I cannot accomplish any holiday activity without a peppermint mocha in my hand.

After yesterday thinking about candy canes, today I will continue the peppermint conversation. My trips to Starbucks this year are sadly limited, so it was time to find a homemade daily go-to.

I was surprised how easy they were to recreate and taste pretty close to the original in a pinch. There is something about the taste of them in the afternoon that gets me in the holiday spirit.

Here is the recipe I used which I pulled from a few and made some changes (I like them extra minty!). Enjoy!

Peppermint Mochas

8oz milk (any type)

1 cup coffee (or a shot of espresso)

2 tbsp cocoa power (I add a little extra)

1 teaspoon peppermint extract (or 3 pumps peppermint syrup)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or 1 pump vanilla syrup)

Heat everything together, but don’t let it boil.

Garnish with whipped cream, chocolate or crushed candy cane pieces.

And don’t forget the candy cane!