Peppermint Hot Chocolate

There is nothing better than keeping warm in a cozy sweater with a mug of peppermint hot chocolate. This post has been sponsored by the makers of ZIPLOC® Brand + NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Hot chocolate is one of my favorite fall and winter drinks. It’s something my daughter and I can drink together by the fire while watching movies on Friday nights or after a stroll together outside. It’s a moment of bonding for us chocolate-lovers.

There are two products that make my life so much better when I am making our peppermint hot chocolate: Ziploc® Brand Slider Bags for storing our leftover ingredients and NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE chocolate morsels for the delicious chocolate flavor in our cocoa.

What I love about the NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE peppermint morsels is that it gives you the perfect amount of peppermint goodness without any guesswork. I find using something like peppermint candy tedious, and peppermint extract is so strong; you can easily add too much accidentally.

This is never a problem when you use these morsels. (P.S. You can grab these morsels at Walmart when you buy your other ingredients!) 

How to Store Your Leftover Ingredients

I usually make a few mugs of peppermint hot chocolate for others and myself, but I will always have leftovers that need to be stored well so they stay fresh. I prefer using the Ziploc® Brand Slider Bags because they have an expandable bottom that makes them easy to fill. The slider closure is also very easy to open and close to keep my ingredients fresh and easy to access for my next cup of delicious hot chocolate.

Gifting Your Hot Chocolate

Did you know that hot chocolate is also a wonderful food gift for family, friends, and co-workers alike? While walking up to someone with a mug of freshly made hot chocolate would be amazing, it’s just not feasible. The next best thing is gifting a little kit to help them make their own when they’d like and think of you in the process. 

You can turn this recipe for peppermint hot chocolate into an easy kit for people by placing your ingredients for the hot chocolate in your Ziploc® Brand Slider Bags. The durable slider seals in every last granule of sugar securely and keeps those NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE peppermint morsels as fresh as possible. It makes gift-giving as easy as pour, slide, and gift! 

How to Make Peppermint Hot Chocolate

Making this hot chocolate recipe is pretty fast and simple to do. I went over how to make the perfect homemade hot chocolate before, and I used that as my base recipe—substituting the NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE Semi-Sweet chocolate chips with these peppermint morsels.

1. Mix dry ingredients together. 
2. Add in some of the milk and stir. 
3. Add in the rest of the milk and heat. 
4. Pour in the chocolate and vanilla. 
5. Stir until the chocolate is melted.
6. Enjoy hot! 

How to Top Your Hot Cocoa

There are so many ways to finish off your hot chocolate—I always recommend people let their imaginations go wild! 

For the rim, I wanted something like peppermint bark. I brushed melted semi-sweet chocolate on the rim, followed by white chocolate. I then sprinkled on a dusting of peppermint. Be warned that if you try to do this at home, you need a mug that keeps insulated well, otherwise the chocolate will just end up melting all down the side of your mug and be a huge mess! 

My favorite toppings for peppermint hot chocolate also include:

• Whipped cream
• Toasted marshmallows
• Peppermint sticks or crushed peppermint
• Marshmallow fluff with more NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE Peppermint morsels
• A dusting of cocoa powder or cinnamon
• Biscotti 

You can also try adding other things to your hot chocolate like coffee for a peppermint mocha hot chocolate or something to make it an adult hot chocolate! 

Peppermint Hot Chocolate

Yield: 1 mug

Prep Time: 4 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 9 minutes

A thick, velvety peppermint hot chocolate

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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch (optional)
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups milk
• 2 ½ ounces NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE Peppermint chips
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Mix together the cocoa powder, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan. 
2. Add in a few tablespoons of the milk to the dry ingredients until it forms a smooth paste. 
3. Put the saucepan over heat and slowly add in the rest of the milk, stirring constantly. 
4. Allow the mixture to heat until it is almost boiling. 
5. Turn off the heat and add the peppermint chips. Allow it to sit for a minute or two, then stir until the chocolate is fully melted and stir well. 
6. Stir in the vanilla.

Notes

Serve hot with your favorite toppings

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 1 mug Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 452Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 602mgCarbohydrates: 55gFiber: 5gSugar: 9gProtein: 18g

Did you make this recipe?

I'd love to see how it turned out! Tag me @acookienameddesire and use the hashtag #acookienameddesire Don't forget to purchase the Cozy Baking eBook!!