Super Thick DIY Chocolate Almond Milk

Soak your almonds in warm water overnight at room temperature. Cover with enough water to ensure they're fully immersed plus 1 inch of water. No need to cover. If you're in a hurry, use boiling water - should reduce soaking time to 1 hour.

The next day, drain and rinse your almonds under cool running water.

Add almonds to a blender with filtered water (the more water, the thinner it will be) and cover tightly with lid and a towel just in case any liquid seeps through.

Blend on high for 1 minute or until the milk looks creamy and only small bits of almonds are visible.

To strain the almond milk you can either use a nut milk bag, cheesecloth or my favorite: a super thin clean dish towel. Simply lay the towel over a mixing bowl and pour on almond milk, then gather the corners of the towel, lift and gently squeeze the liquid into the bowl until only the pulp remains. See this recipe for more visual help.

Once the milk is thoroughly strained, you can either keep the pulp to add to baked goods (such as muffins, quick breads, granolas) or discard it. Your choice.

To a separate small bowl, add your chocolate and melt in 30 second increments in the microwave, or over a double boiler (a large bowl over a saucepan with an inch of simmering water).

Once melted, spoon 1/3 cup of almond milk into the bowl and whisk to combine (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size). You're wanting a chocolate "sauce" so it will more easily mix with the milk.

Once combined, add to the almond milk and whisk until well combined. Taste and adjust flavor. You could add more melted chocolate using the same method, or even another sweetener of choice or cocoa powder for a more well-rounded chocolate flavor.

Transfer to a container with a lid and store in the fridge for several days. Shake before serving. You could also freeze this for longer-term storage.