I kind of feel like a kid in a candy store right now.
I might have forgotten what candy tastes like, to be honest. I haven’t had any in two months. But I used to love those little butterscotch hard candies – you know the ones? Mmmm.
And here’s another thing I love: coffee.
I haven’t had that in over two months, either. But I wasn’t addicted to coffee, you see. I just enjoy coffee. I would brew some decaf at any time of day, just because I enjoy the flavor. I even met my husband in a coffeehouse!
(He doesn’t like coffee – but that’s okay. I’ll still keep him. 😉 )
Oh, not black coffee. Are you crazy? I don’t really like the taste of tar, thankyouverymuch.
But coffee, filled with coconut milk creamer, dash of vanilla, and maple syrup?
MMMM.
I digress. I was going to tell you why I feel almost giddy.
I found a new beverage to fall in love with. This one romanced me many times over (and I’ll get into that in a minute) but most of all, it tastes so good to a mama who is on the GAPS diet and can’t really have coffee. (You can have weakly brewed coffee on GAPS, and. . . like I said. Can’t really have coffee.)
Allow me to introduce my new bev friend: roasted dandelion root tea.
Sounds fabulous, am I right? Haha! NO! It sounds disgusting. But it was suggested to me and it is GAPS-legal so I decided to try it out. But first, I read up on the humble dandelion. Here are my findings:
Contents
Health Benefits of Dandelion
{Reminder: I am just a mom who loves natural healing. I am not a doctor. If you have a serious medical condition, find out more information from your holistic doctor or naturopath.}
So first off, why does everybody hate dandelions? They are so much more than a common weed! Plus, they are the first flower I ever received from my sons. In fact, if I had space for a flower garden, I’d grow some dandelions! How sweet is the dandelion? I’ll tell you:
- Dandelion stimulates bile production and supports the gallbladder
- Promotes digestion
- Has even been shown to regulate blood sugar levels
- Reduces inflammation, pain, redness, and swelling
- Fights off pathogenic bacteria and fungi
- Natural diuretic, which alleviate high blood pressure and helps kidneys clear out waste, dissolves kidney stones
- (By now, you’re impressed, right? I’ll keep going.)
- Helps resolve allergies (!)
- Supports the liver in a major way. Removes toxins and improves electrolyte balance. Helpful for jaundice and hepatitis. (Since this article deals with a coffee substitute, I want to mention that I have always had a problem with caffeinated coffee – just the smallest amount of caffeine makes me jittery. It wasn’t until recently that I learned that is a sign of liver toxicity! So this tea is perfect for me. Here’s an awesome article with more signs you might need a liver detox from Butter Nutrition.)
- Purifies the blood
- Nature’s richest green source of beta-carotene
- Rich in potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, B vitamins, and even protein
- Dandelion is high in the antioxidants and phytonutrients that slow and prevent the spread of cancer and prevent aging in our cells
- Used to treat abscesses and sores, especially on the breast
- Used in breastfeeding teas to promote lactation
- Used to treat bronchitis
- So much more that I haven’t listed
Dandelion is amazing!
So, armed with all that information, I waltzed into the grocery store and came away with a box of roasted dandelion root tea. I was going to enjoy it whether I liked it or not. It was good for me and it was something new to drink, by golly.
Went home, brewed some up, and enjoyed it while watching a movie with my hubby. It really wasn’t bad. (The tea, I mean.) It had a nice “woodsy” flavor. It might have even reminded me a little bit of coffee, with a nice roasted flavor, but I had to come to the sobering realization that nothing is as good as the real deal.
And my gears started turning. I bet I could doctor it up. So I did. And here’s what emerged. It tasted so delicious and creamy that I decided it was worthy of my beloved “latte” mug. Now that’s special.
“Butterscotch” Detox Tea aka Dandelion Tea
by: Danielle
Makes 2 cups
Ingredients
- 1 cup filtered water
- 1 roasted dandelion tea bag
- 1 tablespoon ghee or butter (these animal fats are very healing to your body and especially if you’re on the GAPS diet, should not be limited)
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil (also detoxifying and healing – start off slowly with this unless you’re used to larger amounts)
- 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup (or your favorite granulated sweetener – you would never use fake sugar because you know it’s bad for you, right?) 😀
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla – learn how to make your own vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat the water in a pot on the stove until *almost* boiling.
- Pour the water into a quart sized mason jar with tea and let brew for 5-10 minutes. You may wish to cover it.
- When the tea is finished brewing, add your healthy fats and honey. Then blend inside the jar with an immersion blender until fully emulsified – usually about 20 seconds for me. My blender has adjustable speeds  so I start on low and work my way up to high. You could also use your high-speed blender.
Notes
This recipe is easily doubled if you like drinking more than one cup.
I suggest brewing just the dandelion tea and sweetener the first time, to familiarize yourself with the new flavor.
If you want to reheat it later, simply reheat on the stove. Using the microwave, as convenient as it may seem, denatures the proteins in food, making them unusable in your body. You wouldn’t want to kill your healthy tea, would you? 😀
I have not tried it with any version of stevia, but I bet it would still be great. (FYI – I have better luck using a little stevia along with a little of my favorite sweetener).
You can also use more sweetener – people on the GAPS diet have to keep their sugar intake to a minimum so I didn’t use much.
You could also easily put the dandelion tea bag into the coffee maker and brew it that way.
If you are dairy-free, just use all coconut oil. I have no doubts it will still taste like heaven, though not as butterscotch-y.
My new favorite drink. Dandelion tea. It’s *almost* as good as coffee, especially if you can’t have coffee for some reason. Plus, healthiness. Kind of makes you appreciate those yellow ‘weeds’ in a new way, doesn’t it?
Here’s the recipe in card format:
Print
“Butterscotch” Detox Tea – aka Dandelion Tea
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup 1x
Description
A tasty, liver-friendly beverage, Butterscotch Detox tea can be a coffee substitute or enjoyed as the healthy tea it is.
Ingredients
- 1 cup filtered water
- 1 roasted dandelion tea bag
- 1 tablespoon ghee or butter (these animal fats are very healing to your body and especially if you’re on the GAPS diet, should not be limited)
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil (also detoxifying and healing – start off slowly with this unless you’re used to larger amounts)
- 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup (or your favorite granulated sweetener – you would never use fake sugar because you know it’s bad for you, right?)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla – learn how to make your own vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat the water in a pot on the stove until *almost* boiling.
- Pour the water into a quart-sized mason jar with tea and let brew for 5-10 minutes. You may wish to cover it.
- When the tea is finished brewing, add your healthy fats and honey. Then blend inside the jar with an immersion blender until fully emulsified – usually about 20 seconds for me. My blender has adjustable speeds so I start on low and work my way up to high. You could also use your high-speed blender.
Notes
This recipe is easily doubled if you like drinking more than one cup.
I suggest brewing just the dandelion tea and sweetener the first time, to familiarize yourself with the new flavor.
If you want to reheat it later, simply reheat on the stove. Using the microwave, as convenient as it may seem, denatures the proteins in food, making them unusable in your body. You wouldn’t want to kill your healthy tea, would you?
I have not tried it with any version of stevia, but I bet it would still be great. (FYI – I have better luck using a little stevia along with a little of my favorite sweetener).
You can also use more sweetener – people on the GAPS diet have to keep their sugar intake to a minimum so I didn’t use much.
You could also easily put the dandelion tea bag into the coffee maker and brew it that way.
If you are dairy-free, just use all coconut oil. I have no doubts it will still taste like heaven, though not as butterscotch-y.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Category: Beverage
Keywords: dandelion, butterscotch, detox, tea
Pin: “Butterscotch” Detox Tea
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Peace, Love, and coffee substitutes,
Dandy(lion)
P.S. Since you’re into detox drinks, here is a recipe for an amazing lemon detox drink from The Crunchy Moose. I love having this in the morning before breakfast and can really tell a difference in my energy levels when I keep this up. <3
P.P.S. Also, you might want to follow my Pinterest board, Detox:
Follow Danielle {It’s a love/love thing}’s board Detox on Pinterest.
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Danielle, from the bottom of my heart I truly thank you. I’m drinking my butterscotch drink as I write in sheer amazement of HOW GOOD IT TASTES! I got to the point to where I didn’t ‘need’ a cup of coffee anymore quite awhile ago; I just loved the warm, roasty toasty-ness of it (is roasty even a word?). I harvest and roast my own dandelion root (which makes for a much stronger tasting brew) and have been drinking it with a tad of honey and enjoying it; but REALLY missing the creaminess. (I tried some creme fraiche in it once out of desperation; yeah not so good:) This drink is seriously making my more peed in bedding fingers caught in the door eczema getting worse again when it was just getting better baby snubbing food and vital supplements morning SO much better<3 It really is "Dandy" tea!
Oh Maggie thank you!!! I’m so happy to hear that!! It really makes my morning better too. And you GO GIRL for harvesting and roasting your own dandelion root! I’m not brave enough for that yet! Haha! I hope your morning gets better, I have those days too. <3 <3 <3
I going to try this recipe I just recently bought some dandilon tea and this looks interestingly tasty.
It sort of reminds me of Werther’s candies. I hope you like it. 🙂
I tried and so far I like it because it mimics the flavor of coffee. But next time I think I am either going to use less water or maybe use two tea bags because I will probably go for a stronger flavor. But so far it's good. Two thumbs up.
Thank you Madeline! I’m so glad you like it. 🙂 You might also try letting it brew longer, that usually makes mine stronger.
This is so good! Seriously tastes like butterscotch! So glad I have a way to “doctor up” my dandelion tea now. Way to go!
Annetta, I am so glad you like it!! Woohoo! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!! <3
We have so much roasted dandelion tea that I thought would just sit in the cupboard for years because we don’t particularly care for the taste of it alone.
Thank you so much for this recipe! I am drinking my first ‘Butterscotch’ tea right now and enjoying it immensely! Can’t wait to try this out on my husband next, he’ll love this version of Dandelion tea! Thank for for such a tasty recipe!
Thank you so much, Greta!!! I’m so thrilled that you like it!! Hope your hubby does as well. 🙂
Hi I want to try this tea but having a hard time finding the dandelion tea at my local stores…if I use the regular everyday detox tea with dandelion will that work as well?
Hi Rosy, I am not familiar with that tea blend, but you could definitely try it and see! Hope it works for you!
This is so good!! Just tried it this afternoon.
I love this tea and make it a few times a week! I’m thinking about trying it with blackstrap molasses instead of honey next time just to see how it is.
Yay! Let me know how you like it with the molasses!
Please share your ultra powerful delicious version that you made, inspired by Love/Love Thing and Food babe.. I was searching the difference for Roasted DT (1500 mg) or the regular DT (1750 mg. Other than the roasted tea being more bitter and the regular leave being more mild…
Tried this today but used only the vanilla, honey and ghee (with a little stevia). I loved it! Was looking for a way to flavor the dandelion tea (which I am not especially fond of plain), and this really did the trick!
I’m so happy you loved it as much as I do Kitty!!
When I clicked the dandelion tea link it didn’t take me to any tea… :/. Can you leave me a better link so I can get some? Thanks! Can’t wait to try this!!
Hey Kristin, sorry about that! Here you go – http://amzn.to/1WFPk5e and thanks for letting me know! <3
I have been drinking Dandelion tea for years and have enjoyed all of it’s healing benefits, but this takes it to a whole new level of goodness!! Thank you for sharing your recipe! I will try it tonight.
I’m so glad you liked it, Irene!
I am new to dandelion tea and don’t mind the taste, but was looking to see what was out there. I used Stevia for a sweetener and coffee cream instead of ghee. I really am enjoying it! Thank you!
Awesome Lori! Enjoy! <3
Anybody know the caloric content of a cup?
Wow this is awesome, so yummy! Thanks
I’m glad you liked it, Jenny! Thank you!
Delicious smooth blend of dandelion tea and good fats! Used a couple of drops of stevia but I think it would be good even without the sweetness.
★★★★★
Thank you for your comment! I’m so glad you enjoyed the tea. <3 Danielle
Very long time since you posted this, but I wonder… where did you found this very big cup with the ”Latte” text? I have two cups with grey text (HAD, now the ”ears” of the cups are broken) and I have been looking everywhere to found new ones! Do you know if there is any place to buy such cups nowadays?
I bought that mug years ago at TJ Maxx. Their products change so fast, I doubt it’s still around, but you never know! 🙂
Danielle – great article! I am looking to make this tea with dandelion root from a bulk bag. Do you have any idea how much I should use? Have you ever measured the amount in a tea bag?
Thanks!
So good. My teen son loved it too! Win! Win! Thank you
★★★★★
Delicious.
★★★★★