Hot chocolate

When I decided to avoid all of the artificial sweeteners without adding back much sugar, I wasn't excited about giving up hot chocolate. It's one thing that makes the winters more tolerable. I found a recipe in one of my no sugar cookbooks where you add 2 tsp. of unsweetened cocoa powder to 1/2 cup boiling water, and then pour in 1/2 cup milk. I tried it a few weeks ago, but the bitterness of the cocoa powder dominated (although it would probably be better with Dutch-processed cocoa). Today I did the same thing, but added some cinnamon and vanilla. It turned out really good - it's amazing how those two really make things taste sweet, and they completely hid the bitter taste. I'm excited that I discovered this just in time for the months and months of shivering!