Trail-Morning Mushroom Hot Cacao (A Recipe That Fits In A Thermos)

Some mornings start before the sun does. Frost on the truck. A long drive to the trailhead. Gloves that never quite dry out. This is the mug we make on those mornings, and the one that rides along in the thermos.

It takes about five minutes. No blender required. And it works with any of our mushroom powders, so use whichever one is already in your cupboard.

What You'll Need (One Big Mug)

• 1 cup (250 ml) milk of any kind: dairy, oat, almond, coconut
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cacao powder, or 15 g of dark chocolate, chopped
• ½ teaspoon REWILD mushroom powder
• 1 to 2 teaspoons maple syrup or honey, to taste
• A small pinch of salt
• Optional: a pinch of cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon coconut oil or butter

How To Make It

1. Make a paste first. In your mug, stir the cacao, mushroom powder and salt with a splash of hot water until smooth. This one step is the difference between silky and clumpy.
2. Heat the milk. Warm it in a small pot until it steams. Don't let it boil.
3. Whisk it together. Pour the hot milk into the paste a little at a time, whisking or stirring as you go.
4. Finish it. Add maple or honey to taste. If you're using coconut oil or butter, stir it in now. The fat helps the powder blend in smooth, so your drink doesn't get muddy.

Heading out? Pour it straight into a preheated thermos. (Fill the thermos with boiling water for a few minutes first, then dump it. Your cacao stays hot for hours longer.)

Which Mushroom Goes Best?

They all work. They just taste a little different in the mug:

• Chaga is earthy and a little vanilla-like. The most natural match for chocolate.
• Reishi is bitter, and dark chocolate loves bitter. Add an extra drizzle of maple and it disappears.
• Lion's Mane is mild and slightly sweet. You'll barely know it's there.
• Cordyceps is bright and a little savoury. Great with a pinch of cinnamon.

Can't decide? Build your stack takes about a minute.

Make-Ahead Jar Mix (10 Mugs)

For cabin weekends, festival camping or anyone who doesn't want to measure at 5am. Stir together in a clean, dry jar:

• 10 tablespoons cacao powder
• 5 teaspoons REWILD mushroom powder
• 3 tablespoons coconut sugar or brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt, and cinnamon if you like it

Use about 2 heaping tablespoons per mug. Make the paste with a splash of hot water, then add hot milk. Keep the jar sealed and dry.

Three Easy Twists

• Campfire: heat everything together in a small pot over the stove or fire, stirring the whole time.
• Spiced: cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg and the tiniest pinch of cayenne.
• Mint: a drop of peppermint extract, or let a fresh mint sprig steep in the milk while it heats.

That's it. Nothing complicated required. Just a warm mug, a cold morning and somewhere you'd rather be.