How to Make Peppermint Hot Chocolate

A quick and easy Christmas recipe that brings out the kid in all of us. This recipe for how to make peppermint hot chocolate is perfect for a cozy night by the fire or your Christmas Party!

WATCH MY VIDEO DEMO ON THIS RECIPE BELOW!

Christmas brings out the kid in all of us and there’s no better way to feel like a kid again than to whip up a batch of my peppermint hot chocolate. It’s so easy to do and once you make hot chocolate from scratch, you’ll never go back to anything from a “packet”.

What ingredients are in a peppermint hot chocolate recipe?

For this recipe I use milk as the base, a little bit of heavy cream for richness, unsweetened cocoa powder for a rich chocolatey flavor, powdered sugar which will dissolve better than regular sugar and a pinch of salt to heighten the chocolate flavor.

Then I reserve the peppermint flavoring for the homemade whipped cream which gets placed on top.  This allows for each layer to have its own distinct flavor, chocolate on the bottom, peppermint on top.

For a festive touch you can top with whipped cream with a garnish of crushed candy canes.

The candy canes begin to melt as the heat from the hot chocolate begins to envelop them. This adds more minty flavor to the rich chocolate below.

It’s also quite cute to serve this Peppermint Hot Chocolate with some candy cane spoons. Makes for a charming addition! (This link goes to Amazon where I am an affiliate partner) 

Can you make peppermint hot chocolate ahead of time?

Yes! You absolutely could.  Heat all the ingredients for the hot chocolate, to dissolve the cocoa and sugar.  Then allow to cool and refrigerate.  Then you can make the whipped cream and cover and place in the fridge. Just leave the candy cane crushing to the last minute since they will clump together if done to far in advance.

MORE GREAT HOLIDAY RECIPES!

• Pumpkin Spice Waffles Recipe
• Candy Cane Cupcakes
• Dad’s Classic Egg Nog Recipe
• Flourless Chocolate Cake with Creme Anglaise
• Buche de Noel (yule log) Recipe

Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a rating and review below!

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Peppermint Hot Chocolate

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

A quick and easy Christmas recipe that brings out the kid in all of us. This peppermint hot chocolate recipe is perfect for a cozy night by the fire or your Christmas Party! Includes video tutorial.

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Ingredients

• 3 ½ cups (820 ml) of whole milk
• ½ cup (120ml) of heavy cream
• 5 tbsp (75ml) of unsweetened cocoa
• 1/4 cup (25 g) powdered sugar
• pinch of salt

FOR WHIPPED CREAM TOPPING:

• 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
• 1 tbsp (6 g) powdered sugar
• ½ tsp (2.5ml) of peppermint extract
• 2 candy canes, crushed
• 4-6 candy cane spoons (or regular candy canes for stirrers)

Instructions

1. Prepare the whipped cream topping. In a bowl whip together 1 cup of heavy cream, powdered sugar, and peppermint extract. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip.
2. Then place 2 candy canes in a resealable bag, whack gently with a rolling pin to crush.
3. In a large saucepan, add milk and cream. To that add the cocoa and sugar and a pinch of salt. Heat on medium low until steaming.
4. Pour hot chocolate 2/3 of the way up the mug, pipe the whipped cream on top, sprinkle with the crushed candy canes and serve with a candy cane spoon.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 207 Total Fat: 8g Saturated Fat: 4g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 2g Cholesterol: 23mg Sodium: 92mg Carbohydrates: 29g Net Carbohydrates: 0g Fiber: 1g Sugar: 20g Sugar Alcohols: 0g Protein: 6g