Hot Chocolate...but Cooler :0)

The Inspiration...

           Sip. Gulp. Sip. Gulp. Ahhhhhhh...Nothing better than a nice warm cup of hot chocolate on a cold overcast morning. (I know...Summer time is hot, but not where I'm vacationing this week, we have GREAT Hot Chocolate drinking weather :0)I always wait a few minutes after I whip up my cup so that my eager gulp of cocoa doesn't wind up burning every taste bud in my mouth. So in a way, I guess I'm not really having a cup of "Hot Chocolate" but more of a cup of "Warm, almost cold Chocolate", I know what your thinking... How can you drink hot chocolate like that? Well, you will find that I am a "One of a kind" or in other words an "Odd Ball" (Just wait, I'll grow on you :0) Don't worry... a cooled off cup of hot chocolate isn't what I mean when I talk about a "Cooler" cup of hot chocolate. My idea is MUCH better than that!

        Now... If you get to reading this recipe and decide hot chocolate isn't the drink for you, you can always switch out hot chocolate for coffee, my younger sister tried out the coffee version and said it tasted just as great, I'm not as much of a coffee drinker as she is, so I left the coffee test to her. Find which drink you like best, and enjoy the delicious change!

       If you are looking to print this recipe, I have put all of the directions and ingredients all together toward the way bottom of the blog, without all of the pictures so it is more easy to print :0) Hope it helps!

The Recipe...

          For this recipe, I was looking around the hotel kitchen and found something that I thought would be great! Something that I thought would taste AMAZING and give a normal cup of hot chocolate a little minty twist! We had a few left over snacks from the road trip over here, and I decided this little candy would be even better than a swirl of a candy cane that you use around Christmas time! Ready for it... My secret ingredient was...

 Yep!! Junior Mints, can you say YUUUUUUMMY!!! The creamy mint melts into the steaming hot chocolate giving it a hint of mint, and a wonderful smell, not to mention the delicious chocolate around the Junior Mint that melts into the drink too!

For this Recipe, you will need...

• 1 microwavable safe coffee cup (Filled with water)
• 1 package of Swiss miss Hot Chocolate Mix (or any other hot chocolate mix you can find)
•  A few Junior Mints
• Optional: mini marshmallows for topping

Step 1: Put the microwavable safe coffee cup filled with water into the microwave for about 45-60 seconds, until the water is boiling hot, or steam is coming out (You know what to do, you have made hot chocolate before :0)

Step 2: Once the water is hot enough, immediately pour the hot chocolate powder into the water so the dehydrated chocolate turns into hot cocoa, don't go anywhere, step 3 is very important during this time period too!

Step 3: While the hot chocolate is still hot and steamy, preferably right after you stir the hot chocolate mix into the hot water, drop 1-3 Junior Mints into the hot chocolate, just to get the minty light flavor into the hot chocolate. (I used 1 junior mint for my cup)

Step 4: Optional- I have found that putting the mini marshmallows in the hot chocolate while it's hot makes the hot chocolate even better because the marshmallows soak up the cocoa, but I have found that some people like their marshmallows in their cocoa right before they drink it, so what ever you like best, go for it, it's your hot chocolate!

Step 5: ENJOY!!!

Junior Mint Hot Chocolate:

Ingredients:

1 microwavable safe coffee cup (Filled with water)

1 package of Swiss miss Hot Chocolate Mix (or any other hot chocolate mix you can find)

 A few Junior Mints

Optional: mini marshmallows for topping

Directions:

1. Put the microwavable safe coffee cup filled with water into the microwave for about 45-60 seconds, until the water is boiling hot, or steam is coming out (You know what to do, you have made hot chocolate before :0)
2. Once the water is hot enough, immediately pour the hot chocolate powder into the water so the dehydrated chocolate turns into hot cocoa, don't go anywhere, step 3 is very important during this time period too!
3. While the hot chocolate is still hot and steamy, preferably right after you stir the hot chocolate mix into the hot water, drop 1-3 Junior Mints into the hot chocolate, just to get the minty light flavor into the hot chocolate. (I used 1 junior mint for my cup)
4. Optional- I have found that putting the mini marshmallows in the hot chocolate while it's hot makes the hot chocolate even better because the marshmallows soak up the cocoa, but I have found that some people like their marshmallows in their cocoa right before they drink it, so what ever you like best, go for it, it's your hot chocolate!
5. ENJOY!!