Drinkin' Cocoa

*I'm not sure if this goes in Something to Drink, since it's only the cocoa powder I'm after. Feel free to move.*

Sometimes I just want a nice cup of hot cocoa before bed. Since it's less fattening than chocolate and I use skim milk and very little sugar, it's basically a health elixir. However, all I have are Hershey's and Nestlé's natural cocoas, which are fine for baking but not great for drinking.

I don't drink cocoa enough to justify buying "cocoa mix" and I don't want added sugar. I'm looking for a plain cocoa that can do double duty as a beverage and as ingredient in baking/sauces/etc.

Suggestions? I noticed on my last trip to the Spice House, they had both natural and Dutch. Has anyone tried theirs?

Nope but I did get some cocoa mix from Target in a can that was good. I think it was archer farms. This is the kind that you just put in milk.

Droste is some mighty fine cocoa. No sugar, just pure cocoa powder. Add milk and sugar to taste and, yes, bake with it too.

I also love Droste. Years ago I read an article on this very subject - I think it was in Cooks Illustrated. It's killing me because I can't remember the cocoa deemed best fof drinking and baking. I think it was Van something. My sister-in-law bought me a couple pounds of it for me in New York, I think from New York Cake. Many say Valrhona is best and I've also read good things about Cocoa Berry.

Pie Lady, I make my cup of cocoa with skim milk, 1 level teaspoon sugar, 1 rounded teaspoon Ghirardelli natural unsweetened cocoa. I used to also buy Droste or other dutch process cocoa, but I got tired of adjusting recipes to account for the extra alkaline in the dutch process cocoa. So, I stopped buying it and re-gained some cabinet space. Now I just use the Ghirardelli cocoa for baking.

I do love Droste too and have used it for many years. A bit difficult to find now but I think I saw it recently at either World Market or Whole Foods.

If you use Droste, its a bit difficult to stir until smooth. The trick is to add a little milk to the cocoa mixture and stir until its a thin paste and all free and lumps. Then add the rest of the milk.

And the good thing about Droste is that it can be used in baking too.

In the Cook's Illustrated cocoa mix test, Godiva Chocolatier mix absolutely blew all the rest out of the water. Ghiradelli (?sp--'gear-a-deli') was a distant but still respectable second.

Geo

I recently tried a new variation on cocoa. I've been adding some spiced sugar from the Spice House, which contains vanilla, cinnamon and cardamom. Very tasty.

Are any of these dark chocolates, or has anyone had good dark hot chocolate? I had some at Caribou Coffee in DC -- they have both milk and dark cocoa -- and it was very nice, less sweet, good strong flavor.

I don't know if they sell it in Chicago, I only allow myself hot chocolate when I am on the road in DC... so I guess I shouldn't be asking about dark cocoa to be mixing at home... damn this endless winter!