Candy Manor Peppermint Hot Chocolate

Beverages, Chocolate, Christmas / Thursday, December 3rd, 2009

Last week, my sister took my nephew Jack to the store, and he decided to point out everything he wanted for Christmas. Robots. Action figures. Hot Wheels. Deodorant. So, Jenn reminded him that he’d have to write it all down in his letter to Santa. And Jack, who’s 5, was all, “I CAN’T WRITE!” So, he decided to stand in the middle of the toy aisle, like Saul on the road to Damascus, and lift his voice to the man in red, shouting with great conviction: “SANTA, I WANT THIS BIKE FOR CHRISTMAS! SANTA, LOOK! THESE LEGOS ARE COOL!”

Yes, Jenn tried to explain that you couldn’t pray to Santa, but Jack wasn’t having it. However, when she was Jack’s age, she used to flap her arms and try to fly off the hearth, so I think Jack’s doing OK.

Unfortunately, I don’t share Jack’s enthusiasm for Christmas shopping, so I made a pot of Chatham Candy Manor’s Peppermint Hot Chocolate to get me in the mood. I’d read that people on Cape Cod stand in line for it during the Christmas season – and I’m totally in love with all things chocolate and peppermint (like Trader Joe’s Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s, the peppermint meringue cake with chocolate buttercream on the cover of this month’s “Bon Appétit” and the Chocolate Peppermint Sandwich Cookies Joy the Baker posted this morning) – so I had to give the recipe a try.

First, you make the topping: peppermint-infused whipped cream peppered with crushed peppermint candies.

Then, you make the hot chocolate, flavoring it with peppermint and vanilla extracts.

Then you garnish it with … a candy cane! YES! MORE PEPPERMINT!

I don’t know whether I was on a chocolate-peppermint high or it was just the sugar rush, but after one cup, my heart grew three sizes and I sang along with The Muppets doing the “Twelve Days of Christmas.” By the end of the pot, I just might be talking to Santa.

Candy Manor Peppermint Hot Chocolate

Adapted from Lora Brody’s “Chocolate American Style”

Makes 4 to 6 servings

    Whipped Cream:

  • 1 cup (8 ounces) heavy cream, chilled
  • 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract (recommended: Boyajian)
  • 2 tablespoons crushed peppermint candy
    Hot Chocolate:

  • 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, grated
  • 1 quart (32 ounces) whole milk
  • 1/3 cup (3 ounces) sugar
  • 1/3 cup (3 ounces) boiling water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon peppermint extract (recommended: Boyajian)
  • Candy canes, garnish
  1. For the Whipped Cream: Place the cream, powdered sugar and peppermint extract in a chilled mixing bowl, and beat on high speed until soft peaks form. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the crushed candy. Refrigerate the whipped cream.
  2. For the Hot Chocolate: Place the chocolate in a 2 1/2-quart metal mixing bowl. Place the bowl over (but not touching) a pan of simmering water. (The bowl will seem large, but you need the space to mix in the milk.) Stir the chocolate occasionally with a rubber spatula.
  3. In the meantime, pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed 2-quart saucepan. Whisk in the sugar and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the milk begins to simmer and bubbles form around the edge. Turn off the heat.
  4. When the chocolate has melted, reduce the heat so the water under the pan barely simmers. Pour the 1/3 cup of boiling water into the melted chocolate, and whisk or beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Dribble in the hot milk mixture as you whisk. When the ingredients are well incorporated, remove the bowl from the water bath, and stir in the vanilla and peppermint.
  5. To serve, ladle the hot chocolate into mugs, and top with a generous dollop of the whipped cream. Garnish with a candy cane.

[ad name=”space”]

20 thoughts on “Candy Manor Peppermint Hot Chocolate”

  1. That is so funny! Our son has been begging us to take him to the Mall of America to buy logos, and I'm sure a scene like the one above would unfold if we did. At least the nice thing about Christmas is you can make Santa the "bad guy."

  2. I went after work and bought ingredients to make Joy's Chocolate Peppermint Sandwich Cookies. They look delicious. So does this hot chocolate…can't wait to try it!

  4. Hahaha. I love the story about your nephew. :) This recipe looks amazing. I'm within a reasonable driving distance of Cape Cod. While I can't see making the trek this year (currently very pregnant), I might put this on my list of "things to do during the holiday season" for next year. In the meantime, I'm totally stashing this recipe into my files. Thank you!

  5. This post had me smiling all the way from the title. The hot chocolate looks terrific-must be a lot richer and more decadent than the poor-girl's cocoa I make with cocoa powder and half water. Yummy!

  6. Earlier this week, I made peppermint oreo ice cream using crushed candy canes and candy cane jo jo's and at our annual Christmas party (tomorrow!), we always have peppermint schnaaps and bailey's spiked hot chocolate. We don't call it a peppermint patty, though; in college, it was an upside down shot of peppermint schnaaps with a squirt of chocolate syrup. Both get poured in your mouth and then you swish to mix. Oh, college. and Christmas!

  11. This is so up my alley – I love hot chocolate and have been having it as my dessert after dinner lately. Your version would definitely put me in the Christmas spirit! Cute blog!

  17. I do love peppermint…now what can be done about that chocolate part? Hmmm…maybe white chocolate. (BTW, my "e" is sticking today, so if you get posts that look strangely odd and "e" deficient, you will know that it is my lack of careful attention to proofreading my comments…or any proofreading whatsoever.)

  18. I am just randomly browsing through your great recipes today and I see this one about Chatham Candy Manor. My in-laws live in Chatham and we often go to the Candy Manor for bags of candy to take to the Friday night band concerts that are held in the Summer. We have never been to the Candy Manor in the off-season and I am putting it on our list of things to do when we head up there for Thanksgiving. Thanks for the recipe and the idea!

Comments are closed.