MY chocolate milk didn't work :(

[kristinseto]

Okay,
I tried to make chocolate almomd milk with cacao and the cacao powder did not/ would not dissolve. Normal?
Does carob dissolve better?
TIA

[blaqberry]

aww :(

Did you try to make it in a blender or straight in a drinking container?

For me in general, when I add a powdered ingredient to a liquid I'll use a whisk to ensure everything gets blended completely. And I've noticed that if the liquid temp is on the cold side, it can take a bit more effort for things to meld together. When I use a blender, everything incorporates nicely.

Not sure exactly what happened on your end, so dunno what input to really give. :confused:

[kristinseto]

aww :(

Did you try to make it in a blender or straight in a drinking container?

For me in general, when I add a powdered ingredient to a liquid I'll use a whisk to ensure everything gets blended completely. And I've noticed that if the liquid temp is on the cold side, it can take a bit more effort for things to meld together. When I use a blender, everything incorporates nicely.

Not sure exactly what happened on your end, so dunno what input to really give. :confused:

I used a blender. I had almond milk, then agave, then cacao. I let it go for a while. No, it's not a VitaMix...
It would not dissolve. I strained it through a nut milk bag and it's okay, but not very rich. Does carob dissolve easily?

[blaqberry]

I used a blender. I had almond milk, then agave, then cacao. I let it go for a while. No, it's not a VitaMix...
It would not dissolve. I strained it through a nut milk bag and it's okay, but not very rich. Does carob dissolve easily?

hmm... the plot thickens!

From my experience I'd have to say that cacao powder and carob powder dissolve the same...completely. (using a standard blender as well as a Vita-Mix) :confused: ...I guess it may come down to what brand of cacao powder you're using, not all are created the same. Some can be more "gritty" than others.

Maybe someone else will chime in here.

[coco]

did you ever make regular hot cocoa in your former life? the cocoa powder just won't dissolve in cold liquid, it's gotta be hot. maybe try using a little warmed up water to mix it in first and then add it to the rest of the stuff.

[blaqberry]

hmm... the plot thickens!

From my experience I'd have to say that cacao powder and carob powder dissolve the same...completely. (using a standard blender as well as a Vita-Mix) :confused: ...I guess it may come down to what brand of cacao powder you're using, not all are created the same. Some can be more "gritty" than others.

Maybe someone else will chime in here.

I wanted to add: cacao powders made by just grinding the beans will result in a more "gritty" texture vs cacao powders made by removing the bean's oil via cold pressing = not all cacao powders are created the same.

Hope that better explains what I meant by "gritty"...

[kristinseto]

oh yea, that is true about regular cocoa.
I kinda thought the the blender would warm it a bit though, but no luck :(

I just tried carob and umm, I do NOT care for it. Oh well.

The cacao I got was from Whole Foods. It was the only one they had.

Can anyone point me in a good direction online for some creme de la creme cacao?

TIA

[coco]

carob is alright i guess, maybe mixed with other things. dates or coco butter or nut butter, like truffles.

[RawKnitster]

I'm currently using a product from Whole Foods, "Natural Foods Center, Raw Organic Cacao Powder". I haven't noticed anything different about it. I put it in a regular blender with almond milk, agave, and a frozen banana. Really didn't notice if it dissolved or not, perhaps adding the banana disguises the texture of the cacao powder.

[SheLovesToEat]

put your powdered cacao into some coconut oil and then add to your smoothie. it should be very smooth....and coconut oil is good for you.

[kristinseto]

put your powdered cacao into some coconut oil and then add to your smoothie. it should be very smooth....and coconut oil is good for you.

I will try that one. Thank you.
I did try making a chocolate sauce with cacao powder and agave, then adding it and that didn't work either. When I tasted the sauce it was gritty Grrrrrrrrrr:mad:

[raweater]

I have a hard time imagining cacao powder not "dissolving" (I don't think it actually dissolves like sugar or salt, it mostly just blends into the liquid, it's not a dissolvable powder in the sense that it will not melt into a liquid form like sugar and salt do, the cacao particles just get dispersed into the water as they cannot melt into it).

I have a few questions:
-Are you using cacao powder or nibs? Nibs will not blend smoothly like powder (unless maybe with a Vitamix, it doesn't in my blender)
-What method are you using to blend the cacao powder into the liquid? A spoon or other manual tool will likely not do the job, try using a blender

Here's how I make my chocolate milk, I'm all for efficiency (no wasted time such as straining or any multiple steps), cost (will use cheaper but still good quality ingredients like walnuts rather than almonds) and protein content (walnuts have more than almonds I believe):
Chocolate milkshake:
1 cup water
1+ cup ice (to end up with 2 cups of "iced water", I simply put 1 cup of water in the blender and add ice cubes until it reaches the 2 cup line)
3/4 cup walnuts
1/4-1/2 cup (to taste) cacao powder
1/4 cup (or to taste) agave and/or honey
1 T coconut oil
Pinch sea/himalayan salt

Put all ingredients in blender. Serve (no straining required).

[raweater]

Oh, after re reading I saw you strained the pre made chocolate milk, this would hold back the cacao since as I said cacao is not dissolvable like sugar. If you want to use the straining/almond milk method, I suggest you strain it before adding cacao, then add the strained milk back to the blender and blend in the cacao, but my recipe is much quicker and cheaper and just as delicious if not more, so give it a try.

[SheLovesToEat]

I will try that one. Thank you.
I did try making a chocolate sauce with cacao powder and agave, then adding it and that didn't work either. When I tasted the sauce it was gritty Grrrrrrrrrr:mad:

actually thats one of my favourite ways to make a chocolate sauce for fruit 'ice creams' .... i love the flavour of cacao with coconut oil. just mix them together and pour over anything you like. REALLY good over bannana 'ice cream' with chopped walnuts on top. YUMMMM

[kristinseto]

[QUOTE=raweater;462225]I have a hard time imagining cacao powder not "dissolving" (I don't think it actually dissolves like sugar or salt, it mostly just blends into the liquid, it's not a dissolvable powder in the sense that it will not melt into a liquid form like sugar and salt do, the cacao particles just get dispersed into the water as they cannot melt into it).

I have a few questions:
-Are you using cacao powder or nibs? Nibs will not blend smoothly like powder (unless maybe with a Vitamix, it doesn't in my blender)
-What method are you using to blend the cacao powder into the liquid? A spoon or other manual tool will likely not do the job, try using a blender



Hi there. Thanks for the response.
I used cacao powder and a blender (not Vitamix).
First I made the almond milk, strained, then added cacao and it was gritty. I blended for a long time and it was still gritty. I can not drink it like that :(
Then I strained again, and like you said the cacao stayed back because it was still in solid form.
Someone else did suggest to maybe warm the liquid a bit before adding the cacao, but I want to be sure to stay raw, so I don't know what to do.
I need to find a substite for SAD chocolate.

[raweater]

How do you know it's the cacao that's gritty and not the almonds? I've never, ever seen cacao be gritty either in it's powder form or when blended. What does your cacao powder look like? Is it a fine powder like white flour?

Also, did you try the chocolate milkshake recipe I posted? It should solve your problem and is much faster to make.

[kristinseto]

How do you know it's the cacao that's gritty and not the almonds? I've never, ever seen cacao be gritty either in it's powder form or when blended. What does your cacao powder look like? Is it a fine powder like white flour?

Also, did you try the chocolate milkshake recipe I posted? It should solve your problem and is much faster to make.

I know it's not the almond bc I strained after making the almond milk, remember? And then I taste tested and it was smooth as silk :)
Then I added cacao. If you read the other responses, I am not the only one who has noticed cacao can be gritty...

Didn't try the milkshake yet because I am really going for chocolate milk here, not a shake at this point. Maybe in the future. TY!

[Eva]

Alissa Cohen has "creme de la creme" cacao powder. The nibs just do not work as well for things like chocolate milk. If you wanted to give the carob a try again, as I think coco said, it makes a big difference having it with something like soaked dates. I find that vanilla, cinnamon, soaked dates, carob are a stellar combo.

I'm more sensitive than most to cacao, so I've done a lot of experimenting with carob. It has definitely grown on me.

[raweater]

I know it's not the almond bc I strained after making the almond milk, remember? And then I taste tested and it was smooth as silk :)
Then I added cacao. If you read the other responses, I am not the only one who has noticed cacao can be gritty...

Didn't try the milkshake yet because I am really going for chocolate milk here, not a shake at this point. Maybe in the future. TY!

I call it a milkshake but it really is like chocolate milk, it's not thick at all, sorry for the confusion, it's nearly as liquid as water.

[Rawkinlocs]

Hi there,

I've been following this thread and trying to figure out what could be the issue here. Now, I do have a Vitamix but didn't always. When I used a standard blender for even making green smoothies, I'd have to blend that stuff until it was warm (not hot, though) and then add ice to make it cold again.

Now, you can blend things until warm and it still not be compromised...as long as it doesn't get TOO hot. But I guess my point is, it may just be your blender. What kind is it? Is it a REAL cheap one or...?

Here is one more suggestion, though that hopefully might work.

Make yourself a chocolate syrup. Here is a recipe that was posted by member "Goodbeets" a while back:
======
I make mine without measuring and to taste I like but here goes...
1/2 cup agave
1-2 tsp. vanilla (optional)
Tblspoonfuls of cacao powder, I do one at a time until it is pretty darned thick
water by the Tbl. until the consistency is right.
======
NOTE: Feel free to cut this recipe in half to try it out so you don't end up wasting a bunch if it doesn't work out.

Now, I believe this is made by hand, just mixing in a bowl. You could try it in the blender but you know how blenders are...if there is not enough in the bottom of the container it just kinda spins around without really blending well.

So, once you have your syrup, add it to your already strained nut milk in the blender and blend it up. Hopefully this will not be gritty.

One other thing you may want to consider...raw cacao powder is akin to the cocoa powder used for baking...it's not sweet, it's probably not something you can just scoop into a glass of cold milk and stir like Nestle Quick which is probably processed even more plus it has other stuff in it. But because it is not so highly processed as cooked cocoa powders, that is probably why you're getting grit. Also, you may have to just retrain your tastebuds to not be so offended by a little grittiness (IF it's just a little bit and not like you're drinking sawdust milk or something) because if you're trying to make this taste exactly like pasteurized chocolate milk (which is cooked...they may even heat it to make it as smooth as it is) then you may be setting yourself up for disappointment just from that expectation.

Remember, with raw foods, while some things may be dead-on to their cooked counterparts...much of it is not.

[kristinseto]

I call it a milkshake but it really is like chocolate milk, it's not thick at all, sorry for the confusion, it's nearly as liquid as water.

Oh okay. I am surprised walnuts can get that thin. I will have to try it.
Thank you!

[kristinseto]

Alissa Cohen has "creme de la creme" cacao powder. The nibs just do not work as well for things like chocolate milk. If you wanted to give the carob a try again, as I think coco said, it makes a big difference having it with something like soaked dates. I find that vanilla, cinnamon, soaked dates, carob are a stellar combo.

I'm more sensitive than most to cacao, so I've done a lot of experimenting with carob. It has definitely grown on me.

I have never tried the nibs before. I got cacao powder from Whole Foods.
I will have to try Alissa's next time.
Thanks for the recipe. I will try it out also! :)

[kristinseto]

Hi there,

I've been following this thread and trying to figure out what could be the issue here. Now, I do have a Vitamix but didn't always. When I used a standard blender for even making green smoothies, I'd have to blend that stuff until it was warm (not hot, though) and then add ice to make it cold again.

Now, you can blend things until warm and it still not be compromised...as long as it doesn't get TOO hot. But I guess my point is, it may just be your blender. What kind is it? Is it a REAL cheap one or...?

IT's not that cheap, but it's no VitaMix ;)

Here is one more suggestion, though that hopefully might work.

Make yourself a chocolate syrup. Here is a recipe that was posted by member "Goodbeets" a while back:
======
I make mine without measuring and to taste I like but here goes...
1/2 cup agave
1-2 tsp. vanilla (optional)
Tblspoonfuls of cacao powder, I do one at a time until it is pretty darned thick
water by the Tbl. until the consistency is right.

Thanks, I will try this, although I did try doing a syrup with agave and cacao powder and it too, was gritty :(
What the heck am I doing wrong...?
I mixed it in a bowl and it was all syrupy and yummy looking, then I tasted it and there were tiny (couldn't even see them) pieces of cacao)
======
NOTE: Feel free to cut this recipe in half to try it out so you don't end up wasting a bunch if it doesn't work out.

Now, I believe this is made by hand, just mixing in a bowl. You could try it in the blender but you know how blenders are...if there is not enough in the bottom of the container it just kinda spins around without really blending well.

So, once you have your syrup, add it to your already strained nut milk in the blender and blend it up. Hopefully this will not be gritty.

One other thing you may want to consider...raw cacao powder is akin to the cocoa powder used for baking...it's not sweet, it's probably not something you can just scoop into a glass of cold milk and stir like Nestle Quick which is probably processed even more plus it has other stuff in it. But because it is not so highly processed as cooked cocoa powders, that is probably why you're getting grit. Also, you may have to just retrain your tastebuds to not be so offended by a little grittiness (IF it's just a little bit and not like you're drinking sawdust milk or something) because if you're trying to make this taste exactly like pasteurized chocolate milk (which is cooked...they may even heat it to make it as smooth as it is) then you may be setting yourself up for disappointment just from that expectation.

This may be the main thing. Maybe if I give it some time my tastes will adjust.
I am desperate to find a chocolate desert recipe that can save me when I NEED chocolate. It's not that often, but when I need it, I NEED it. I have seen many recipes that contain nuts, but I don't enjoy nuts that much as a dessert type thing.

Remember, with raw foods, while some things may be dead-on to their cooked counterparts...much of it is not.
Thank you so much for the response. It is nice to know ppl are hear "listening".