So, as I am thinking about being pregnant again, I wanted to make some truly non-caffeinated drinks. One I love from Starbucks is their peppermint white mocha/hot chocolate. Granted, it does tend to be overly sweet for me, and I always feel bad about making a million adjustments (no whip for me, nonfat, less syrups..). So, I thought I’d try making it at home.
Well, I can tell you, I HATE peppermint syrups. None of the ones I’ve bought or tried matches up to Starbucks. My coworker described it perfectly when she said they taste like medicine. (Note: if you like peppermint syrup – I mean no disrespect! Everybody has different tastes, and one person’s taste isn’t necessarily better than another’s – though I’m sure high end chefs would disgaree with that statement.) So, I went back to trying something I hadn’t done since college. Using actual peppermint candy. And it was delicious!
I’m lazy, so I do things in the microwave instead of a stovetop. Here’s my recipe!
- 4 tablespoons white chocolate chips (regular baking ones are perfect)
- 2 hard peppermint candy pieces (like these from Target) – ends up being a little under 1 tablespoon ground up
- 16 oz of milk
- Note: for mocha, I adjust milk down by 2 ounces for every shot if you’re using actual espresso.
I put the white chocolate chips and milk in a mug, then heat it up in the microwave for 3 minutes. This is the lazy way – if you’re not lazy like me, chop up the chocolate chips slightly to make them easier to melt, and heat up milk in a pot over the stove til hot, then add the chopped chips. In the meantime, crush the candies – I have a pester and mortal, but you can use a hammer and sandwich bag. NOTE: Do NOT hammer directly on your countertop or tile flooring – you’ll ruin them! I do it until it’s basically powder (see picture).
I add the peppermint to the cup, then stir. Since I didn’t chop up the chocolate chips, I really have to press against the cup to catch all the pieces and scrape them off the sides to incoporate them. Then I microwave for another 30 seconds to 1 minute and stir again. You’re done!
You can’t see it too much, but it actually gets a little pink – which makes it a fun drink for special occasions where you want a pink drink (maybe Valentine’s day??). Also note, you can substitute regular chocolate chips for the white chocolate chips if you prefer regular hot chocolate. The best part is you can adjust sweetness by adding less (or more) white chocolate chips. For me, 2 tablespoons for every cup (8 oz) was plenty! I actually tried it with 3 tablespoons at first, and it was wayyy too sweet for me. But if you like the white mochas at Starbucks full blast, or Coffee Bean’s drinks with full powder, definitely try 3 tablespoons (so 6 for a 16 oz drink) first. Also, I used generic brands of white chocolate chips and peppermint candies to test, because I wasn’t about to buy high end supplies for test runs. It was still delicious! I may also try buying better ones to see if they turn out even better. Also, curious to try peppermint extract – wonder if it’ll give me the peppermint flavor I want without all the sugar.
Miuzing 