Hot Chocolate with Marshmallows

The winter months are upon us and although I am not a huge fan of the colder weather, I do love playing in the snow with my family and coming in to warm up by the fire with some hot chocolate. In years past, I would plan to feed William a meal that included heavy cream just after coming inside. We would water down the cream a bit, warm it up and add a pinch of cocoa and a few drops of vanilla extract. Although it worked for us at the time, I dreamed of making a more 'traditional' hot chocolate drink for him.

We discovered the Key Nutrients electrolyte powders a few months back when William started refusing his favorite drinks. We were anxiously searching for something new to finally get William back on track with his daily fluid goals. If your child is already on a medical Keto diet, you know how important it is to stay hydrated to avoid side effects such as constipation and kidney stones. Our son absolutely loved their electrolyte flavors and since we were seeing so much success with this brand, we had to try their Keto Cocoa Powder. And because I was determined to work marshmallows into this recipe, I immediately reordered my favorite keto-friendly marshmallows by Know Brainer.

Equipment:
Scale

Ingredients:
Keto Nutrients Keto Cocoa MCT Powder
Know Brainer Max Mallow Classic Vanilla
Vital Proteins Collagen Peptide Powder
36% Heavy Cream

Using the ingredients for a complete meal listed above, calculate out your recipe in the KetoDietCalculator. I have listed William's recipe at the bottom of this post for reference.

Instructions:
This is an easy one!

Simply add your cocoa and collagen powders to your desired amount of hot water and mix well. You may need to play around with the ratio of powder to water depending on your final calculations. For William's recipe below I find that 4-5 oz of water is the right amount to give it lots of flavor without being too thick. 2-3 drops of vanilla extract can be added as well.

For the heavy cream, you can either add it directly to your water/powder mixture to give it a thicker consistency or you can whip it and add it to the top of your drink. You can also put a portion of the cream into the drink and reserve the rest to make whipped cream.

Measure out your marshmallow and cut it into small pieces. After adding your whipped cream and marshmallows, give your hot chocolate a dusting of cinnamon or unsweetened cocoa powder. Done!

Notes:
This is a great recipe to prep ahead and take with you during winter activities such as sledding and skiing or holiday walks, train rides, and tree lightings. The water/powder mixture can be prepared in advance and placed in a thermos and your toppings can be added once it's time to enjoy.

This cocoa powder is also great as a cold chocolate milk drink! Combine cold water, cocoa and collagen powder, and cream and mix well. The marshmallow can be eaten as is or roasted over a fire, but be careful when roasting these marshmallows - they burn easily. (Once opened, Max Mallows must be store in the refrigerator).

William's Meal Calculations
Hot Chocolate with Marshmallows
Ratio: 3:1

4.4 g Key Nutrients Keto Cocoa MCT Powder
6 g Know Brainer Max Mallow Classic Vanilla
1.8 g Vital Proteins Collagen Peptide Powder
49.4 g 36% Heavy Cream