Cinnamon Spiced Hot Chocolate

• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder ≈ 22 g
  Swaps for unsweetened cocoa powder

  Instead of cocoa powder

  • Natural and Dutch-process cocoa: The same amount. Swap freely when the recipe uses baking powder.
  • Unsweetened chocolate: 1 oz melted unsweetened chocolate for each 3 tbsp cocoa; cut the butter or oil by 1 tbsp. Fudgier and richer.
  • Carob powder: The same amount. Caffeine-free and naturally sweet, but it tastes like carob, not chocolate.

  More for cocoa powder

• ¼ cup granulated sugar ≈ 50 g
  Swaps for granulated sugar

  Instead of sugar

  • Less sugar: Up to ¼ less in cookies, muffins and quick breads. Less browning and spread, a drier, more cake-like texture, and bakes go stale sooner.
  • Brown sugar: The same amount, packed. Moister and chewier, with a caramel flavor and darker color.
  • Coconut sugar: The same amount. Darker and caramel-like, a little less sweet; cookies spread slightly less.

  All 4 swaps for sugar

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon, plus more for serving
  Swaps for ground cinnamon

  Instead of cinnamon

  • Pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice: The same amount. Mostly cinnamon, with ginger, nutmeg and allspice or cloves: a little spicier.
  • Ground allspice or nutmeg: About ¼ the amount. Much stronger and different, but warm in the same way.

  More for cinnamon

• 1 pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
  Swaps for cayenne pepper

  Instead of cayenne pepper

  • Red pepper flakes: The same amount, crushed fine. Slightly milder, with visible flakes.
  • Hot sauce: A few dashes for each pinch. Adds vinegar and a little liquid.
  • Chipotle powder or hot paprika: The same amount. Chipotle is smoky; hot paprika is milder and fruitier.

  More for cayenne pepper

• 1 pinch kosher salt
  Swaps for kosher salt

  Instead of salt

  • Table salt or fine sea salt: About half as much as Diamond Crystal kosher, about ¾ as much as Morton kosher. The same saltiness when measured this way.
  • Salt by weight: 1 tsp is about 6 grams of table salt, 5 grams of Morton kosher, 3 grams of Diamond Crystal kosher. The most reliable way to swap, especially in baking and brines.

  More for salt

• 4 cups whole milk
  Swaps for whole milk

  Instead of milk

  • Unsweetened soy milk: The same amount. The closest plant milk for baking: its protein helps things brown and set.
  • Unsweetened oat milk: The same amount. Creamy and mild with a hint of sweetness.
  • Unsweetened almond milk: The same amount. Thinner and less rich, so cakes are a little paler and drier.

  All 5 swaps for milk

  Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.

• 3 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
  Swaps for bittersweet chocolate

  Instead of chocolate and chocolate chips

  • Semisweet and bittersweet: The same amount, either way. Bittersweet is less sweet and more intense; semisweet is milder and sweeter.
  • Chopped bar chocolate for chips: The same weight (a 12 oz bag of chips is about 2 cups). Melty puddles and streaks instead of neat chips.
  • Chips for bar chocolate when melting: The same weight. Chips melt thicker and less smoothly, so ganache and glazes are a bit stiffer.

  All 4 swaps for chocolate and chocolate chips

• 1 tsp vanilla extract
  Swaps for vanilla extract

  Instead of vanilla extract

  • Vanilla bean paste: The same amount. Stronger, with visible vanilla seeds.
  • Vanilla bean: The seeds of 1 bean for each 1 tbsp extract. A deeper, floral flavor and visible seeds.
  • Alcohol-free vanilla: The same amount. Made with glycerin; a slightly milder taste.

  All 5 swaps for vanilla extract

• whipped cream, for serving (optional)

Weights from USDA FoodData Central cup weights. Counted things (eggs, cloves, cans) stay as counts, and salt stays in spoons: kosher and flaky salts weigh very differently by brand.

Missing something? Tap Swaps next to an ingredient, or see all substitutions.