Love peppermint mochas but maybe not the price tag? Here you can make your own peppermint mocha syrup with 4 ingredients for 1/3 of the price of a small latte at the coffee shop. Plus it’s dairy free!
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I am a peppermint mocha girlie married to a pumpkin spice man. Which means nothing really except we’re both basic and totally fine with that. But-for me-you can’t start drinking peppermint drinks until November. You have to have some respect for the fall cinnamon season. But November is here, so bring on all the peppermint!
At anywhere from $9 to $20 a bottle for store bought syrup, it just makes sense to make your own. It costs roughly $2 to make 2 cups of syrup which can last weeks in the fridge. Plus, there are only 4 ingredients, which means you know exactly what’s going into your morning brew.
Let’s talk ingredients:
- Granulated Sugar: aka white sugar. Gives a cleaner flavor than brown sugar and dissolves really nicely
- Cocoa Powder: gives a rich chocolate flavor with no dairy. But, it has to be mixed with hot water to activate the flavor and dissolve. It doesn’t matter if you use regular or Dutch processed for this recipe.
- Peppermint Extract: peppermint is one of those flavors where a little goes a long way. Just 1 teaspoon will give you all the peppermint flavor you need.
- Water: tap is fine if you have decent tap water, otherwise use bottled.
What’s the difference between peppermint extract and mint extract?
I made this mistake when I first started baking on my own. I always just called peppermint “mint” so I thought there was only one kind of mint. I was wrong. Mint extract is a combination of spearmint and peppermint extracts, where peppermint extract is only peppermint. Peppermint extract will give you a flavor like a candy cane. Mint extract tastes more like a Shamrock shake. Both are good, but they are different. What we want here is peppermint only because it’s flavor goes best with chocolate.
Peppermint extract vs. Peppermint oil
Extracts are made by steeping the ingredient (in this case peppermint) in alcohol to “extract” the flavor. Peppermint oil is the essential oil of the peppermint plant. Peppermint oil is much more concentrated than peppermint extract. If you only have (food grade) peppermint oil, just use -2 drops. Too much peppermint will make your mouth feel like it’s on fire and not in a good way.
I don’t like coffee-what else can I use peppermint mocha syrup for?
- peppermint hot chocolate
- drizzle over brownies
- drizzle over ice cream
- holiday cocktails (i.e. chocolate peppermint martini)
- eat it straight from the jar with a spoon (no judgement here)-tastes just like a York peppermint patty
Dairy Free Peppermint Mocha Syrup
Servings 2 cups
Equipment
- 1 medium saucepan
- 1 clean jar for storage
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
Instructions
- In a medium size sauce pan over medium heat, combine water, sugar, and cocoa powder.
- Stir ingredients together. Allow to come to a boil. Once the sugar feels completely dissolved (about a minute or two of boiling) remove from heat.
- Stir in peppermint extract. Pour mixture into clean jar and allow to cool.
- Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks. Stir into coffee, hot chocolate, or pour over ice cream!
Notes
If using peppermint oil instead of extract, only use 1-2 drops.
Did you make this recipe? Tag me @bakincareofbusiness on Instagram so I can see what you made!
If you love peppermint and chocolate, you might love these peppermint chocolate covered oreos or these peppermint mocha brownie bites!
Happy Baking!
