Hot Chocolate & Peppermint Mocha Lattes

Yesterday I made up a batch of homemade hot chocolate.  It has been far too long since I have made this from scratch.  Considering how easy it is, I really should do it more often.  This recipe is not for making hot chocolate mix, but rather for making it ready to drink.

Hot Chocolate

1 tbsp cocoa (baking, non sweetened)
2 tbsp powdered sugar
2 tbsp water

Combine above in pot over medium heat and whisk until smooth.

Add 1 cup milk (I use 1%) and 1 tsp vanilla extract and heat until desired temp.  Do not leave finished product on the burner as it will scald the bottom of the pan and make a nasty mess.



So after drinking this yummy-ness yesterday I started thinking about peppermint mocha lattes.  Oh how I love a good peppermint mocha latte.  In my opinion Starbucks is way better than the McD's one;  but it is twice the price.  Not to mention the weather had turned to snow and freezing rain and the brakes in the car need work.... so I decided to figure out how to make them at home.  All of the recipes I came across called for peppermint syrup (which I don't have) and espresso which I don't have (since college confiscated my fancy coffee maker my junior year), so I improvised.


Peppermint Mocha Latte

Make above Hot Chocolate recipe and add to it 1/4 tsp peppermint extract.  This stuff is strong and a little goes a long way.  You can always add more if you like, but use sparingly.  Then make some really strong coffee.  Husband and I think this is a great way to use up the "bold" k-cups we get in the variety pack that we don't normally like.

The nice thing about making this at home is you can make it your own.  For me a half coffee and half coco mixture worked well.  Husband preferred his 1/3 coffee to 2/3 coco mixture, with 2 tsp sugar added.

 
Oh... and I am a big fan of whip cream.  Yum!!

Enjoy!!