Who doesn’t love a dollop of cool whip on pumpkin pie?  It’s also a favorite added onto hot chocolate, lattes and other great holiday drinks.  Unfortunately, the brands sold in the store are packed with harmful chemicals and sweeteners not beneficial to the human diet.

That’s why I wanted to share with you a really quick, easy and healthful recipe for homemade whipped topping, otherwise known to a lot of people as cool whip.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of cold milk
• 1 tsp of vanilla
• 3 T of sucanat (or another natural sweetener)
• 1 tsp of Xanthan Gum or Guar Gum

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, pour in the milk and vanilla.  Turn on the mixer to a low to medium speed and slowly add in the dry ingredients.  You want to make sure that they don’t clump, so don’t just drop it all in there at once.  Once everything has mixed well for a minute or two, turn up the mixer to a medium to high speed.  Do this for about 6-8 minutes or until you have a nice whipped and thick consistency.  Serve with pumpkin pie and enjoy!

If you find that your cool whip isn’t sweet enough, don’t be afraid to add in a little more sweetener.

Optional add ons for nice holiday flavors:

• 1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp of cacao powder
• 1/2 tsp of cinnamon

Or you can do smaller amounts of all three into your batch.  Want a little kick?  Try  a few pinches of chili powder with your cacao and add a dollop of  the whipped topping onto your homemade hot chocolate.

For those that are wondering, I tried this recipe using some alternatives like arrowroot powder and potato starch, and it never turned out.  Best bet is to find some cheap Xanthan Gum.  This can be found at health food stores or online.

This recipe is part of the Have a Healthy Holiday Event.  Be sure to check out the recipes on the other seven blogs and RSVP for Wednesday’s Twitter Party.