Peppermint Mocha in a Mug
Cocoa, instant coffee, and a crushed candy cane. Winter camp caffeine that tastes like December.
- calories
- 380
- weight
- 3.2 oz
- cal / oz
- 119
- protein
- 7 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 4 min
- total time
- 6 min
- water
- 350 ml boiled
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Drink
- Dessert
- Canister stove
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Liquid fuel
- Campfire coals
- Winter / snow
- Car camping
- Backpacking
- Basecamp
- Vegetarian
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Full-fat milk powder | 3 tbsp | whole milk powder, not nonfat, for the fat |
|---|---|---|
| Unsweetened cocoa powder | 2 tbsp | |
| Sugar | 2 tbsp | |
| Instant coffee | 1 tbsp | espresso powder if you have it |
| Candy canes | 2 | crushed in the wrapper before the trip |
| Semisweet chocolate chips | 1 tbsp | |
| Salt | a pinch |
Method
- Boil 350 ml of water. Take it off the heat before you add anything or the milk powder will scorch on the pot bottom.
- Dump the premixed powder in and stir hard for thirty seconds. Cocoa clumps if you rush it.
- Add the chocolate chips and half the crushed candy cane. Stir until both are gone.
- Let it sit two minutes off the stove, then scatter the rest of the candy cane on top and drink it.
- Rinse the pot while it is still warm. Cold cocoa sludge does not come out.
The listicle version of this drink is a martini or a bundt cake, neither of which fits in a pack. What survives the translation is the pairing: peppermint against dark chocolate and coffee. All three of those ship as dry powder, which is the whole reason this works on a stove.
Whole milk powder is the ingredient people substitute and regret. Nonfat dissolves the same but the drink comes out thin, and fat is what carries the peppermint oil and keeps you warm for more than ten minutes. Crush the candy canes at home. Doing it in camp means either a rock or your teeth.
Packing
Milk powder, cocoa, sugar, coffee, and salt go in one snack bag per serving. Crushed candy cane and chocolate chips ride in a second bag so they stay dry and separate. In warm weather the chips will fuse into one lump, which is fine.
Variations
- Skip the coffee and it is straight peppermint cocoa for anyone who wants to sleep.
- A splash of whiskey or peppermint schnapps at camp if you are not moving again that night.
- Coconut milk powder in place of milk powder makes it dairy-free without losing the fat.
https://zenandhoney.com/peppermint-recipes