Red Velvet Hot Cocoa with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting (REDUCED FAT)

Okay, so remember how I told you guys that I have this nasty habit of sleeping late, and how I am realllllllllly trying to kick that old habit goodbye.  Well, it hasn’t really been working.  I partly blame my husband because he keeps telling me to enjoy myself now since I have time off.  I guess, but I shouldn’t sleep in so late. 

In any case, I woke up this morning feeling sleepy so I made myself hot chocolate.  It was a recipe that I recently bookmarked so it wasn’t just any hot chocolate, it was Red Velvet Hot Chocolate.  I personally don’t think you need all that whipped cream the recipe requires for 4 people so I trimmed down the fat slightly and made this recipe for just 1 person.  This would be a greattttt recipe to make on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, what’s even better is you could spike it with some kind of alcohol, YUM!  However, once I counted the fats and calories, I was SHOCKED!  Each serving has 488 calories and although I was only able to drink half of my beverage, I still felt so guilty afterward that I had to hit the gym for a little bit to make myself feel better.  Going forward though, I’d much rather skip the whipped cream cheese frosting, and simply use Reddi-Wip Whipped Cream.  

TELL ME: What are some hot beverages you make around Christmas time.

NUTRITION: Milk is a very good source of Calcium and Vitamin D. It is also a good source of Protein, Vitamins A and K.  Semisweet Chocolate Chips add some Antioxidants to this beverage, you can make it even healthier by using Bittersweet Chocolate Chips.

MODIFICATIONS I MADE:

• The original recipe calls for 4 servings, I modified this for just 1 serving.
• Instead of using 1 cup of milk, I used 3/4 cup of milk.  In addition, I used 2% Reduced Fat milk instead of Whole milk.
• I used semi-sweet chocolate chips, in reality you can use bittersweet chocolate chips to increase the antioxidants.  Either way you don’t need extra sugar in the hot chocolate.  Next time I want to use bittersweet chocolate chips.
• The recipe calls for 1/4 cup (4 tbsp) of heavy cream for each person.  That is INSANE!  I just used 2 tbsp of heavy cream for myself which is still a lot of fat, but at least 50% less.
• The recipe calls for using 1/2 to 1 tbsp of cream cheese, I used about 3/4 tbsp.  In addition, I used 1/3 Less Fat Cream Cheese instead of Regular.  Seriously, you can’t tell.
• Lastly, I added a 1/4 tsp of vanilla extract to the Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting.

INGREDIENTS (makes 1 serving):

• Heavy Cream – 2 tbsp
• Sugar – 1 tbsp
• 1/3 Less Fat Cream Cheese – 1/2 to 1 tbsp
• Vanilla Extract – 1/4 tsp
• 2% Reduced Fat Milk – 3/4 cup
• Dash of Water
• Ghirardelli Semisweet Chocolate Chips – 3 tbsp
• Red Food Color – 4 to 5 drops
  

DIRECTIONS:
1. Make the Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting first…
Add 2 tbsp of heavy cream.

 2. Add sugar.

3. Blend with an Electric Mixer until a little thick.  Don’t blend all the way.

4. Add cream cheese.

5. Add vanilla extract.

6. Blend until combined and forms stiff peaks.  If you blend too long, you will have butter.

7. Now make the hot chocolate.  Add milk to a pot.

8. Add a dash of water.

9. Add semisweet chocolate chips.

10. Mix until the chips are melted.

11. Add 4 to 5 drops of food color.

12. Mix until combined.

13. Pour in a serving cup.

14. Top with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting.

  
15. This is really good… but, of course, it comes with some guilt.

TELL ME: What are some hot beverages you make around Christmas time.