Peppermint mocha is the official drink of December. It's also the official drink of disappointment if you're getting it from a chain that uses artificial peppermint syrup and calls it festive. This version uses real peppermint extract and coffee that already has legitimate chocolate character built in. Five minutes to Christmas in a cup.
TLDR: The Quick Recipe
You'll need: 8 oz brewed Cacao-razy coffee, 2 oz milk, 2 tbsp chocolate syrup, 1/4 tsp peppermint extract (or 1 tbsp peppermint syrup), whipped cream (optional), crushed candy canes (optional)
Quick steps:
- Brew 8 oz Cacao-razy coffee
- Heat milk with chocolate syrup and peppermint
- Combine coffee and chocolate-peppermint milk
- Top with whipped cream and crushed candy canes
Total time: 5 minutes
Why Most Peppermint Mochas Fail
Here's the problem with chain peppermint mochas - they use peppermint syrup that tastes like toothpaste mixed with sugar. Then they add chocolate sauce that's more corn syrup than cocoa. Then they pour it into coffee that tastes like burnt water. The result is something vaguely minty and vaguely chocolatey that costs $6 and leaves you wondering why you bothered.
This recipe fixes all three problems. Real peppermint extract (the stuff you bake with), actual chocolate syrup worth using, and Cacao-razy coffee that already has dark chocolate and almond notes working for it. Everything here tastes like what it's supposed to be.
The Peppermint Situation: Extract vs Syrup
Peppermint Extract
This is your best move. You need 1/4 teaspoon per drink. That's it. One small bottle will make 40+ drinks. Get pure peppermint extract, not imitation. McCormick or Nielsen-Massey are solid choices. The flavor is clean, strong, and actually tastes like peppermint instead of toothpaste.
Warning: Start with 1/4 tsp. Peppermint extract is powerful. Too much and your drink goes from festive to medicinal real fast. You can always add more, you can't take it back.
Peppermint Syrup
Torani or Monin peppermint syrup works if you prefer this route. Use 1 tablespoon per drink. The flavor is milder than extract and adds sweetness, so reduce your chocolate syrup to 1.5 tbsp if going this direction. Skip the artificial grocery store brands - they're what give peppermint mochas their toothpaste reputation.
Crushed Candy Canes
These are for garnish only, not flavoring. They look impressive and add a nice textural element when they start to dissolve, but they won't flavor your drink enough to rely on them. Use them in addition to extract or syrup, not instead of.
The Chocolate Situation
Your chocolate syrup matters more than you think.
Good options: Ghirardelli chocolate sauce, Hershey's genuine chocolate syrup (the regular one), or Torani dark chocolate sauce. These have actual cocoa in them and taste like chocolate.
Skip these: Hershey's lite syrup (tastes artificial), store brand chocolate syrup (usually corn syrup with cocoa flavoring), anything labeled "chocolate flavored" instead of "chocolate."
High effort option: Make your own chocolate sauce by whisking together 2 tbsp cocoa powder, 2 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp hot water until smooth. It's less sweet and more intensely chocolate than store-bought.
The Recipe: How to Make Christmas Taste Good
What You'll Need:
- 8 oz freshly brewed Cacao-razy coffee (hot)
- 2 oz milk (any type works, whole milk creates the richest result)
- 2 tbsp chocolate syrup
- 1/4 tsp peppermint extract (or 1 tbsp peppermint syrup)
- Whipped cream (optional but highly recommended)
- Crushed candy canes for garnish (optional)
- Small saucepan or microwave-safe container
The Method:
1. Brew Your Coffee - Make 8 oz of Cacao-razy using your preferred brewing method. The dark chocolate and almond notes in this coffee are the foundation for the entire drink. You want a strong extraction here - if you normally use 12g of coffee for 8 oz, bump it to 14g. This drink has added ingredients that can dilute coffee flavor, so start strong.
2. Make Your Chocolate-Peppermint Milk - Pour 2 oz of milk into a small saucepan. Add your chocolate syrup and peppermint extract (or peppermint syrup). Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly. You want it hot and steaming but not boiling.
The whisking is important - it helps the chocolate fully incorporate into the milk and creates some foam. Heat for about 2 minutes until you see steam rising. If you're using a microwave instead, combine everything in a microwave-safe container, microwave for 30 seconds, whisk aggressively, microwave another 15-20 seconds if needed.
Pro tip: If you have a milk frother, use it after heating. The foam makes this drink feel more cafe-quality and helps integrate all the flavors.
3. The Combination - Pour your hot Cacao-razy coffee into your mug. Add the chocolate-peppermint milk mixture. Stir gently to combine. The drink should be uniformly brown without any chocolate settling at the bottom.
4. Finish Like You Mean It - Top with a generous amount of whipped cream. Drizzle extra chocolate syrup over the whipped cream if you're feeling excessive (you should be, it's Christmas). Crush a mini candy cane and sprinkle it over the top. The candy cane pieces will slowly dissolve as you drink, adding little bursts of peppermint crunch.
Troubleshooting Your Peppermint Mocha
Tastes Like Toothpaste? You used too much peppermint extract or you're using artificial peppermint flavoring. Scale back to 1/8 tsp next time, or switch to pure peppermint extract if you're not using it already.
Chocolate Sank to the Bottom? You didn't whisk it enough while heating, or you used a chocolate syrup that's too thick. Whisk more aggressively, and if that doesn't work, add a splash more milk to thin the mixture.
Not Enough Coffee Flavor? You're using too much milk or chocolate. The 8:2 coffee to milk ratio is calibrated for balance. If you want more coffee punch, use 10 oz coffee instead, or cut the milk to 1.5 oz.
Too Sweet? Reduce chocolate syrup to 1.5 tbsp. Some chocolate syrups are sweeter than others. Also consider skipping whipped cream or using unsweetened whipped cream.
Peppermint Flavor Disappeared? Peppermint is volatile - the flavor dissipates with heat and time. Make sure you're adding it at the right time (with the milk, not directly to hot coffee), and drink it fresh. Don't let it sit for 20 minutes and expect the same peppermint intensity.
Variations Worth Making
The White Christmas
Use white chocolate sauce instead of regular chocolate syrup. The combo of white chocolate and peppermint is even more candy-cane-like. Torani makes a good white chocolate sauce, or melt 2 tbsp white chocolate chips into your hot milk.
The Dark Side
Use dark chocolate sauce or add 1 tbsp cocoa powder to your chocolate milk mixture. Increase peppermint to 1/3 tsp to balance the darker chocolate. This version is less sweet and more intensely chocolate. Adult peppermint mocha.
The Spiked Version
Add 1 oz of peppermint schnapps or creme de menthe to the finished drink. Obviously skip this if you're driving or making it for kids. The alcohol amplifies the peppermint and adds warmth.
The Iced Peppermint Mocha
Brew 4 oz of Cacao-razy double strength (16g coffee to 4 oz water). Let it cool completely. Fill a glass with ice. Add 4 oz cold milk, your chocolate syrup, and peppermint extract. Stir well. Pour your cooled coffee concentrate over the top. Top with whipped cream and crushed candy canes. Yes, peppermint mocha works cold.
The Mexican Peppermint Mocha
Add 1/4 tsp cinnamon and a tiny pinch of cayenne pepper to your chocolate milk mixture. The spices play surprisingly well with peppermint and chocolate. This turns it into something closer to Mexican hot chocolate with a minty twist.
The Economics: Stop Paying $7 for Syrup
A grande peppermint mocha at Starbucks costs $6-7 depending on location and whether you want extra shots. Here's what this homemade version costs:
- Cacao-razy coffee: approximately $0.75 per serving
- 2 oz milk: approximately $0.15
- 2 tbsp chocolate syrup: approximately $0.20
- 1/4 tsp peppermint extract: approximately $0.05
- Whipped cream and candy cane: approximately $0.30
Total cost per serving: $1.45
Make this drink 4 times and you've saved enough to buy another bag of coffee. Make it throughout December and you're saving $80+ while drinking something that contains actual chocolate and real peppermint instead of artificial approximations.
Why Cacao-razy Makes This Recipe Work
You could use regular coffee for this. The chocolate and peppermint would mask most of the coffee flavor and you'd end up with something drinkable. Here's why Cacao-razy specifically elevates this drink:
Our 24-hour flavor infusion process means real dark chocolate and almond character is built into every bean. When you add chocolate syrup, you're not creating chocolate flavor from scratch. You're layering chocolate on chocolate. The result is depth instead of one-dimensional sweetness.
The almond notes in Cacao-razy also complement peppermint in a way most people don't expect. There's a reason almond and mint show up together in lots of desserts - they enhance each other. That's happening in this drink too.
Regular coffee plus chocolate syrup tastes like chocolate milk with caffeine. Cacao-razy plus chocolate syrup tastes like an intentional chocolate coffee drink. The difference matters.
Milk Choices and Their Impact
Whole milk: Creates the richest, most indulgent result. The fat helps the chocolate and peppermint bind together. This is your best option for authentic mocha texture.
2% milk: Works fine. The drink will be slightly thinner but still satisfying. No recipe adjustments needed.
Oat milk: Good option here. Froths well and has natural sweetness that works with chocolate. Consider reducing chocolate syrup to 1.5 tbsp since oat milk adds sweetness.
Almond milk: Works surprisingly well given that Cacao-razy already has almond notes. You get a triple almond-chocolate-peppermint situation that's actually pretty good.
Coconut milk: The coconut flavor competes with everything else. Only use this if you specifically want coconut-peppermint-chocolate flavor.
Serving Suggestions for Maximum Holiday Impact
For Christmas morning: Make this instead of or alongside your regular breakfast coffee. It's festive enough to feel special but not so dessert-like that you can't drink it at 7am. Pair with something simple like toast or fruit so the drink can be the star.
For afternoon holiday baking: This is ideal sipping material while making cookies. The peppermint keeps you alert, the chocolate satisfies sweet cravings so you don't eat half the cookie dough.
For holiday parties: Set up a peppermint mocha bar. Brew a large pot of Cacao-razy. Make a big batch of chocolate-peppermint milk mixture and keep it warm in a slow cooker. Set out whipped cream, crushed candy canes, chocolate syrup, and extra peppermint extract for people who want it stronger. Let guests build their own. Looks impressive, minimal actual work.
Stop Settling for Mediocre Holiday Coffee
Look, you can keep standing in line for $7 drinks made with artificial peppermint syrup. Or you can spend 5 minutes making something with real peppermint extract and coffee that actually contributes chocolate flavor instead of just being a vehicle for syrup.
This recipe is simple enough that you can make it every morning in December without it feeling like work. The ingredients are cheap enough that making it 20 times still costs less than buying it 5 times. And it tastes better because you're using actual ingredients instead of whatever chemicals approximate peppermint and chocolate at industrial scale.
Ready for Peppermint Mocha That Doesn't Disappoint?
Grab a bag of Cacao-razy, pick up some peppermint extract and decent chocolate syrup, and spend 5 minutes making December coffee that actually tastes like Christmas instead of like a lab's interpretation of it.
Want more holiday coffee recipes? Check out our complete seasonal guide. Ready to explore more flavors? Browse our full lineup.
Bad Teddy. Good Coffee.
Now stop reading and start brewing. That peppermint extract isn't going to measure itself.