Peppermint Mocha

At this point in American culture, the day after Halloween might as well be December 25th. In early November, I’m walking my dog ​​past fully lit Christmas trees, and Starbucks has already rolled out its winter beverage lineup. At the forefront, as always, is the peppermint mocha, a drink that marks the official start of the winter holiday season.

In the past, I had scoffed at these very premature cheers. But lately, with the world feeling a little heavier, I get it. Sometimes you need something unapologetically cheerful to get you through the gloom, and a cup of warm mint and chocolate comfort does the trick. Let’s not lie to ourselves though: it’s not really a coffee drink but more of a dessert with a touch of caffeine, and that’s okay. You deserve it.

But if you’re going to do it, do it well. This means avoiding bottled syrup and making your own chocolate sauce. In our Peppermint Mocha recipe, our colleague Tricia Manzanero Stuedeman from our Birmingham, Alabama test kitchen has developed a foolproof recipe. The chocolate sauce comes together in just minutes, but the result is a bright, bittersweet sauce made with real chocolate, butter, and brown sugar that delivers big flavor, not just sweetness. You’ll even have extra for drizzling ice cream later (consider it a bonus).

A little peppermint extract goes a long way in this recipe. Too much, and your mocha suddenly tastes like mouthwash. Through testing, Tricia found the sweet spot was 1/8 teaspoon divided between two cups. It’s just enough for a clean, crisp note without destroying the rich mocha flavor.

Frothing the milk is the key to the full mocha effect. If you have an espresso-quality milk steamer at home, use it here, but a hand frother is inexpensive and works surprisingly well to create that layer of silky, cafe-style foam that turns each sip into something a little luxurious.

Drizzled with more chocolate and sprinkled with crushed peppermint, this homemade peppermint mocha is less about chasing Starbucks and more about outdoing it. Because if we’re going to have dessert, it might as well be awesome.