The stature of chocolate milk as a mainstay of American culture and lore needs little elaboration. From “chocolate milk comes from chocolate cows,” to Ralphie’s obsession with downing Ovaltine to acquire his beloved decoder ring in the mail, chocolate milk has been a mainstay of popular American culture throughout the 20th century.
Strictly speaking, chocolate milk is a sweetened milk drink flavored with cocoa. The two traditional ways to enjoy chocolate milk are either as a pre-mixed beverage, or by mixing it on your own. To make your own chocolate milk, all you need to do is to combine milk with cocoa powder and a sweetener (like sugar, stevia, or honey). You can also add melted chocolate, chocolate syrup, or chocolate milk mix to hot milk, and the mixture can then be cooled, although these methods can sometimes be a little bit messier than the first. Some chocolate fans claim that chocolate milk may be helpful after intense workouts due to its ratio of carbohydrates (sugar) to protein, but such claims come off as somewhat dubious. However, chocolate milk is so delicious that the only real reason anyone needs to drink it is that it is an amazing treat!
Now, with the booming popularity of soy milk products, we have also seen the appearance of many varieties of soy chocolate milk on the market. So, now there’s no reason for vegetarians or the lactose intolerant to miss out on all the fun. Like traditional chocolate milk, soy chocolate milk is often available for purchase as a pre-mixed beverage. However, if you’re looking to make your own soy chocolate milk, its simple to enough – just mix soy milk with any of the aforementioned forms of chocolate. Since many soy milk products on the market already contain slight to moderate amounts of sweetener, just be sure to adjust your proportions appropriately.
Those among us interested in pursuing an even healthier version of the classic beverage can mix certified organic soy milk with melted vegan chocolate chips. This will result in a completely organic, vegan beverage that is much healthier than conventional chocolate milk and that has a rich, deep flavor unlike any other sort of beverage. This recipe is easiest if you heat your soy milk just until it begins to simmer, then stir in the vegan chocolate chips. This will ensure that the chocolate dissolves fully in to the milk, and you will have soy hot chocolate! You can then cool this mixture to create delicious, healthy soy chocolate milk that you and everyone in your family is sure to love!