I don’t drink coffee. I never have. I’ve tried it several times, but for some reason, I just don’t like it. No amount of cream or sugar makes it palatable, and as much as I love the sound of all those fancy flavors at the gourmet coffee shops, I’m instantly disappointed when I order it and take a sip. Mainly because, beneath all those flavors, it still tastes like coffee. Or at the very least, there’s a hit of coffee flavor still in there.
On the flip side, my husband loves coffee. I mean LOVES coffee. I can say with absolute confidence that he more than makes up for what I don’t drink. Each day he has to stop by his favorite coffee place and grab a big cup of his favorite caffeinated beverage to get him through the day. Sometimes he even picks up 2 drinks – one hot and one cold. On the rare occasions that I’m with him, I usually get a hot chocolate, but the last time I was there with him I saw a White Hot Chocolate Mocha on the menu.
Crap. I was totally with them until that last word. “Mocha” ruined that entire drink.
As I sat there staring at the menu, I thought to myself, “if only we could take the coffee out”. Around the same time, my eyes drifted around the menu and landed on the word “peppermint” for another beverage. Suddenly, I knew exactly what I wanted – a white hot chocolate with a hint of peppermint. One problem…that wasn’t on the menu. So I left the coffee place upset, but with a plan to make it when I got home.
Although I normally make hot chocolate from the mix, I’d made it from scratch before and remembered it being pretty easy to make. So why not make it with white chocolate chips instead of milk chocolate chips? Give me a choice between milk chocolate and white chocolate, and I’ll pick white chocolate every single time. And how about replacing the mocha with a little peppermint? The result? Peppermint Swirl White Hot Chocolate!
You will need:
4 cups 2% milk
1 1/4 cups white chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp peppermint extract
whipped cream (if desired)
candy canes for garnish (if desired)
Step 1 – Combine milk, white chocolate chips, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
Step 2 – Simmer uncovered over medium heat until hot, stirring occasionally. You want to make sure that the contents in the saucepan are hot and the white chocolate chips are melted, but you don’t want the contents to boil. If it’s boiling on medium heat, lower the heat until the contents simmer instead of boil.
Step 3 – Pour into a mug and top with whipped cream and garnish with a candy cane!
