The rich flavor of chocolate combines so well with peppermint. This is the perfect drink to sip while trimming the tree.
I thought it was good,but we used two big candy canes insted of four small ones so it was really sweet.You also need to crush them up really really good or else it has big chunks in it so you need to kind of turn it into dust. my whole family liked it even the kid who wont eat any thing!We drank it on new years eve.
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A nice change from the old standard, but not spectacular. Make sure you use whole milk -- I tried to get by with the skim milk I had on hand, and it just wasn't quite right.
Read MoreI thought it was good,but we used two big candy canes insted of four small ones so it was really sweet.You also need to crush them up really really good or else it has big chunks in it so you need to kind of turn it into dust. my whole family liked it even the kid who wont eat any thing!We drank it on new years eve.
Wow, we really liked this! It was so easy to make. We didn't have candycanes - we crushed 8 round Starlight mints in place of the candycanes. We put them in a sealed plastic bag and placed it on our cutting board to make breaking the mints up easy. We just smashed the bag with a hammer. We topped the cocoa off with the swirly whipped cream from a can, and it looked and tasted like something straight from Starbuck's. We're going to make this one an annual tradition.
This was a great treat! My family also enjoyed this while decorating the tree this year. I added red colored sugar sprinkles to the top of the whipped cream. It was very attractive looking and the kids went crazy! We loved it!
i made it with instant hot chocolate and crushed the hook off of a candy cane and then stuck the rest of the candy cane in the drink and it tasted great!
A nice change from the old standard, but not spectacular. Make sure you use whole milk -- I tried to get by with the skim milk I had on hand, and it just wasn't quite right.
Oh wow is all I can say! I crave this not only during the holidays now. Very easy to make. I used nutri-sweet calorie reduced instead of regular whipped topping and no one even noticed the difference. For someone who isnt into sweet things this might have a little too much flavour for them so just serve half a cup.
Just suited for a cold winter day.Quite tasty indeed!
I typed in 1 serving and pressed the calculate button to make 1-2 servings only. For the semi-sweet chocolate I used chocolate chips, and it came out to just under 3 Tablespoons of chips per 1 oz in the recipe. I prefer soft candy cane sticks, so that is what I used. The cocoa was good, but it didn't have a strong peppermint taste. So, I added a drop of pure peppermint extract. I also thought it was a little chocolaty so I added some more milk to taste, to the pot, about 1/2-1 cup extra. I filled 2 cups and topped the drinks like the picture with whipped cream and some crushed soft candy canes. Enjoyed, thanks!
I used DeKuyper's Peppermint Blast Schnapps in place of the peppermint candy canes. Very good. NOTE: Now that I've started eating healthier, I now make this with nonfat milk or fat free evaporated milk, peppermint extract (to cut out the excess sugar) and sugar free chocolate. Hershey's sells bags of sugar free chocolate chips or I've found them at most stores that sell bulk foods.
I can't believe that this cocoa has only 5 ingredients! This cocoa is really good and I would recommend this to anyone!
This is a yummy variation on the usual Carnation hot cocoa packet. It's the first time I've made it from scratch and it'll now be my standard. I was making it for 6 so I just evened everything out to make it easier. I used 6 cups milk, 6 ounces Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips (you can never have too much chocolate!) and crushed 6 candy canes. It took a bit of time for it to all meld together, but it was definitely worth it (I baked some fresh cookies from batter I'd made earlier while it simmered). I put regular sized candy canes in because it's all I had. All that was in the cocoa melted. I didn't have whipped cream so I used mashmallows. I'll try the whipped cream next time. It's especially great during the holiday season. Today is Christmas and it fit in perfectly! YUM!
Yum! I was worried that the crushed candy canes would make this too sweet so I used 1/4 tsp. peppermint extract instead of them. Delicious winter time treat and just as good as Starbucks. I also used skim milk and thought it still tasted great.
This recipe is a must try, you won't regret it. As another reviewer put it - better than Starbucks! I thought this would taste too minty, but the candy cane flavor was actually nicely mild. The candy cane melts very quickly and thickens the hot cocoa. 2% milk worked great. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Better than Starbucks I have to say. I use semisweet chocolate chips and it works out just fine. I have the recipe memorized now and I make it all the time. Sometimes I add a lot of candycanes, sometimes not so many, but no matter how many it always tastes delicious
I made this for my kids and we all Loved it! Will make it a tradition to make this again! We used marshmellows instead of whipping cream, delicous!
I enjoyed this very much. I used skim milk, 2 heaping tablespoons of semi-sweet chocolate chips and one of those softer kind of candy cane sticks whirred in my mini chopper. Very nice change from packets of hot chocolate! I will make it this way again.
Best cup of hot creamy hot cocoa I have had! To make measuring easy on me, I simply poured milk in a mug, poured that in the saucepan. Scooped up chocolate chips in a shot glass, and smashed the candy cane in a ziploc baggy using a meat mallet :) Two minutes and I have a creamy, chocolatey cup of cocoa!! Way better then making cocoa from cocoa powder. I can even adapted this recipe for my son who is allergic to dairy by simply using rice milk instead of whole milk. Thanks so much for sharing!
Very tasty! It was a hit while my family decorated the tree this year!
Hmmm mmmm good! I loved it!! Not overly peppermint like you might expect. Just the right amount! It was also good with a little peppermint schnapps!
I really loved this twist on hot chocolate! My husband was afraid the peppermint would ruin it, but it didn't at all. This is definitely a keeper for us.
It wouldn't be fair for me to rate this recipe since I didn't really follow it, but when I saw it and realized I didn't have one of the main ingredients (candy canes) on hand I decided to make a concoction of my own! I had York Peppermint Patties lying around and made the following drink: (All measurements are rough estimates so please change to your liking!) ~2 1/2 cups skim milk, 3 Peppermint patties chopped into about 3-9 small pieces each, ~1/3 cup semisweet chips ....WOW! This drink is AWESOME and tastes SO much like the Starbucks Peppermint Mocha (without the espresso of course!) I also think that compared to candy canes, the peppermint patties may have melted in a shorter amount of time and to a smoother consistency... Enjoy! :)
AWESOME. I did take some liberties with this recipe though... I used white chocolate chips and candy cane 'kisses' instead so I left out the crushed peppermint candies/canes (even for the garnish). I used two cups of Silk (soy milk). I used about 1/3-1/2 bag of the 'kisses' and 1/4-1/3 bag of the chips. Topped with REAL whipped cream (may as well enjoy the calories before resolution time, lol). The 'kisses' give this cocoa a beautiful pink colour.
This wasn't quite as good as I'd hoped, but my husband (who it was for anyway) enjoyed it. I had to add some additional chocolate to sweeten it up a bit, and the peppermint flavor wasn't quite as strong as we like it, so I added some additional peppermint extract. Still, it was super-easy, and it was definitely better than the boxed stuff.
If you are making this for guests, you need to think about whether or not they will really like the peppermint flavor. I liked it but I think not everyone would.
Yummy Verushka!!! I LOOOVED this. :-) I made a batch of cinnamon rolls (Clone of a Cinnabon by Marsha) to devour while finishing my Christmas tree decorating. This cocoa was the perfect complement! My fiance didn't care for this (thought it was too "pepperminty"), but I thought the mint flavor was spot on. This reminds me exactly of Starbuck's mint cocoa - but WAAAAY cheaper (yea!)!! I do have a couple of suggestions tho.... First, I only buy fat-free milk. Although I am sure that whole milk would produce a much richer cocoa, it is not necessary. With all of the calories one consumes during the holiday, wasting them on a full-fat version of this is not wise. :) Second, you should try to crush your peppermint candies/canes as best you can. It is not necessary to crush to "dust" form, but the degree to which it melts depends on how tiny the pieces are. And last, USE THE BEST CHOCOLATE YOU CAN FIND! I used Ghirardelli semi sweet squares (a nice reminder of my recent trip to San Fran!). Garnish with REAL whipped cream (some things you can't skimp on lol!) and a candy cane or crushed candies and ENJOY! Thanks for sharing. :)
What a yummy mug of cocoa! Great chocolate flavor with subtle peppermint too. We crushed the candy canes very fine so they would dissolve. Came out great and was enjoyed by everyone!
My friends LOVED it!! I made two servings, so I put 2 small peppermint candy cane in there. It was enough to be noticeable and leave an aftertaste of the peppermint, so if you want more minty taste, you should put more in it! Although I didn't have whip cream nor marshmallows, it was still delicious for a cold morning.
Delicious, made this last night, and was a big hit. I couldn't find candy canes at the store, so instead I bought a york peppermint patty and dinner mints. I highly recoomend adding a york patty, as it really brings a strong peppermint flavor. I found peppermint whipping cream at the store, to my delight, which was a perfect topping. I decorated the cups with andes mint candies broken in half with a few dinner mints. SO delicious, I will make this again.
This was perfect to serve on a cold snowy day. I used bittersweet chocolate chips instead of chopped semi-sweet chocolate and I used 1 more ounce of chocolate to make it more chocolatey. I used just 2 candy canes and topped the hot chocolate with fresh whipped cream and crushed candy canes. Thanks for the great recipe!
it tastest great
this was the best cocoa ever!!!! the chocolate didn't satisfy my sweet tooth though, so i added some ovaltine to mine, just to sweeten it up a bit. this is going in my recipe box for sure!!!!!
Very sweet and rich. I don't think I'll make this again, except for the kids as a novelty thing. It became tastier as it cooled, allowing me to actually taste the chocolate. I bought the candy canes in a discount store already crushed (they were damaged canes reduced to $0.10c a bag.)
This is so good and rich. I used 2% milk and 2 ounces very dark bittersweet chocolate and 1 ounce semi-sweet choco chips. It didn't take long at all for the candy canes to melt. We had this tonight with popcorn while watching Christmas movies. Great recipe!
I love this. My mom,dad,brother,uncle,cousin Sam & I all love this. I make this every year its amazing!!!
AWESOME RECIPE! It's quick and easy and most of all...EVERYONE I made it for enjoyed it. It's a perfect Christmas morning treat ;)
WONDERFUL!!! I made this on Christmas morning to do something fun for the family. Everyone loved it. TIP: Put the candy canes in my food processor and they were crushed in a snap.
This was great! I made a batch for our New Year's party, only I made 1 small adjustment. Instead of using crushed candy canes, I used Peppermint Schnapps, and served each drink with a candy cane. Everyone loved it! I kept it in a coffee butler and it stayed hot all night!
Very sweet and rich. I don't think I'll make this again, except for the kids as a novelty thing. It became tastier as it cooled, allowing me to actually taste the chocolate. I bought the candy canes in a discount store already crushed (they were damaged canes reduced to $0.10c a bag.)
I love this hot cocoa! I love hot cocoa that is rich and creamy so I added a tablespoon of sifted cornstarch. This makes it almost like a pudding. Great drink on frigid holiday nights! :)
I made this after the church pagaent. My kids loved it and wanted more. I will def make again.
My husband misses the shamrock shakes from when he lived up north... so I made this alternate chocolate/peppermint seasonal treat and he LOVES it! We might start a tradition of making these while we put up our Christmas tree. The peppermint amount is just right.
Loved it! Never had made homeade cocoa before. The only thing I changed, was I added an extra chocolate square to it! It was like it's own desert!
Yummy recipe! I made it for a pre Christmas get-together, and everyone really enjoyed it :)
I found a medium sized candy cane in our candy dish so I decided to try this. I made enough for one serving, doubling the chocolate and using almond milk in place of regular milk. I topped it off with whipped cream and red candy sugar.
This is a wonderful homemade peppermint cocoa that's sure to please during the holiday season. I like a really rich cocoa, so I used part half-n-half along with the milk. I must confess, the half-n-half was leftover from another drink and had been spiked with peppermint schnapps. Perfect for the adult crowd!
Delicious! Best hot chocolate we have ever tasted!!! We added an extra candy cane. I would suggest to add two extra candy canes for extra flavor!!!
Yummy! I didn't have enough semi sweet chocolate so I broke up a small chocolate Hershey bar. It turned out so tasty I didn't want to share!
I made this for a brunch and everyone loved it! I had to make 3 batches. Will definetely make again. You do not need to break the candy up too small, it will melt if you heat the hot chocolate slowly on the stove top.
really really good hot cocoa! made it for friends for a Christmas caroling event and everyone loved it! made it again for my family on Christmas morning. It will now be one of our Christmas traditions!
I tried years ago.. since I saw it in Martha Stewart Show...but... I used entire candy canes at the bottom of the served cup instead of crushed peppermints.. works well too..Warmest Holidays...
This cocoa is reaaaaaaally good. i used mint chocolate instead of semi-sweet chocolate. it definitely gave the cocoa a more minty flavor. i didnt use the candy cane stirring stick or whippd cream and it came out fine. it was a good way to kick off christmas before we started opening presents.
Oh my . This is the best hot cocoa iv had in my life. Since I only wanted to make 1 mug for me I put 1 small 40g bar of chocolate in with the crushed candy cane. It was perfect Cant wait to make it for my family at christmas
Really perfect for winter! - I thought it was the right mixture of ingredients. Skim milk was fine with me. I sprinkled some extra crushed candy cane and semisweet morsels on top - i used morsels- 1/2 cup = 3 ounces.
I used white chocolate chips instead of milk chocolate, it was very good. I am definitely going to make this again.
I'm so sorry...forgot to review this when I made it for my students at Christmas! Everyone got a "Candy Cane Stirrer" and loved the whole experience...so did the class moms! Thx!
This was awesome! Made it for Christmas Eve for the kids in nice big coffee mugs, garnished with candy canes as stirrers..Lovely recipe,Thank you!
This was good! Like the hot chocolate I would buy at Starbucks. We made this out-of-season and during the Coronavirus lockdown. I didn't have candy canes, but used peppermints instead. I mixed in whole peppermints, and poured the drinks prior to the mints being fully dissolved. If you use peppermints instead of candy canes, try doing what another reviewer recommended and put the mints in a plastic bag and crush them this way.
Great recipe! Aside from using soy milk instead of regular milk, I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out perfect! It does have a strong chocolate flavor as others have suggested though, so cut back a little if you don't want it rich.
Great way to use the candy canes off the tree. My two year old loved it. I thought it was nive and refreshing.
Very good! Used dark chocolate and mint chips ( a new package by Nestle Tollhouse) and it gave the mint a nice flavor along with the peppermints. My whole family loved it. SO much better than packaged hot cocoa. I also used soy milk instead of regular milk, because we don't drink reg. milk (lactose intolerant) and it still turned out good. Stir often!
I made this for a ladies party and it was a hit. For 5 women I made 8 servings and it was just enough to fill each mug. It is very sweet and rich so I skipped on the whipping cream. Thanks - i will use it again this holiday season.
Made this for my grand-kids on Christmas eve. It was a hit. Will make again and again.
Very good! I will use a little more candy cane next time. I also put in a little half and half to cool it off and add a some creaminess because I used 2% milk.
I added a little Hershey's Dark Chocholate Syrup to the mix. It is a delightful drink.
I haven't made it exactly like this recipe but I love the idea and the taste of a mint hot chocolate with whipped cream and candy canes to top it off. I will actually make this at some point but for the time being I will cheat with instant. :)
Wow! this is great. I have made this about 5 times since I found this recipe last week. Definitely a keeper.
I found a candy cane at the bottom of our candy jar; it's almost June, and I didn't want it to go to waste. Instead of all milk, I used half whole milk and half coffee. I used 2 Tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips. It was very tasty, and I'll have to remember to do this after Christmas!!
YUMMY! I added 2 regular candy canes and used a food chopper. Then used some of the mashed up candy on top of the cool whip. The kids loved it. Hubby loved it more though!!!
Excellent! Great treat for my family - we thoroughly enjoyed. Worth $5 at Starbucks. Definitely will save and make again.
This was a great recipe! but I prefer a little sweeter tast so I added 4 spoonfulls of sugar, 1additional ounce of chocolate bar, and drizzled chocolate syrup into liquid mix. after in mug, I covered top with mini marshmallows and drizzled chocolate syrup over top. hope you enjoy!:D
I made it for many years its great for upset stomach Also use swiss miss hot chocolate with candy cane or mini peppermint marshmallows when I need it fast in morning
my family luved this drink i will be making this all the time even after the holidayz
Perfect peppermint cocoa. I didn't have any chocolate squares, so I just used chocolate chips instead. This was easy to make and the kids loved it after coming in from playing in the snow.
Pretty tasty. For the 'chocolate mint' lover. Gave it 4 stars cause it didn't WOW me. But it was still quite good.
I made this recipe while my mom was at work, and I had two mugs waiting for when she got home. We decorated the Christmas tree and drank our cocoa together and she absolutely loved it and said that we might have a new Christmas traditional drink! However, I did add a bit more crushed candy cane to the recipe for a more pepperminty taste.
