Monday, February 23, 2015

Peppermint Hot Cocoa-Mmmm Good!


We really enjoy a hot cocoa treat once in a while.  I make it homemade... and put peppermint candy in... it is really good... a smooth lightly sweetened treat.

It was cold over the weekend....hot chocolate sounded good... and it was. We all enjoyed it. :)





I start out with whole milk... real milk, not powdered creamer.  


With the milk, cocoa, sugar, salt and vanilla, it was good..... but then I added peppermint... in the form of candy canes... and peppermint candies.  The cocoa simmers slowly and the candies dissolve into the cocoa.

 After Christmas, I buy real peppermint candy canes on sale and save them... they are really cheap at that time.  If there aren't any candy canes, these candies work well also. 

 This is far different from the packaged cocoa mixes... the difference between the two is huge.

 
It was nice and hot, rich and creamy and the peppermint flavor was so pleasing, but not overpowering. This is a really tasty treat.  We don't have it often... only two or three times a year, but we REALLY enjoy it when we do.  :)

Cocoa tastes wonderful in a pretty china tea cup. The peppermint hot chocolate is really tasty... and such a comfort drink.

Another experiment I tried and we all liked was to add cinnamon red hots instead of peppermint. It was really tasty also... but the peppermint remains our favorite.

It is a special treat and well-worth the trouble. I find that I would rather do without hot cocoa most of the winter... and just drink hot tea... and then I can really enjoy hot cocoa on those special occasions and not feel guilty about it. :) I don't really care for packaged cocoa mixes but I greatly enjoy this drink. 

                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                                           Peppermint Hot Cocoa

                    8 cups whole milk
                    2 cups water
                    1/2 cup cocoa
                    3/4 cup sugar
                    ................................................whisk all together and simmer over low/med heat
                    1 Tablespoon vanilla
                    Dash of salt
                    4 candy canes.... or 12-15 peppermint candies
                    ................................................ add and stir until candies dissolved. Simmer until hot.
                        Heat should not be very high.... and watch that the hot chocolate doesn't scald or burn.
                        Serves 8
                        Enjoy. :)
                   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Shared on:



Tusday Cuppa Tea
Weekend Potluck
Traffic Jam Weekend Party
Foodie Friday and Everything Else
Share Your Cup
Bernideen's Tea Time
Tasty Tuesdays
Mostly Homemade Monday
What'd You Do This Weekend?
Good Morning Monday
Art of Homemaking
Simple Saturday

60 comments:

  1. Your homemade cocoa looks delicious. I used to be able to buy a chocolate mint mix that was good but for some reason it was discontinued.

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  2. I dearly love hot chocolate! A perfect warm up! Thanks for your recipe! And thanks for linking to Tuesday Cuppa Tea!
    Ruth

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  3. I just love peppermint hot cocoa during the winter months, which around here seems to last a very long time ... LOL! Thank you for sharing the recipe with us. Have a great week!

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    1. Me, too.... it is such a nice comfortable drink... so soothing. :) Thank you for visiting.

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  4. Hot Chocolate........ ahhhhhh.............. reminds me of an earlier time......... We don't seem to take the time to do it the proper way anymore. I MUST remember this the next time we make it. Thank you for sharing.

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    1. No, we don't... it's those packets of hot cocoa mix and hot water..... but the REAL stuff is so much better which is why I have chosen to wait for the real stuff and ignore the packets. :)

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  5. Looks so good, love hot chocolate.....chocolate of any kind!

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  6. The only good thing about winter is hot chocolate! Wonderful!

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  7. Homemade hot chocolate is always best! I have never melted candy canes in it but I have added a stick of peppermint or a cinnamon stick after it is poured into a cup or mug. Thanks for sharing and joining me for tea.

    Blessings,
    Sandi

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    Replies
    1. The cinnamon stick idea is great.... I have done that in tea, but not cocoa. Good idea... glad you visited. :)

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  8. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It looks delicious !
    I LOVE (hot) chocolate !!
    I'm visiting from Roses of Inspiration.

    Blessings to you,
    Wilma. Shabby Royale.

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    Replies
    1. It really is good.... so good. :) My family all loves it. Thank you for visiting. :)

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  9. This does look delicious and I still have peppermint candies left over from Christmas. Thanks for the great idea!

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    Replies
    1. You're welcome... they do make a wonderful treat.... hope you enjoy it. :)

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  10. Before I became a tea drinker, I enjoyed hot chocolate made with milk. I also liked sampling flavoured hot chocolate like your chocolate mint cocoa!

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    Replies
    1. I agree that there is nothing like tea... I love tea... and since I make so many great herbal blends, I don't care for the packaged teas nearly as much anymore... we drink tea every day, but I did enjoy that hot chocolate. :)

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  11. This looks delicious! I love homemade much more than the powdered kind, I can't wait to try this! And with the way this winter is hanging on I'm sure I'll have time to!

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    Replies
    1. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do..... it really is pretty wonderful. :)

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  12. I am going to try this, it looks so good. What a great idea. I have candy canes left over too! Have a wonderful week. Blessings, Martha

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    1. Good... I hope you like it... those left over candy canes are wonderful for this. :)

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  13. Oh yum, yum, YUM! This looks and sounds like a delicious sweet treat :) My son would love a cup of hot cocoa this afternoon....and so would I :) Thanks for sharing at ROI. Hugs!

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    1. I hope you love it!!! It is so good, but probably part of that is because we don't have it often... we save it as a treat and we love it. :) Thank you for visiting.

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  14. You have given a wonderful recipe and so perfect for winter in your pretty cup and saucer. I am so glad you shared at Friends Sharing Tea!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you... it just seems like a fun treat as we wait for spring to arrive and still have those cold cold days. :)

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  15. Replies
    1. Thank you... it sure was enjoyable....especially in the china cup. :)

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  16. I haven't had cocoa in forever, peppermint sounds divine!
    Jenna

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    Replies
    1. I don't have it often... but it was so good. :) Thank you for stopping by.

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  17. This looks perfect for a wet, dreary day like today. Found your link on the domesblissity link party. I'm sure my daughters will be pleased when I make this for afternoon tea.
    Thanks!
    Marianne
    www.preciselyhousewifely.com

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    1. I hope they like it as much as we do. :) Thank you for visiting.

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  18. Hot cocoa made with milk is so much better than those instant packets made with water!

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    1. It sure is!... .and the peppermint/vanilla just makes it even better. :)

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  19. Yum! Real hot cocoa is so much better than "swiss miss".

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  20. My daughter loves, loves peppermint hot cocoa and she too makes her own. I am passing on your recipe to her. Love your pictures!

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    1. What a sweet comment! Thank you... I am so glad you stopped by. :)

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  21. Nothing quite like the real thing! It was a cool day here today and my little granddaughter, Saydee and I had a cup of hot chocolate today. Not yummy homemade like yours. Thanks for sharing your recipe with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

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    1. Mmm... that sounds good for a cool day. :) Thank you for visiting. :)

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  22. Delicious, Love hot chocolate, thanks for sharing with Hearth and soul blog hop, pinning and tweeting.

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    1. Mmmm... hot cocoa is pretty tasty. :) Thank you for visiting... and pinning and tweeting. :)

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  23. Thanks a bunch for linking up at my Feather Your Nest Link Party. :) I appreciate it so much and hope you will link up again next Friday.
    Lory xo
    www.therobinsnestdesigns,com

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    Replies
    1. I hope to.... thank you for the great linky party. :)

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  24. This sounds so good. Perfect for the cold weather.

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    Replies
    1. It sure seems to be so for us. :) Glad you stopped by.

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  25. I absolutely love peppermint and chocolate together. Thanks so much for sharing on Talented Tuesday we hope to see you again this week!

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    1. Peppermint and chocolate really are so good together. :) Thank you for visiting.

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  26. This looks delicious! I don't like the packaged mixes either but from scratch like yours, yummy! The peppermint is a great idea Joy! :)

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    1. Thank you... The funny thing is that making from scratch really isn't that hard... but for some reason we seem to think so... of course, I don't do it very often either. :)

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  27. Once again, another interesting recipe. We don't really drink a lot of hot chocolate here (more coffee and tea) but our eldest daughter likes hot chocolates, so I am going to share this with her, and maybe give it a go myself. Thanks for sharing at Good Morning Mondays, I always look forward to what you share. Blessings

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    1. Thank you for visiting... I hope your daughter... and maybe you... enjoy it. :)

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  28. I just found a bunch of candy canes yesterday and was trying to think of something to do with them.

    Thanks for sharing on Tasty Tuesdays. Hope to see you back next week.

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    1. This is a GREAT way to use them.... we love this and I hope you do also. :)

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  29. I have not made real cocoa in ages! This should get me back. I am not sure where I can find candy canes at the moment but I know the peppermint candies are always available.

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    1. We really enjoyed this... so rich, smooth and creamy... a comfort treat. :) I hope you enjoy it also.

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  30. Adding peppermint is fun for a new flavor! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

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    1. It makes a regular treat extra special. :) Thank you for the link up party.

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