Today’s recipe is a combo of two coffee house favorites: a White Chocolate Mocha and Peppermint Mocha. Let’s make a White Chocolate Peppermint Mocha! You get the rich, smooth and creamy white chocolate mocha base with a warming peppermint kick. It’s just the sort of thing you want to wake up with around this time of year.
Usually in a drink like this, you would use peppermint extract, but I know that’s not something everyone keeps stocked. So instead of an extract to flavor our mocha, I used something we all have around this time of year: candy canes! Just crush up a candy cane and let it steep while you heat your milk. It adds sweetness and peppermint flavor and you have one less candy cane to throw away on December 26th. 😉
Ingredients
Full-size candy cane: Since all of the peppermint flavor in this coffee comes from a candy cane, you’ll want to use a large one. If you only have mini candy canes, 1 large candy cane = about 4 minis. Milk: Use any percentage you’d like. For an extra rich and creamy drink, replace some of the milk with half and half or heavy cream. Strong coffee or espresso: You can use espresso or coffee brewed at double strength in this recipe (or just regular old coffee for a more mild coffee flavor–it’s still delicious). Instant espresso powder is a handy thing to keep stocked in your pantry for coffee and for baking in general (it will give your chocolate desserts a nice kick). You can order it online and also find it in a little jar in the coffee aisle at most grocery stores. White chocolate: Be sure to use high-quality white chocolate that you enjoy the taste of. I find that cheap chips that I’m happy to eat in cookies are not ideal for flavoring white-chocolate drinks. Sugar: The amount of white chocolate in this recipe doesn’t provide quite enough sweetness, so we’ll add just a bit of sugar.
How to Make a White Chocolate Peppermint Mocha
Can I make this without coffee?
Sure. But if you’re going to omit the coffee flavor, I’d go a bit heavier on the white chocolate. Go make my White Hot Chocolate and add your crushed candy cane to it.
Can I make this with peppermint extract instead of candy canes?
Absolutely. Skip the candy cane and make the recipe as written. After adding the sugar, add peppermint extract to taste—peppermint extract is STRONG, so you’ll only need a couple drops.
More Starbucks Copycat Recipes
Homemade Mocha Iced Mocha Iced White Chocolate Mocha Caramel Latte Iced Caramel Macchiato Chai Latte Dulce de Leche Latte
As written, this recipe makes 1 12-ounce drink. To change the recipe yield, hover over the number of servings (or click if you are on mobile) and slide the slider. This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase using them. There is absolutely no additional cost to you.
