Brewed Cacao Recipe

 

Ingredients

Hot Water just off the boil
1 TBS (overflowing) Taste Arriba Cacao Tea 

2 sugar cubes (or 2 tsp sugar)

1 TBS Darigold Heavy Whipping Cream

Directions

Using an electric tea kettle, boil your water. 

Pour boiling water into a 12 oz French Press to rinse it out and warm it up. Let it sit for about a minute then pour it out.

Add Cacao Tea to the French Press and just enough water to completely cover the grounds.

Start your timer for 8 minutes.

At the one-minute mark, stir the cacao and water with a wooden spoon to break up the "crust" then add the remainder of the water (approx. 8 oz total-I use a mark on my French press to help me know where to stop.

Add the lid with the plunger at the top.

While you are waiting for the cacao to brew add sugar to your mug.

Once your 8 minutes are up, push the plunger down into the French Press.

Pour the Cacao Brew over your sugar into your mug and mix with a frother for 10-20 seconds.

Add cream-don't stir.

Find a cozy spot and enjoy!

Now that you have the recipe and didn't have to scroll to the bottom to get it, I'm sure that you are dying to hear the story of how Brewed Cacao came into my life! It started many years ago! So many that I have lost count where I learned about a hot chocolate/coffee alternative called Crio Bru. I was intrigued but intimidated because it used a fancy device I didn't own- a french press. A friend of mine mentioned she'd make it for me so I could try it but, alas, that never happened.  Fast forward to 2021. While visiting a different friend, she mentioned how much she loved brewed cacao and offered to make me some the next morning. She shared with me her process and how to make it and actually had me make it myself so I would know what to do. I was hooked! I literally went home from that trip bought a French Press and some Crio Bru and was off!

Since then, I have tried a few different brands and different cacao bean varieties to find my favorites. Initially I settled in on Choffy Ivory Coast Medium. I really loved the flavor of that particular brew. My brother Paul also introduced me to a brand they found in Hawaii called Manoa Brewing Chocolate.

Last Summer, Ada & I went to a chocolate Tasting at Taste in Provo and that is where I discovered my FAVORITE brewing chocolate up to this point- Taste Arriba Cacao Tea ! 

I have made Brewed Cacao part of my morning ritual. I love the process and sip it while I journal and meditate before moving on with my day. 

Now that you have the actual recipe, my background on How & Why, Here's a step-by-step with pictures:

Using an electric tea kettle, boil your water. 

Pour boiling water into a 12 oz French Press to rinse it out and warm it up. Let it sit for about a minute then pour it out.

Scoop an overflowing Tablespoon of Cacao Tea

Add Cacao Tea to the French Press and just enough water to completely cover the grounds.

Start your timer for 8 minutes.

At the one-minute mark, stir the cacao and water with a wooden spoon to break up the "crust" then add the remainder of the water (approx. 8 oz total-I use a mark on my French press to help me know where to stop. The wooden spoon will keep you from breaking the glass in your French press-safety first!

Add the lid with the plunger at the top.

While you are waiting for the cacao to brew add sugar to your mug. I actually use Inulin but for my friends I us sugar cubes.

Also, empty your dishwasher that you definitely started the night before. I've timed it-It only takes 3 minutes to empty the dishwasher so even though this is a task that unreasonably everyone in my family hates (including me) Just do it! It will keep your kitchen so much cleaner just by doing this one simple step. Life-changing even!

Once your 8 minutes are up, push the plunger down into the French Press.

Pour the Cacao Brew over your sugar into your mug (preferably one that makes you really happy and that you might have purchased from an eccentric artist in Balboa Park on a vacation with your daughter.)

Mix with a frother for 10-20 seconds.

Add cream-don't stir.

Find a cozy spot and enjoy!

Then start laughing uncontrollably because your daughter loves how you've really committed to the bit and took process photos and everything so that your best friend can have her recipe at the top of the blog post and not at the bottom after all the long exposition about where this recipe came from in the first place.

Recipe Inspired by StumpTown Coffee which I stumbled on via Wondercade

Unfortunately none of these links are sponsored. I won't get paid for them. I just like them. That is all.

Summer 2006

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We celebrated Ada's birthday way back in July, but somehow never got around to baking her a cake. So on Sunday, she asked if she could finally make her birthday cake. (y'know before her birthday becomes completely overshadowed by Ryan's birthday on Wednesday.) She made her very own cake FROM SCRATCH! ALL BY HERSELF! And it was delicious! She wanted me to send a shout-out to Grandma Edmunds who gave her the Castle cake mould for her birthday a few years back. She has felt bad for not having used it again and now she has and it turned out amazing!

Chocolate tower topped with whipped cream and sprinkles.

Yum!

Our Talented Baker

Ada's first time curling her own hair!

Logo

From time to time I get commissioned to do a side job. A friend of mine is really athletic and participates in races that support breast cancer research. She asked me to help her with a logo design for her racing team--The Uinta Racks. These are the logos I created for her from the ideas she presented me with. It was so much fun to work on these logos with her. It is even more fun to see them on her racing jersey and shorts! I did the "Run like a girl, ride like a girl, fly like a girl" logo on the back of the jersey and the Uinta Racks logo on the front of the jersey and down the sides of the shorts!

Joker

Kielle went to a Super Hero/Villain Party and decided to dress up as the Joker. I'd say her costume turned out pretty AWESOME. We used an old T-shirt for the vest. She spent less than $10 on this costume. fun.fun.fun.

Tessa's Baptism

This past Saturday, Tessa was baptized. She was baptized in the dress that my mom made for my baptism when I was eight. We updated it with some leggings to make sure it was modest when she went down in the water and it turned out very cute.

It was a slightly crazy morning, but everything worked out like it always does. Tessa asked me to give the talk on the Holy Ghost. I have never had the opportunity to give a talk at any of my children's baptisms and this made the experience completely enjoyable for me. The spirit at her baptism was strong. The bishop talked about all the people who were at the baptism who loved Tessa. He spoke not only of those physically present but ancestors who had gone before as well as future children and descendants. I had the feeling that Aaron's father was there with us and whispered it to Tessa. It was a sweet feeling. We were so grateful to all the family and friends who were able to make it to her baptism and show her support and share in her big day.

Tessa and Bishop Holden

On waking up...

Aaron is in St. George for a conference. Ryan missed saying goodbye to him by about 15 minutes yesterday because he was playing at a friend's house. He was really sad that he didn't get to say goodbye. This morning I let the kids sleep in a little more than usual. Tessa, Kielle and Ada woke up on their own so I had to go wake up Ryan. (Nathan was already off to Jr. High.) When I woke him up, he said "I didn't wake up the way that I wanted to."
"How is that?" I asked
"I usually wake up to the sound of Daddy's voice." He replied.
It is so sweet that he finds comfort in hearing his father's voice first thing in the morning. We called Aaron for family prayers and Ryan got to hear his dad's voice this morning. :)