Happy 2018! As I am writing this just there's this massive amount of snow falling, or as they call it: BOMB CYCLONE.

I remember my first snow storm in NYC. It was 2010 and I was just a tourist having vacation in town. Me and my boyfriend, now husband, went out to get the most of the town and to see the snow. As soon as we got to Union Square everything was so white that I thought that I was going blind just like José Saramago's book Blindness. We went to this restaurant over there called The Coffee Shop and I got so surprised because I saw Brazilian things on the menu. I was probably on my final days of vacation and a bit homesick for sure, so I reached for the most Brazilian soft drink ever: Guaraná. A very sweet soda made of the guaraná fruit.

After the restaurant we basically just crossed Union Square to go to Starbucks. Back in the day I wasn't a big fan of coffee so hot cocoa was my choice. Since then every time that there's snow I feel like having hot cocoa. But of course my choice now goes for a more rich in flavor and healthier version.

I had bought a bag of xylitol - a natural alternative to sugar. It has 40% less calories than sugar and it's basically a sugar alcohol (polyalcohol), and I wanted to try the thing. So here was my opportunity. Also instead of milk I decided to go with the almond version - after going to a summit about food and health I decided to take a break from regular milk on a daily basis. Turns out almond milk is so delicious that I don't even miss the other one (I always go for the unsweetened vanilla version).

For this hot cocoa I wanted it hotter, spicy! I have a pantry full of spices and wanted to be bold about this recipe. I saw a spicy hot cocoa at a menu in some coffee shop and this idea stayed with me until I went to kitchen and decided to do my own version. This time I reached for the black Urfa chili from Burlap & Barrel. It has this malty flavor that pairs so well with chocolate.

Other ingredient used on this recipe is arrowroot powder. I needed a thickening element to give that creamy texture to my hot cocoa. I wanted it to be gluten free so no wheat flour, of course. You may think about corn starch, but I wanted something more delicate not only when it's hot but when it's cold as well. I wanted to be able to put the leftovers on the fridge and maybe eat by the spoon when a sugar craving appeared. Arrowroot has this power because it doesn't break down when cold. Bonus points to arrowroot!

Without further ado here's is the recipe:

SPICY HOT COCOA

INGREDIENTS

2 cups almond milk
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tsp arrowroot
2 tbsp xylitol
65 grams 70% chocolate
Black Urfa chili to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Pass the 70% chocolate by the food processor or grater and mix with all dry ingredients - except the chili. Reserve. In a pan pour the almond milk and bring it to a simmer. Put it in the low heat and add the mixed dry ingredients and mix it with a whisk until everything combined and very smooth. Add the chili in the end to taste.

Super easy, super delicious! It's ready in 5 minutes or so. Also you can substitute the almond milk for other one, even the regular milk. Instead of xylitol you can use regular sugar, coconut sugar, stevia or other kind or sweetener that you prefer! And if you don't have arrowroot go for corn starch, no problem at all!

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