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What’s not to love about a warm beverage on a cold winter day, that is a cross between hot cocoa and Crème Brule? Hey, that’s a good rhyme! 
Our son had a friend over the other day who didn’t like hot cocoa (can you believe it?), so I made them a Vanilla Steamer instead. They’re full of nourishing ingredients, and if you can get away with only a little sweetener, all the better.
The amounts are totally up to you, I’ll just give you an idea of what I use, but it really doesn’t matter, just taste test and see what you think.
Nourishing Vanilla Steamers
- Healthy milk (We use raw milk, and since kids don’t like things too hot anyway, I give them theirs warm to preserve the nutrients.)
- Extra cream if you have it
- Organic vanilla (About 1 t. for 2-3 people)
- Egg yolks (About 1 per person)
- Dash of sea salt
- Sweetener to your taste (I use real maple syrup, you could also use raw honey or palm sugar.)
- Add a dash of cinnamon if desired.
Stir well over medium heat until desired temperature. Pretty easy, huh? Let me know what you think, or if you add something else interesting to yours, let us know that, too.
More Nourishing Beverage Recipes
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Sounds yummy! Tomorrow is farm day so I will have to wait until then so I can get some cream.
Hi Kelly! I just made this, and I am drinking it now. It’s delicious! I usually prefer the taste of honey to maple syrup, but I decided to try this the way you recommended. I’m so glad I did. It’s excellent and really warmed me up this cold winter morning! BTW, I didn’t have the extra cream, just whole raw milk… it’s still fantastic. Thanks so much.
Mmmm… sounds delicious. I make a similar concoction for my kids as a calming bedtime beverage. I sweeten with stevia and they don’t know the difference! Egg yolks and cream make it a really decadent treat… I may have to try this for breakfast this morning.
Looks yummy! Seems similar to how I make eggnog, does it taste similar? I’ll have to try this later today. Thanks for posting!
Hi Kelly,
I made one of these just last night. I only use milk, vanilla and a tiny bit of stevia. YUM! A perfect little warm treat in the evening.
This IS my egg nog recipe except I add a bit of rum extract and some nutmeg on top. Mmmm…I’ll have to try it hot. I’m like you, I don’t heat mine much. I make hot cocoa the same way…put it all in a blender with egg yolks, too, then warm it on the stove for a minute or two. It has a wonderfully thick consistency. I use a little maple syrup and a drop or two of stevia. I save the raw cream for the top (a tablespoon or so) and it feels like whipped cream or frothed milk. There’s an Italian hot cocoa called Ciobar that is made similar to this. Don’t you just love to suffer for the sake of good health?! lol!
I make this all the time for my picky eater. That way if he skips a meal I know he just drank an omelette! ;p
I love this idea! I’m amazed I never thought of it before, but it sure does sound fantastic. Thank you so much for sharing.
YUM. Will be getting farm fresh eggs tomorrow and will try this for my girls afternoon snack tomorrow. Thanks for posting!
I tried making this for my girls when they came in from skiing in the yard. They gave me funny faces when they took a sip, so I threw it back in the pan and whisked in some cocoa powder. They loved it! Looks like I just found a way to make my homemade cocoa healthier!
I’m looking forward to trying this. It looks delicious and I have hopes that our will like it and I’ll try the cocoa powder if they don’t. I almost forgot to read this post since I got caught up in all the advice of what to do when the milk goes sour! lol
I meant our boys will like it. sigh.
Laura over at Heavenly Homemakers puts arrowroot in hers for a bit of a different consistency:
http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/blog/winter-comfort-warm-vanilla-soother
Hi Kelly-
I’ve been drinking steamers for years-since I’m not a coffee drinker, I’m always looking for alternatives for hot beverages. Although I’ve never tried adding egg yolks (I bet that makes it pretty yummy as well!), you can add all kinds of flavors. I’ve done basic vanilla but have also tried adding Baileys Irish Cream or hazelnut liqueur (for adults obviously but so yummy!), or even try melting a little butter into your steamer with the maple syrup or using various spices-a little cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. I found a “hot cocoa maker” at the store one day and couldn’t resist trying it, and it was so fun to use! Just put everything in, turn it on, and it churns it all up while it’s heating the cocoa, steamer, whatever. Plus, it comes with a little recipe booklet which is where I got some of my ideas-I found that the recipes were a little sweet for me, but still some great ideas!
Oh! Also don’t forget other extract flavors, like peppermint or almond, etc.
Sounds absolutely delicious! I would love this too!
I finally tried this recipe and I added a couple TBSPs of coconut oil. Even my husband liked it and he won’t go near milk anything!
Heh heh. One of my “processed food friends” came over for coffee and I made a half recipe to use as creamer. She loves French Vanilla Coffeemate and said this was a lot like it but…better. I showed her the ingredient lists side-by-side and I think we have a convert.
I’m tellin’ ya, the real food revolution will be won by people’s taste buds.
I am SO making this for my kids with breakfast today!
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