Bone Broth Hot Chocolate Is The Best TikTok Recipe Of The Year
’Tis the season for cozying up by the fire (or at least playing a video of one on your TV) with a warm drink in hand. We love ringing in the winter with a hot toddy, spiced cider, and, of course, a steaming mug of hot chocolate.
Everybody has hot takes about how they like to serve their hot chocolate. Milk or dark chocolate? Marshmallows, whipped cream, or both? Water or milk? We thought we’d seen hot chocolate made in every possible way, until a new trend started floating around TikTok.
Some TikTok creators steer clear of water or milk in their hot chocolate. Instead, they opt for a more unorthodox base: bone broth. Proponents of the recipe argue that it’s a more nutritious alternative, packing lots of protein into each serving. And in response to the elephant in the room: no, you apparently don’t taste it.
Responses from TikTok commenters range from skepticism to downright horror. I, for one, am somewhere in the middle. As much as I acknowledge the importance of protein in our diets, I fear that HealthTok’s fixation on it often veers into obsession. Has the pursuit of protein gone too far here? Are people deluding themselves into thinking bone broth tastes good because of the macros? I decided to make a batch for myself to find out.
In the grand scheme of TikTok recipes, this one is straightforward: follow the package instructions for your hot chocolate, save for swapping the water or milk with the bone broth of your choice. I’m admittedly a bone broth novice, but I chose chicken for its relatively mild flavor.
Making a batch of bone broth hot chocolate couldn’t have been easier. What was less easy was convincing my coworkers to taste it.
For the most part, it looks, smells, and tastes like hot chocolate. But there are a few elements of it that distinguish it from the classic preparation. First we need to dispel the myths. You can taste the bone broth—not enough to completely mask the chocolate, but enough to identify it with each sip.
For Senior Food Director Rob Seixas, the presence of the bone broth didn't work for him. flagged that there’s a “meatiness” and slight greasy flavor to the drink that threw him off. “It’s weird,” he noted simply.
But would you believe me if I told you that Seixas was the only person that disliked it? I’m not joking. Every other taster was pleasantly surprised, with some even asking for more. Editorial Director Jo Saltz and Test Kitchen Assistant Anya Ptacek both enjoyed the salty, savory quality of the bone broth. It sounds strange, but there's a reason why we add salt to our desserts. It highlights and intensifies the flavor of the rest of the ingredients. So, why wouldn't it work in hot chocolate, right?
Bone broth hot chocolate tasted a lot better than we all expected, but it doesn't beat the decadence of using milk. And the nutritional payoff isn't that significant either; one cup of bone broth on average contains just 2 more grams of protein than a cup of milk. If you're dairy-free and want to get more protein in your diet, this ingredient swap is definitely useful. Otherwise, stick to the standard recipe.
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