This past weekend I spent some time alone because my boyfriend was traveling for work. When he’s out of town, which is rare, I like to treat myself to something special. (After all, he was on a trip in wine country!) As I enjoyed a little downtime, I spent some time reminiscing, and remembered how much my dad loved chocolate malts when I was growing up. We even had a container of malt powder in the cupboard at home, and sometimes just sprinkled it over ice cream instead of making a malt.

All the reminiscing got me thirsty for a malt! But since I’ve eliminated dairy from my diet because it’s a trigger for upset stomach and skin issues, I had to think about what would taste best. I found that coconut milk provided AMAZING richness and maca powder provided guilt-free malt flavor.

I added cacao to enhance the chocolate flavor (but it also enhanced the nutritional value of my malt). Cacao is rich in magnesium, dietary fiber, and antioxidants. Maca Powder (the organic gelatinized variety) nourishes the endocrine system. Maca root has been used as a stress-fighting adaptogen to increase stamina, boost libido and combat fatigue*. Maca is nutrient dense and packed with vitamins, plant sterols as well as many essential minerals, fatty and amino acids.

My chocolate malt recipe turned out delicious (I bet my dad would LOVE IT!). I took it to work and shared it with some colleagues (one of which was choking down some pre-packaged concoction). They also really enjoyed the recipe (they used almond milk instead of coconut milk). I’m always looking for creative ways to enjoy dairy free foods and not sacrifice on flavor or fun! This one totally did the job!

*From the package information.