This creamy, flavorful and soothing spice blend will have you relaxed and cooing in no time!
3 cups Brazil Nut Milk, altered (see instructions below)
1 and 1/2 level teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 level teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1/16 level teaspoon ground clove
1 large vanilla bean, scraped
The Brazil Nut Milk recipe can be found via this link. Alter the original Brazil Nut Milk recipe by adding 8 more medium dates (for a total of 10 medium dates) and another 1/4 teaspoon of Himalayan crystal salt (for a total of a 1/2 teaspoon of Himalayan crystal salt). The listed amount for the Brazil nuts and the pure water remains the same. Follow the Brazil Nut Milk recipe instructions as written. The milk used in Nite-Nite will need to be as silky as possible, so be sure to use a nut milk bag to strain the date and Brazil nut pulp from the Brazil Nut Milk.
Using a high-speed blender, process the altered Brazil Nut Milk along with the rest of the ingredients until all of the spices have been well blended and the mixture becomes frothy. That could take several minutes, depending upon your machine—more power, faster process. When the color of the mixture changes from white to caramel, the ingredients will most likely have been properly combined.
After the mixture has been completely blended and turned caramel, the next step is to gently warm it up. If you have a Vita-Mix or other type of powerful blender, you can simply let the mixture continue blending until it becomes warm. Otherwise you can transfer the mixture to a pot and gently warm it up on a stove. Divide the warmed mixture between two large mugs and serve immediately.
Nite-Nite can most certainly be enjoyed on its own, although we absolutely love to pair it with flavor-rich dark chocolate truffles (as shown in the picture above). We tend to drink Nite-Nite in the later part of the evening as it’s very relaxing (hence its name), but it can be served at any time of the day. Enjoy!
A few tips…
The listed ingredients amount to two comfortable servings. Double or triple the recipe as needed.
Definitely do adhere to the “level” ingredient measurements listed above. We’ve been making this spiced concoction often for well over a year and know through first-hand experience that too much cardamom or too much clove can ruin the batch. Really.
Nite-Nite is best enjoyed freshly made. Any leftovers will not store well as the spices will become over concentrated and the mixture will taste “off” and very bitter. Yep, we’ve tried it! [smiley wink]
Nite-Nite is meant to be served warm enough to enjoy immediately, but not so hot that it has to cool before it can pass your lips.
During the blending process, a substantial amount of foam may be created on top of the mixture. That’s actually a good thing since Nite-Nite is pretty much a raw chai latte. Plus the foam is yummy! However if you prefer less foam, you can let your blender run on the lowest setting for a few minutes to remove some of the air bubbles. Gently warming up the mixture in a pot on the stove will automatically reduce much of the foam.
Because the Brazil Nut Milk pulp leftover from making this recipe will be much sweeter than usual due to the higher amount of dates, I recommend that it be used to make cookies, cakes, sweet crackers or other items with a sweet slant. For more information on how to use and store leftover Brazil Nut Milk pulp, see this link.
