It’s like rain in Seattle [except in the summer, I maintain that there is no better summer than in the PNW] or gators in the bayou: it’s appropriate, it’s fitting, it’s… well, it is the way. A peppermint mocha at Christmas? Absolutely.
Grab a mug and a peppermint stick, because this is all kinds of festive.
LET’S GET COOKIN’
INGREDIENTS
- good chocolate
- heavy cream
- peppermint extract
- espresso shot or AeroPress equivalent
- milk or milk substitute
- a microwave or espresso machine
INSTRUCTIONS
This will be the easiest thing you’ve done all day. Well, I mean… it might be in the top ten.
Commence your peppermint mocha journey by measuring out your chocolate and heavy cream.
You don’t have to use heavy cream, I just wanted a complete ganache-making experience. Milk or milk substitutes work just fine. Microwave those for 10-20 seconds.
The goal is to softened the chocolate with the heat of the heavy cream. Stir those with a fancy spoon and… you’ve just made ganache. Look at you, go.
Meticulously measure out your peppermint extract, then dump it into your ultra fancy ganache.
Pull espresso shot over the [now peppermint] ganache, then give it a quick stir. And now we’re just frothed milk away from peppermint mocha perfection.
Froth milk [if using an espresso machine], or microwave milk then blend it on high for 10-20 seconds.
Top Tip: When microwaving milk or milk substitutes, ALWAYS PLACE MUG ON A PLATE. This stuff has some serious overflow tendencies. I’m not joking. Be careful.
Tangent: If your milk does overflow, take this time to clean your microwave. Seriously. I mean it. Go clean that thing.
Pour your frothed milk over your espresso peppermint ganache. Garnish with crushed peppermint.
Enjoy your syrup-free peppermint mocha!
EQUIPMENT
COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS PEPPERMINT MOCHA
Can you make this caffeine-free?
Most certainly. Just use decaf, or omit the coffee altogether [gasp! sacrilege!]. You can add in a 1/2 cup of chocolate milk just to give it a nice creamy taste.
Can you make this dairy-free?
I love using oat milk for this drink. My wife actually prefers it that way.
Can you make this with milk chocolate?
Don’t go there. I suppose you can use milk chocolate, but then I’d throw in 1/2 tsp of cocoa powder to offset the onslaught of sugar you’re introducing to the drink.
MORE HOLIDAY FAVORITES
Print
Peppermint Mocha
- Total Time: 4 minutes
- Yield: 1 perfect mocha 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Blast the flavors of the holidays with this balanced peppermint mocha (no syrup or added sugar).
Ingredients
-
10 g Madacasse 80%
-
½ TBS (7.5 ml) heavy cream
-
¼ tsp (1.2 ml) peppermint extract
-
½ cup (120 ml) whole fat milk
Instructions
- Start by measuring out your chocolate and heavy cream. Microwave those for 10-20 seconds.
- Stir softened chocolate and heavy cream. You just made ganache (fancy you).
- Stir peppermint extract in ganache.
- Pull espresso shot over ganache and stir.
- Froth milk [if using an espresso machine], or microwave milk then blend it on high for 10-20 seconds.
- Pour milk over espresso ganache. Garnish with crushed peppermint.
- Enjoy.
Notes
Want more peppermint punch? Double down on your amount of peppermint extract.
- Prep Time: 1 minute
- Cook Time: 3 minutes
- Category: Drinks
- Method: Microwave
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: peppermint mocha, peppermint mocha recipe, peppermint mocha at home, coffee drinks, holidays drinks
