Phenomenal Phoods

Peppermint Mocha and Other Holiday Syrups

Ingredients:

Peppermint Syrup

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 6-7 fresh mint leaves

Chocolate Syrup

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 3 ounces chopped semisweet chocolate
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder

White Chocolate Syrup

• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 4 ounces chopped white chocolate*

Nutella Syrup

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup Nutella

Maple Caramel Syrup

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water, divided
• 1/4 cup maple syrup

Gingerbread Syrup

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 3 whole cloves
• 3 whole allspice
• 4-5 thin slices fresh ginger
• Pinch of ground nutmeg

Peppermint Mocha

• 1 shot espresso or 1/3 cup strong brewed hot coffee
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon peppermint syrup (recipe above)
• 1 tablespoon chocolate syrup (recipe above)
• Whipped cream and crushed peppermint, for topping

Instructions:

Peppermint Syrup

1. Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Let boil for about 5 minutes to thicken. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove the syrup from the heat and add a handful of fresh mint leaves. Let steep for 15 minutes before straining.

Chocolate Syrup

1. Combine sugar, milk, cocoa powder and chopped chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat. Whisk constantly until chocolate is melted, and there are no cocoa powder lumps remaining. Do not let the mixture come to a boil as it will get too thick and cause the chocolate to separate. You just want it to come to a simmer.

White Chocolate Syrup

1. Combine brown sugar, milk and white chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat. Follow the same instructions for the chocolate syrup, making sure that the mixture does not come to a full boil. It is done once the chocolate is melted, and the mixture has just come to a simmer.

Nutella Syrup

1. Follow the same instructions for the chocolate and white chocolate syrups but with a mixture of sugar, milk and nutella.

Maple Caramel Syrup

1. Combine sugar with 1/4 cup of water in a small saucepan over low heat. Let cook, without stirring, until the sugar is dissolved. Turn heat up to medium and let the mixture boil until it turns a caramel/amber color. DO NOT STIR while this is happening. Once the color has changed, remove from the heat and carefully add the remaining 1/4 cup of water and 1/4 cup of maple syrup. The caramel will probably splatter a little as you do this so be very careful.

Gingerbread Syrup

1. Make a regular simple syrup as described above but substitute brown sugar for white sugar. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove the syrup from the heat and add cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice, ginger and nutmeg. Let steep for 15 minutes before straining.

Peppermint Mocha

1. Make your espresso or coffee and stir in the peppermint and chocolate syrup. Feel free to add more of the peppermint or chocolate if you like it extra sweet or chocolatey.
2. Meanwhile, warm the milk either in a small saucepan or in the microwave. If you've got an espresso machine, you can also just use the milk steaming/frothing option there. Other ways to froth your milk include using a handheld milk frother, or you can put the warm milk in a sealed jar and shake it up for 30 seconds.
3. Pour warmed and frothed milk over the espresso mixture. Top with whipped cream and crushed peppermint to serve.