liquor (for example, orange) - it is poured into cocoa that begins to cool.

With honey

For one drink you need half a tablespoon of honey. It must be mixed with cocoa powder.

Then hot milk is added to the mixture and kept on low heat, stirring constantly.

With cream

To prepare this type of cocoa you will need 720 g of milk, 25 g of cocoa, 100 g of sugar and 120 g of cream.

The drink is brewed according to the classic recipe and a “cap” of whipped cream is built in each cup.

With egg yolk

First, “classic” cocoa is prepared based on 800 g of milk. Then take two eggs and separate the yolks from the whites.

This recipe only requires egg yolks., they are ground with sugar and diluted with hot enough cocoa. Put on the stove, heat, but do not boil. Shake and fill cups.

with pepper

This drink is partly a tribute to traditions, because in ancient times cocoa was prepared with pepper.

Homemade cocoa is certainly not as spicy, and yet a quarter teaspoon of chili pepper (ground) for a couple of cups of milk is quite extreme.

Cocoa, pepper, sugar and a little cinnamon and salt are added to the milk., put on fire and even let it boil, and then keep it on low heat for several minutes. Marshmallows are added to the finished drink.

With coffee

Ground coffee and cocoa (in a ratio of 2: 1) are poured into a coffee pot and poured with boiling water.

When the drink is brought to a boil, it is covered with a towel and insisted for about three minutes. The drink already poured into cups is sprinkled with cinnamon.

For weight loss

Cocoa for weight loss will be right cook not with milk, but with water, from a natural ground, and not from a soluble product, which may contain many different unwanted additives.

It is better not to use sugar, but a spoonful of honey will be quite appropriate.

Condensed cocoa

Condensed milk with cocoa is a convenient product for quick preparation of a delicious drink.

It is produced by many food industry enterprises, it is only important to choose the brand that represents the highest quality semi-finished product.

Cocoa is prepared like this: put two or three tablespoons in a mug and pour boiling water over it, stir and drink.

How to cook in a slow cooker and microwave

According to reviews on the Internet, cocoa cooked in a slow cooker is an unusually tasty, rich drink.

It is cooked in the “quenching” mode from 45 minutes to one hour. 5 tablespoons of cocoa are consumed per liter of milk, sugar - a little less. And still need vanillin.

The mixed ingredients are sent to the multicooker bowl cold, and since it is very difficult to dissolve the powder in a cold liquid, it is better to do this in advance using a blender or mixer.

By the way, the whipped mixture allows you to make a drink especially tasty.

Can make cocoa in the microwave. The ingredients are the same as in the classic recipe, but the technology is different.

First, a thick liquid, in which half of the milk required by the recipe is used, is put in the microwave for half a minute (power - 750).

Then you can choose one of two options for completing the preparation of the drink: dilute it with milk, which was boiled in the traditional way, on the stove, or add milk to a container that was taken out of the microwave, mix and send it there until the process is completed.

Serving a drink

At catering establishments, cocoa is usually served in large cups, designed for 250 ml of drink. Dessert is offered in addition to cocoa.- biscuit, cake, cookies.

Sometimes the procedure is arranged more elegantly: the visitor is offered a jug of hot cocoa boiled in water and a jug of milk. They also put a heated tea cup and a saucer with lump sugar on the table.

In summer, cafe visitors often order chilled cocoa. In this case, it is served in a tall glass with a straw and a scoop of ice cream is placed.

Can I drink it at night

In answer to this question doctors do not have an unambiguous opinion, but this point of view prevails: cocoa, drunk during the day, activates the brain, and consumed in the evening provides a person with a calm, good sleep.

This is the result of a substance called “theobromine”, which is able to act on the brain gently, but prolonged, can help both a person experiencing stress and those who are depressed.

In general, experts emphasize, a lot depends on how each individual person reacts to the product, and the reaction may turn out to be the most unexpected.

What can be made from cocoa

Cocoa is a product that confectioners and cooks love very much. It is used in the preparation of various desserts: cakes, muffins, soufflés, pastries.

You can learn about various cocoa-based drinks from the article about hot chocolate. Here are a couple more original ideas.

You can try to make a milkshake with cocoa, in which the ingredients (milk, cocoa powder, cherry juice, sugar, cinnamon) are whipped with a mixer, or cocoa cream (cream, condensed milk, cocoa, chocolate), which is also whipped, moreover, until foam is formed, and served at the dessert plate, sprinkled with grated chocolate. Real jam.

Cocoa traditionally has a reputation for children's drink, while adults prefer the more intense taste of drinking hot chocolate. But lately this unfortunate stereotype is breaking down, and numerous cafes and coffee shops offer fragrant cocoa to all their visitors, regardless of age. And the visitors don't mind! Because cocoa, unlike rich chocolate, is a more delicate drink. And if you cook cocoa in milk, then it also has a mild calming effect, gives a feeling of comfort and helps to relax.

Just imagine: there is a snowstorm outside the window, and you are sitting in a large easy chair in a warm room, an interesting book and a cup of steaming cocoa in your hands ... So do not forget to boil cocoa for yourself more often, regularly boil cocoa in milk for a child and treat your guests to this drink with homemade cookies. And you will definitely feel that your home is filled with warmth and comfort. And also - the aroma of freshly brewed cocoa, which, in general, is one and the same.

Boil cocoa with milk or water? The composition and properties of cocoa
Before you cook cocoa with milk, it doesn’t hurt to figure out why you do it this way and not otherwise. Blindly following established traditions is not worth it, especially when you are going to cook cocoa for a child. Yes, and an adult needs to control his diet and understand at least its basic principles. So, as for cocoa, this product combines surprisingly different properties. It can both calm and invigorate, give strength and strengthen the immune system. It all depends on what time of day and how you will cook cocoa. But the only condition for the correct preparation of cocoa was and remains one thing: it must be boiled from cocoa powder, that is, ground beans, and not prepared from a soluble mixture.

To properly brew cocoa, you need high-quality cocoa powder. You can distinguish it from fakes and substitutes by the composition indicated on the package: it should not contain any side components, and the cocoa powder itself should contain at least 20% protein and 10 to 17% vegetable fats. Pay attention to the color - in quality cocoa it is thick brown, dark, sometimes with a terracotta tint. Such a product is the result of processing cocoa beans, their dried cake, in which many nutrients are concentrated:

• Vitamins - mainly group B, as well as vitamin PP and a small amount of vitamins A and E.
  
• Minerals: calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, phosphorus, copper.
  
• Flavonoids (antioxidant substances that fight free radicals in cells, strengthen the walls of blood vessels and have an antibacterial effect) - about 10%.
  
• Phenylethylamine is a natural antidepressant.
  
• Tonic substances: caffeine and theobromine, with the second 10 times more.
  

It is the components indicated in the last paragraph that provide the invigorating effect of cocoa. If you cook cocoa in the morning, then it may well replace coffee. The content of caffeine in it is less, which means that it can be drunk by children, and people with weakened cocoa vessels are shown as a strengthening product. And in order to soften the tonic effect, cocoa is boiled in milk not only for children, but also for adults. In addition, milk increases the amount of protein in the drink. Therefore, it is recommended for those who are weakened after an illness and for those who build muscle mass in sports.

In addition, you can regulate the properties of cocoa in milk by increasing or decreasing its concentration. In the morning at breakfast, you can cook cocoa in milk with a fat content of up to 3.2%, and use a larger amount of powder. During the day, you can cook cocoa on the water, without milk, to quickly cheer up and continue working. And half an hour before bedtime, cook cocoa in low-fat milk from a very small amount of powder. Such a weakly concentrated drink will calm you down, promote the production of hormones of joy and warm you on a cold winter evening.

How to cook cocoa in milk without lumps. cocoa recipes
Theoretically, even a completely inexperienced hostess can cook cocoa with milk. Even the father, in whose care the child was left, will be able to cook cocoa in milk for the child. But you want the drink to be not only healthy, but also appetizing. But this is already more difficult - you need to be able to cook cocoa in milk without lumps. There is nothing impossible in this, but you have to take into account a few subtleties. We have prepared for you just such proven and successful recipes for cocoa in milk:
There are a few more secrets on how to cook cocoa with milk correctly. For example, an allergy to cow's milk is not an obstacle at all; in this case, it is quite possible to cook delicious cocoa with goat or soy milk. And those who count calories can dilute even skimmed milk with water in half or in any other ratio. But we would not recommend combining cocoa with a diet. If only because drinking cocoa with cookies or apple pie is an incomparable and irreplaceable pleasure. Therefore, allow yourself to cook cocoa in milk without any conditions - just for the sake of great pleasure.

To get a really rich and fragrant drink, you need to know how to cook cocoa correctly, because there is far from one option for its preparation.

How to cook cocoa with milk

Cocoa with milk is a popular drink. Medium-fat milk is suitable for it and preferably not homemade, as it can kill the taste of cocoa.

Required products:

• sugar to your taste;
• 40 grams of cocoa;
• liter of milk.

Cooking process:

1. To begin with, the milk needs to be warmed up, but not much, it should not boil.
2. As soon as its temperature reaches a value of about 70 degrees, we cast about one tablespoon from the total mass.
3. Measure out the right amount of sugar, mix it with cocoa, grind and pour in some of the milk that was separated in the previous step. Stir the mixture well so that the ingredients dissolve and what happened, pour into the remaining milk.
4. Constantly stirring the drink, cook it for a few more minutes over low heat. After that, the cocktail can be served.

Delicious powdered drink

Cocoa powder will surely delight you with its taste properties if you purchase a quality product. To do this, be sure to look at the composition on the packaging and give preference to products that have been on the market for many years. Among the most affordable "centenarians" of the market, one can single out the goods of the "Golden Label" brand.

Required products:

• seven tablespoons of cocoa powder;
• one liter of milk or water;
• sugar to your liking.

Cooking process:

1. We send a liter of water or milk to the pan, put on the stove and bring to a boil.
2. Immediately after the formation of bubbles, put the sugar into the pan and stir the mixture so that it completely dissolves. We fall asleep cocoa.
3. Take a whisk and lightly beat the mass. This is done to form a small foam.
4. We boil the composition for a couple more minutes on low heat, after which we remove it from the stove and immediately pour the aromatic drink into large cups.