Easy Rich Chocolate Shake (dairy Free!)

This is a very simple, very tasty treat I make when I'm having a chocolate craving but want to watch my sugar and dairy intake. It is also very friendly for a variety of diet restrictions - for example, I'm making this this sugar, gluten & dairy-free, and easily adaptable for vegans.

Note: If you are wanting to ensure this is in-fact dairy free, I recommend you double check your cocoa powder ingredients list to ensure there are no milk products included.

Ingredients

• Water (or milk, if preferred)
• 1.5 TBSP chocolate powder
• 1 TBSP favorite nut butter (Almond-hazelnut nut butter was used here)
• 1/4 cup almonds
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• Water

Additional optional ingredients

• 1 banana
• 1/4 tsp vanilla (optional)
• 1 TBSP healthy fat like avocado OR coconut oil (optional)
• 1-2 tsp raw honey or favourite sweetener (optional) - Note: honey may not be suitable for vegans

Tools

• Spoon
• Use of a Blender or Nutribullet / Magic Bullet (with small cup and flat blade attachment)

NOTE - If you have a conventional blender, this step will be a little tricky. Just skip this all together and just use 2-3 TBSP of extra nut butter in the next step.

• Blend the almonds in a Nutribullet or Magic Bullet ensuring the cup and blades are completely dry. The flat blade works best for milling/grinding almonds.
• Once ground, it will typically make a fairly good powder - though sometimes you may want to remove any larger chunks which escaped the blade.

• Add the rest of your ingredients: tossing in your cocoa powder, nut butter, other optional ingredients (frozen banana, vanilla, and coconut oil in my case)
  • Why coconut oil? - since I use water instead of milk, this added fat provides a lovely richness. It helps to make it similar to the higher fat content which milk would already have in order to make it nice and creamy. You can also easily use 1/4 to 1/2 an avocado, or skip it all together. If using avocado, the cocoa will mask the flavour.
• Next, add water (I eyeballed the amount, adding based on the space left in the cup up to the max line) about 1/2 cup. If you prefer, and your diet allows you can use milk instead of water.
• Then, blend blend blend (for about 20 seconds)!

Taste and adjust to suit your tastes. Personally, I don't add any sweetener but if you would like some sweetness add honey or sweetener and pop it back on to blend for 10 seconds.

If you wanted, you can also adjust it further based on your preference:

• more chocolatey = add more cocoa
• less chocolatey = add a little more water or milk
• thicker = add 1/2 banana and or 1 TBSP nut butter

Once you're happy with the flavour and consistency - enjoy your incredible delicious chocolate shake!

Pro-tips:

• Feeling like a thick milkshake to enjoy on a hot day? Use at least 1.5 frozen bananas and a tbsp of nut butter in this recipe and much less water (or replace with ice instead). So tasty!
• Want a fantastic rich hot chocolate on a chilly evening? Use warm/hot water or warm milk instead. Alternately you can just warm up the whole beverage once you've made it.