Saturday, December 19, 2009

Christmastime Caffeine


Nothing says Chistmas quite like a hot, pepperminty mocha in a red Starbucks cup. It's just missing one thing: crushed candy cane on top! The chocolate curls are devine... but they just don't seal the deal. As an ammature barista myself ( Santa gave me an espresso machine last Christmas), I think I've gone and created that perfect holiday drink. Mmm, mmm good. As I sip on this tasty treat I thought a fitting blog post would be to share this heavenly creation. Ok, it's really not that hard to create, but it's tasty and doesn't require any fancy ingredients or syrups that you need to purchase.

To make one steaming delicious mug of Jen's Candy Cane Mocha Latte:

1. Prep your favourite Christmas mug with 1 tblsp of chocolate sauce (hershey's, nesquik...whatever you've got), a teaspoon of splenda or sugar (if you like your lattes sweet), and a couple drops of peppermint extract (the little clear bottles with the orange cap that most extracts come in). Turn your espresso maker on so it can heat up while you're doing this.

2. Put a full unwrapped candy cane into a ziplock bag. Use the flat side of a meat tenderizer to crush the candy cane in the bag.

3. Brew yourself a double shot of espresso (if you don't have an espresso machine, you could try this with hot chocolate or coffee). Add your espresso to your Christmas cup, and stir to mix in the chocolate sauce, splenda and extract.

4. Steam your milk. Make lots of foam for the top. Pour your steamed frothy milk over your mixture in your Christmas cup. Using the ziplock bag, sprinkle the enitre candy cane onto your latte. Yes, that's right, the whole thing. Why? Because candy canes are delicious and you can never have enough. This way some of the pieces will sink to the bottom and give you a little surprise when you sip your last sip. For an extra exciting touch, toss a hershey's kiss in the bottom, and top with whipped cream. Enjoy by the fire, and try not to think about the calorie content. It is Christmas, so calories don't count...right?



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