Warm Cinnamon Milk

Wrap your hands around a mug of warm milk and cinnamon for a cozy bedtime drink that comforts as it chases away the wintertime chill.

There’s nothing quite like a warm drink to soothe and comfort you as it wards off the winter chill.  You’ll often find me with my hands wrapped around a hot cup of tea or a cup of hot cocoa  to keep me toasty and warm from the inside out.  A mug of warm cinnamon milk at night is another favorite of mine this time of year, helping to settle and cajole me to sleep at night.

Warm milk has particularly soothing qualities that wraps you in a warm blanket before sending you off to dreamland.  I sip it slowly, my chilled fingers grasped tightly around a steaming mug of it before climbing into bed on particularly cold nights or when I need a little extra help dozing off.  While the milks I drink nowadays are the non-dairy kind, I still have a deep seated fidelity to the comforts that a steaming cup of hot milk of any kind can bring on a cold winter night.

My nightly cup of late consists of a mixture of coconut and cashew milk along with warming winter spices like cinnamon, star anise, nutmeg, vanilla and a hint of orange zest for brightness. Just as comforting as hot chocolate but better suited for bedtime since it’s entirely caffeine-free. Sometimes the most delightful comforts come out of the simplest of ingredients.

How to Make a Dairy-Free Warm Cinnamon Milk:

1. The base of the drink is a combination of cashew and coconut milk.  While I often have a can of coconut milk in the pantry I don’t always have a bottle of cashew milk in the fridge so I’ve provided directions for making the spiced milk with whole cashews instead if that’s all you have.  Both are as creamy and comforting but using a store bought cashew milk saves a bit on overall time and effort. Just make sure to choose an unsweetened version without added gums.
2. The milks are gently heated along with the spices until steaming then left to warm just below a simmer for about ten minutes on the stovetop to allow for the flavors to develop and infuse the milks.
3. If you like your milk a bit frothy (which I do) you can use a milk frother or simply whiz everything in the blender which you’ll need to do anyways if you’re using whole cashews instead of cashew milk.
4. Serve warm with a cinnamon stick to stir and sip slowly, preferably in a comfy robe and slippers with a good book to keep you company.

Stay warm!

More winter drinks to keep you warm until spring:

• 10 Warming Winter Drinks

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Warm Milk and Cinnamon

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Wrap your hands around a mug of hot milk for a cozy bedtime drink that comforts as it chases away the wintertime chill.

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Ingredients

• 1 cup/240ml light coconut milk
• 1 cup/ 240ml unsweetened cashew milk (or use ¼ cup/28g cashews + 1 cup/240ml filtered water)
• 1 Ceylon cinnamon stick (plus more for serving)
• 2 strips of orange peel
• 1 star anise
• ⅛th teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
• ½ vanilla bean, split (or use ½ teaspoon vanilla extra)
• Liquid sweetener of choice to taste such as maple or date syrup

Instructions

1. Place all the ingredients in a medium sized saucepan and bring just to a simmer. Reduce heat and warm over low heat without boiling for about 10 minutes to infuse.
2. If using cashew milk strain and froth either with a hand frother or blend in a high speed blender until frothy and serve.
3. If using cashews and water instead, fish out cinnamon stick, orange peel, star anise and vanilla bean before pouting mixture into a high speed blender for about 2 minutes, until frothy, smooth and steaming.
4. Pour into mugs, sweeten to taste and garnish with additional nutmeg or cinnamon stick if desired.

Notes

Store leftovers in the fridge and re-heat before serving.

Recommended Products

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• 
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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 151Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 10mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 2gSugar: 11gProtein: 2g

Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.

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Sylvie

Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.