Quick & Easy Warm Vanilla Milk

A Warm and Relaxing Beverage for Cold Nights

A favorite Christmas Eve drink, warm vanilla milk is a delightful  beverage, perfect for any cool weather evening. In fact, this makes the perfect bedtime beverage to help excited children get to sleep on Christmas Eve.

If you have trouble sleeping, this recipe will likely help you too. Warm milk is a long standing cross cultural favorite for inducing sleep naturally. Add nutmeg and honey and it’s all the more relaxing.

While the science is not yet clear, we can speak from personal experience. Warm milk has served as a natural sleep remedy for many sleepless nights over the years.

WARM VANILLA MILK RECIPE

Yield: 2

Warm Vanilla Milk Recipe

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes 2 seconds

Total Time: 12 minutes 2 seconds

A most soothing beverage for cold a winter's eve... or, if you just need to relax for better sleep!

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Ingredients

• 2 cups raw milk OR 1 cup raw cream* plus 1 cup water OR 1 cup full-fat coconut milk plus 1 cup water**
• 3/4 tsp organic vanilla extract
• 2 Tb raw honey (or manuka or regular)
• dash celtic sea salt (or regular salt)
• pinch ground cinnamon (optional) (Sub with nutmeg to help induce sleep)

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan.
2. OR, SHORTCUT - HEAT IN MICROWAVE for ~1.5 minutes.
3. Heat gently over medium-low heat until desired temperature.
4. Whisk in cinnamon and honey.
5. Serve immediately.

Notes

If you want to keep your milk "raw", make sure you don't heat it past 110 degrees F. A cooking thermometer is crucial for keeping the milk from getting too hot, as I can set the thermometer to alert me when 110 degrees is reached. This also ensures that the milk is the perfect temperature for kids to drink without having to blow on it or burn their tongues. If you are using coconut milk or aren't concerned about keeping the milk raw, then go ahead and heat until nice and toasty hot.

*Raw cream may be easier to digest for people with lactose problems as it has hardly any lactose at all.

**You may want to add a touch more vanilla if you use coconut milk instead of dairy.

Nutrition Information

Yield

2

Serving Size

8 ounces
Amount Per Serving Calories 821Total Fat 72gSaturated Fat 52gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 16gCholesterol 154mgSodium 262mgCarbohydrates 36gFiber 0gSugar 21gProtein 14g

Nutrition information is approximate.

This warm vanilla milk “toddy” (sans alcohol, although a dash of brandy is an options!), can serve as an after dinner dessert beverage.

But if you want something more, this quick and easy cheese danish recipe, is a favorite..

Quick Tips

• Heating the milk on stovetop: Heat to just to boiling makes the milk frother. But you have to watch it because it can overflow the pot in an instant if your turn your back on it!
• Heating Milk in a Frother: We use a milk frother for our coffee, so that’s also an option for a quick single serve at a time:
  • Heat milk in microwave for ~1:20
  • Pour milk to the maximum level of your milk frother, (not above or it will likely overflow)
  • Add spices and honey
  • Turn on heat and froth function to froth until done
  • Repeat for next cup if making more than one.
• FASTEST METHOD: Heat milk in microwave for approximately 1:40 minutes, (depending on your microwave),
  • add spice and honey and serve
• Natural Sleep Remedy: Replace cinnamon with a pinch of nutmeg up to 1/4 tsp or more, if you enjoy a strong nutmeg flavor, but less for children, as nutmeg has narcotic properties, though is rarely served in high enough doses to be perceptible. In other words, you’d probably have to consume an amount that would make you sick first, however children are smaller and more sensitive, so bet to use just a dash or pinch.

Use your imagination by adding variations to this theme, such as rum, brandy, or almond/amaretto flavoring. You can also fancy it up with a dash of whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon or chocolate powder at top.