Chocolate Peppermint Hot Chocolate
If winter had an official drink, it would be peppermint hot chocolate. Rich, creamy, and kissed with just the right amount of minty sparkle. This festive mug tastes like the holidays in liquid form. It's the perfect way to warm up, wind down, or make any winter night feel a little more special.
Equipment
- 1 Small Saucepan
- 1 Measuring Cups
- 1 Measuring Spoons
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder Dutch processed preferred
- 1 ½ tsp cornstarch
- 2 cups 2% milk
- 3 oz chocolate
- ¼-½ tsp peppermint extract depending on your tastes
- 3 tsp sugar optional
Garnishes
- Whip cream and/or marshmallows
- Crushed candy canes to sprinkle on top
Instructions
- In a small saucepan mix together the cocoa powder and cornstarch.
- Add a couple tablespoons (roughly) of milk to the saucepan. Use a whisk to mix together the cocoa and cornstarch into the milk to form a thin paste. Keep whisking until no clumps remain.
- Pour in about a 1/4 cup of the milk and whisk to incorporate. Now add in all the milk and whisk to fully mix.
- Heat the saucepan over medium heat while stirring with a wooden spoon. After about a minute add in the chopped up chocolate or chips if using. Keep heating and stirring. You don't want the milk to boil, so stop once bubbles start to form around the edges of the pan. You should see steam beginning to release from the surface, and the hot chocolate should have slightly thickened.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in ¼ tsp of peppermint extract. At this point, you can taste it and determine if you want to add more peppermint extract and/or the sugar. It will depend on how strong your extract is, and how much sugar was in your chocolate to begin with.
- Pour the peppermint hot chocolate into mugs and garnish with whipped cream and a sprinkle of chopped candy canes if you have. See Notes for other garnishing suggestions.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- If allowed to cool on its own without stirring the drink will form a skin on the surface. I don't mind the skin myself, but you can stir it into the drink if it is still warm. Putting a lid on the pot while the peppermint hot chocolate is cooling helps keep the surface moist preventing skin formation.
- You can garnish however you like. I used whipped cream and crushed candy canes, but you could also do whipped cream with chocolate shavings, cocoa powder, or chocolate sauce. You might prefer marshmallows over whipped cream, or maybe even go for both!
- What To Serve With Peppermint Hot Chocolate? This hot chocolate is great on its own, but its even more delicious with cookies to munch on. Check out these great cookie recipes: shortbread cookies, Christmas sugar cookies, chocolate peppermint cookies, gingerbread cookies, raspberry thumbprint cookies, and chocolate chipless cookies.
- You can prepare the ungarnished hot chocolate ahead of time. Keep it covered with plastic wrap or a lid to help prevent the formation of a skin, and store in the fridge until ready to use. You can reheat it over the stove or in the microwave
- Once the hot chocolate is prepared, it's best to drink it hot, but if you have leftovers, keep it covered in the fridge. It should last about as long as the milk is dated for.