Perhaps you had a rough day at work.
Perhaps you squabbled with your significant other, or with your sister.
Perhaps you witnessed a customer raising their voice in frustration at a nervous-looking salesgirl who has probably faced more than her fair share of aggressive Christmas shoppers already this season.
Perhaps you’ve been battling a host of unwanted thoughts this week.
Perhaps you wish you felt more confident about your end-of-year exams.
Perhaps you dropped an open jar of sugar on the kitchen tiles, and had to clean the sticky mess whilst keeping your dog from hyperactively licking the crystals at the same time.
Perhaps when you woke up this morning, you maybe just a little bit only slightly a tad mostly because no one was watching wanted to cry for a minute or two or four.
Perhaps you wish people would be a little kinder to each other.
Perhaps you’re really trying at something and you’re scared you’ll fail but you keep going anyway, even though it’s uncomfortable.
Perhaps someone you care about is unwell, and you can’t cure it.
Perhaps the world simply seems a bit dreary today, and you want something comforting and nourishing, yet also exciting and exotic, to curl your hands around as you tuck your feet beneath you on the couch.
Perhaps all you need is a mugful of vegan Hot Lavender Cocoa (or carob).
Perhaps.
Vegan Hot Lavender Cocoa (or Carob)
Serves 1
- 1 tb cocoa or carob powder (I love carob best)
- 1/4 tsp dried culinary lavender
- 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or milk of your choice)
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract (optional; I add this when using plain almond milk)
- sweetener, to taste (I use maple syrup or vanilla stevia, and need far less when making hot carob as opposed to hot cocoa, due to the inherent sweetness of carob.)
- In a small saucepan, whisk all ingredients together until the cocoa or carob powder has dissolved.
- Keep whisking over medium heat until the milk is starting to simmer gently. (Alternatively, whisk ingredients together in a small microwave-safe jug and microwave on medium-high for 1.5 – 2 minutes, until heated.)
- If desired, strain out the lavender (I never bother), then pour into a mug and sip, slowly. Perhaps.
Submitted to Ricki’s Wellness Weekend and Healthy Vegan Friday.
This looks delicious… and soothing… and just right for cold nights after a long day of work (the sales girl getting hassled by aggressive Christmas shoppers… story of my life!) I love the use of lavender… anything that brings together chocolate /and/ flowers is perfection!
Thanks Dayna! It is both delicious and soothing. And, oh yes, I remember all too well my years of working in retail over the Christmas period. Not always the most fun!
I love lavender and chocolate together! This reminds me of brownies I used to make… mmmm…
I hated lavender right up until I first tried it in dessert. So good.
Ohh great just passed it onto my friend who can’t have diary or soy
BTW I had my very first Vegan Chocolate Mousse the ther day and it was good 
Avocado, coconut milk, or tofu based?
Oh I’ve never had carob hot chocolate before. And hehe wouldn’t it be funny if someone had done that exact same thing with the sugar?
I’m sure anyone with a dog has had to live the “clean up while keeping them out of the mess” struggle!
Looks great! I planted lavender this summer but it took so long to get it make any buds. I may just have enough to try to make this…. and I agree, carob is great.
Well, if your plant ever goes gangbusters and you need someone to take the excess buds off your hands…
I can identify with so many of those perhapses (is perhapses the plural of perhaps? Does perhaps even have or need a plural? Is the word perhaps starting to sound a bit like nonsense by this point – I’m thinking of a number of somethings per haps, like percent or something, ok I’m chatting shit now *blush and cringe*)
Anyway, I just had some yummy yummy lavender dark chocolate but I wish we had vanilla almond milk in the UK, might try vanilla soy, or unsweetened with some essence. I bet a lavender chocolate mousse would be divine too. I love me some floral notes with my chocolate, I’m enjoying some rose and violet choccie at the mo too!
Sorry about the ramble, perhaps I’m a bit lonely tonight
GREAT BIG SQUEEZY HUG. Never apologise for a lovely long comment, Hannah, particularly if you’re feeling a little lonely. I didn’t have access to vanilla unsweetened almond milk back in Canberra either (just before I left, Almond Breeze started being available, but at $5 or something ridiculous like that). Soy milk (or any milk) and a bit of extra vanilla extract would work perfectly here, in any number of haps
Hannah you are so sweet and lovely and gorgeously caring to reply so fully and kindly and quickly when I was feeling down. Sending you a squeezed grateful hug back xx
Anytime, my dear. We can’t have any Hannahs anywhere feeling down in the dumps and uncared for, right?
x
YUM. I love lavender anything. I love hot chocolate…. even when it’s stinking hot here in QLD in the evening, I ALWAYS have one after dinner – I get the “Hot Chocolate Sweats” afterwards but it is SO worth it. Trying this!
I used to get the Hot Oatmeal Sweats on summer mornings. Definitely worth it.
Sounds delicious and calming in any and all of those situations. Best to you Hannah.
Thank you Maud
Perhaps this will help me get over my jetlag
I just love the way you write, Hannah dear! Even though I’m not always commenting I’m definitely reading your posts when they appear in my inbox 
Oh! This comment just made my soul soar. Thank you Ames. You have no idea how much this means. xo
Perhaps I do need one of these. A deep one I could perhaps plunge through and feel the silky warmth. Carob dreams?
Any and all dreams are welcome here.
….or perhaps you’re happy and still want to try some lavender hot choccie?
Absolutely. Absolutely.
Oh, yes! No perhaps about it my dear, this is a definite. I still have so much culinary lavender in my pantry and this will be the perfect way to use some of it (and I agree, carob sounds like a much better pairing in this instance).
Shh, don’t tell anyone, but I haven’t even tried it with cocoa yet
I hope everything is going well for you, lovely. A hot lavender cocoa does sound like a wonderful pick-me-up, though I reckon I’d enjoy one anytime. x
Thank you. And absolutely; it’s an equal opportunity drink.
… and it’s even better when you use your skirt as a(n admittedly very pretty) table cloth. Perhaps.
I KNEW YOU’D NOTICE THAT! Bahaha! Well done mother dear.
I think perhaps you are right.
This is so lovely Hannah! I’ve had a little jar of lavender for ages just waiting to be used in a recipe and this seems perfect. Because I’ve been feeling some of those “perhaps” lately. I hope this helped with yours
With the sun shining so beautifully here in Toronto today, I feel like the “perhaps” in here that were secretly mine are now a world away. I hope you feel more sparkly too xo
What a cuuuute kitty mug, awwwww:) Psychic Cat knew there’d be a cat in this post, that’s why she’s sitting next to me chewing on her toenails, awww:)
My first year without end of year exams! Cripes. awww.
I think this must be the first time anyone has ended the phrase “chewing on her toenails” with “awwww”.
You’re amazing.
I just love her so much! And there’s no perhaps about it:)
I want to love something that much.
I am so making this!
Oooh this looks delightful! I’ve never had lavender with hot chocolate but this sounds fab. Almond milk would work well with it but I also can’t wait to try it with some fresh raw milk
If you’re a real hot chocolate person (i.e. dark chocolate, and not just cocoa powder or carob, which is my preference), then I think a lavender hot chocolate with melted dark chocolate and fresh raw milk would be INCREDIBLE and you must report back
I can’t believe that I went through so many winters without this in my life! Your recipes are beautifully simple and soooooo comforting!
Aw, thanks dear! When I first started cooking I’d search out extravagantly complicated recipes, thinking they *had* to be the best, surely, but now I like simple, easy, delicious, and focusing on just a few flavours
And also, maybe that is the prettiest cocoa I’ve ever seen. Possibly, I would love it even though I’m not a fan of edible lavender. Perchance it would be truly soothing against some of those negative thoughts that sneak their way in univited. And conceivably, it will help me through a cold and otherwise dreary winter. . . yes.
Oh Ricki, surely you are never attacked by negative thoughts! Never never! Everything about you is golden.
P.S. Funnily enough, I always hated lavender as a perfume/aroma/plant as a kid, but then fell in love with it as a component in dessert. I still think it smells like nursing homes, but luckily I don’t think it *tastes* that way
That sounds lovely. I hope you are doing OK, though – this post sounds rather sad.
Thank you Catherine. As Judy Garland once sang: “Until then, we’ll have to muddle through somehow / So have yourself a merry little Christmas now.” All will be well.