GF Tips: Hot Vanilla

As I'm currently trying NOT to re-addict myself to caffeine, I've been looking for alternatives to hot cocoa. First thing I found was a recipe for hot vanilla. I modified it very slightly:

Mix 1/4 - 1/2 t cinnamon** with 2-3 t sugar in the bottom of a microwave safe mug. Add 1-2 t GF vanilla extract*. Pour milk over the mixture and heat in the microwave. Stir. Drink.

*Artificial Vanilla flavoring almost always has caramel color in it, which can be made from wheat. Pure vanilla extract generally has alcohol in it, which can also be made from wheat or barley, but the fermentation process has been shown to remove/destroy the gluten. There are some specifically labeled "gluten free", but I've never had a problem with any of the pure vanilla extracts made with unlabeled alcohol.

**Discovered today (27.Feb) that Saigon cinnamon makes an enormous difference. With regular cinnamon, it's good. With Saigon cinnamon, it's awesome.

Modifications: I decreased the amount of cinnamon, as 1 teaspoon seemed like an awful lot for a single cup of milk, and modified the order, so that the liquid ingredients are poured over the dry ones. In my experience, this generally makes things mix together better. And the reason I put ranges on the measurements is because not all mugs are the same size. If you've got a very small mug, the smaller value is probably better. I used the larger amounts in a mug that holds roughly 1.5 cups.

As for timing, that will depend both on the size of the mug and on the power of your microwave. If you've already worked out how long it takes for hot cocoa to heat up without boiling over in your microwave, the time should be the same. For my microwave and mug size, it's 2:35. In my mom's microwave, it's more like 1:30.

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