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Pour Us a Cup This Fall: Sugar-Free Hot Chocolate and Spiced Chai

hot chocolateYou know how I’m kind of obsessed with coffee, chai tea and chocolate, right? So, you’ll understand when I say that I literally jumped at the chance to try these 5 Sparrows sugar-free powders, which can be enjoyed with milk or coffee. No, really, literally. People misuse that word a lot, but I mean it! I got the mixes in the mail and did a hopping jig of sorts with excitement. I love fall, and all-natural warm, sweet drinks just add to my euphoria.

The first one I tried was Sugar-Free House Chocolate. I made this one with regular milk and although it didn’t look super dark or chocolaty, it was. Like really, really was. It dissolved easily and although it has no grams of sugar in it (it’s sweetened with stevia and xylitol), it tasted like a fantastic chocolate dessert. I typically notice an aftertaste with non-sugar sweeteners of any kind (even the natural ones), but this one had little to no aftertaste at all. With 70 calories a serving (not including the milk), it’s a fabulously rich hot chocolate to sip on. Oh, and it’s ah-mazing in coffee.

Next, I had to try the Sugar-Free White Chocolate. Also with no sugar, this one was even richer than the chocolate. It was seriously like drinking vanilla icing. Which, I at least, thought was pretty awesome. I mixed a packet with unsweetened coconut milk, and found the result to be creamy and super sweet. If you’re not big on super-sweet stuff (I’m usually not, but this stuff was like crack for my tastebuds), you can try simply adding a tablespoon or two to your coffee or using half a packet with the milk of your choice. And Sugar-Free White Chocolate is even more guilt-free than the Sugar-Free House Chocolate—it has only 35 calories a serving!

Finally, I tried the Sugar-Free Monumental Spiced Chai. And it was my absolute favorite. Sweet, spicy and creamy with a light tea flavor, it almost made my eyes roll back and I definitely got angry about it (in a good way). I tried this one with coconut milk, and I recommend you do the same. With 110 calories a pack, this version is the most caloric of the bunch, but I also think it’s the most worth those calories.

Awesome taste aside, I really like that these use stevia and xylitol as a sweetener. However, I wouldn’t exactly call these “clean.” With ingredients like non-dairy dreamer, corn syrup solids, vegetable oil, sodium aluminosilicate and artificial flavor, I’d still make them just a sometimes treat. Not an everyday treat. But a treat? Oh, most certainly they are a treat.

Do you like cuddling up with a cup of hot chocolate or chai tea this time of year, too? How do you get your fix? —Jenn

 

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