the sweeteners.

What makes this treat sweet without refined sugar? Medjool dates and vanilla extract. I find my Medjool dates in Costco, but most grocery stores carry them. Medjool dates are a little bigger and more caramel-y than regular dates. The vanilla extract I use is a little more pricey since it is non-alcoholic and organic. The brand is Simply Organic and can be found in Whole Foods or Amazon, and a lot of other grocery stores have it now, too.

the creaminess.

The creaminess comes from coconut cream. You can buy coconut cream, or if you buy full fat coconut milk, you can use the solid coconut cream from that. If you use the solid coconut cream, however, you will need to blend it with the other ingredients really well, and then make sure to heat up the cocoa well so that you don't get any solid coconut cream in your drink.

the other ingredients.

The secret ingredient in this hot cocoa is . . . (drumroll) . . . cinnamon! Just a little bit of cinnamon goes a long way. This is an optional ingredient, but I think it only adds to the recipe. And the salt just brings out the sweetness from the dates and vanilla.

When it comes to cocoa powder, I use 100% cocoa powder; if using cacao powder, you might want to use a little less than 2 tablespoons since it is a little more bitter than cocoa.