• 8-12oz of cold milk
• 18g of collagen powder
• 25g of whey protein
• 2-3 squares of Dark Chocolate or 1 Tablespoon of baking cocoa
• A squeeze of honey, maple syrup, or date syrup
• A splash of Vanilla Extract

I make my own Vanilla extract using vodka and vanilla beans, but any extract or vanilla bean paste will do. You’ll also need a battery powered whisker and a microwave.

Pour the cold milk into the mug, break up the chocolate pieces and toss them in. If using cocoa, add the cocoa to hot milk.

Nuke the milk for 90 seconds or 120 depending on your microwave and personal preferences.

If you used dark chocolate add the collagen powder to the top and whisk. Then add whey and whisk again. Then add your sweetener and vanilla and stir in. I prefer maple or date, but rotate through all 3.

If you used cocoa, add the cocoa, whisk, add thr collagen, whisk, add the whey, whisk. Stir in sweetener and vanilla.

Benefits

I haven’t run the numbers but it probably has about 20-30g of carbs, so it’s not low carb at all, but if you’re replacing a slice of cake or a big bowl of ice cream, bag of chips, etc this is a better option.

Dark chocolate is heart healthy and full of healthy flavonoids and antioxidants.

Collagen is needed for skin, hair, and joint health.

Whey is good for building muscle.

Vanilla, date syrup, maple syrup and honey all have their own benefits with some evidence linking each of these to reducing cancer risk, improving gut health and immunity etc.

Flavor

This hot chocolate will not taste like the overly sweet or watery hot chocolate mixes you get in a packet. It will not taste like a dessert you buy at a nice restaurant or cafe. It is a essentially a warm protein shake with more protein in it than a 6oz steak, and in my professional opinion, it tastes pretty ok.

I’ve found that vanilla and date syrup hide the whey flavor the best.

If you’d like to change it up, you can ditch the chocolate and use 2-3 raw egg yolks to make a high protein egg nog, or replace chocolate with Matcha powder.