Name: Skinny Peppermint Mocha Latte Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1/4 cup 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate (chopped); 3 1/2 cups nonfat skim milk (divided); 1 1/2 tablespoons instant espresso powder; 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract; 1/2 teaspoon pure peppermint extract (more or less to taste); 1 pinch salt; 2 1 g packets stevia/erythritol blend (more or less to taste; see Note)

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This Skinny Peppermint Mocha Latte Recipe is deliciously festive with just 149kcals per serving!

Chilly afternoons in December call for festive homemade lattes the way birthdays call for cake. And the way peas are good with carrots, and bread is great with butter.

They just go.

Speaking of the perfect pair, peppermint and chocolate is another great combo, especially when it comes to holiday flavors.

Gingerbread and eggnog are some of my personal festive favorites (here’s my recipe for Gingerbread Syrup for making homemade gingerbread lattes). However, the peppermint + chocolate flavor combination ranks pretty high for me too. Additionally, this is what my niece always asks me for, so this recipe is for her.

Amid all the seasonal indulgence, it’s good to have a lighter, but still decadent-tasting treat in your arsenal for those days when nothing less than something sweet will do.

Best Type of Milk for a Latte

If you’re wondering about the best type of milk for frothing or making latte art, you might be surprised at the answer!

I used skim milk to help put the skinny in my Skinny Peppermint Mocha Latte Recipe, but it serves a double purpose. Because of its higher protein content, skim milk also happens to be the best kind of milk for making milk foam. In this lightened-up latte recipe, milk foam replaces whipped cream on top.

Pro Tip: The higher protein content of skim milk (instead of whole milk) makes skim milk better for making milk foam.

How to Froth Milk or Make Milk Foam

If you’ve never made milk foam at home before, let me tell you just how easy it is to do. I didn’t even know it could be done until a couple years ago when my mom made me the best chocolate cappuccino ever at home. And it was topped with a gorgeous layer of milk foam!

There are tons of online tutorials, but in my recipe below I use The Kitchn’s method for making milk foam because it’s super easy and doesn’t require any specialized equipment. So get foaming!

The easiest way to froth milk at home:

Add 1/2 cup milk (preferably skim milk) to a pint-sized glass jar.
Put the lid on and shake vigorously until doubled in volume, about 30 to 60 seconds.
Uncover the jar and microwave until warm but not hot, about 30 seconds.

Starbucks Peppermint Mocha

The peppermint mocha coffee based drink at Starbucks is always a seasonal favorite. According to Starbucks website, this drink has: Starbucks signature Espresso Roast, steamed milk, sweet mocha sauce, and peppermint-flavored syrup, topped with whipped cream and dark chocolate curls.

Skinny Peppermint Mocha Starbucks

The “skinny” version of this popular drink uses sugar free peppermint flavored syrup. However, Starbucks discontinued this syrup, supposedly due to a lack of popularity (check out this tweet thread).

The good news is that it’s easy to make a Skinny Peppermint Mocha Latte right at home!

Starbucks Peppermint Mocha Calories

According to Starbucks website, one of their “tall” (12 ounce) Peppermint Mocha has the following nutrition information:

350 calories
13g fat
48g total carbohydrates
3g fiber
10g protein

More Festive Chocolate + Peppermint Treats:

Did you make this recipe? Please rate it and leave a comment below because I love hearing from you! You can also tag @anediblemosaic on social media. To stay up-to-date FOLLOW ME on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Xoxo, Faith

Skinny Vanilla-Peppermint Mocha Lattes on Vintage Wooden Tray with Vintage Spoons

Skinny Peppermint Mocha Latte Recipe

This Skinny Peppermint Mocha Latte Recipe is deliciously festive with just 149kcals per serving!

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Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Servings: servings

Calories: 149kcal

Author: Faith Gorsky

Ingredients

▢ 1/4 cup 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chopped
▢ 3 1/2 cups nonfat skim milk divided
▢ 1 1/2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
▢ 1/2 teaspoon pure peppermint extract more or less to taste
▢ 1 pinch salt
▢ 2 1 g packets stevia/erythritol blend more or less to taste; see Note

Instructions

Melt the chocolate in a microwave or double boiler.
Heat 3 cups of milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until steaming and starting to bubble around the outside.
Whisk the melted chocolate, espresso powder, vanilla, peppermint, sea salt, and stevia/erythritol packets into the milk in the saucepan and heat until bubbling around the outside, whisking occasionally.
Add the remaining 1/2 cup milk to a pint-sized glass jar; put the lid on and shake vigorously until doubled in volume, about 30 to 60 seconds. Uncover the jar and microwave until warm, but not hot, about 30 seconds.
Pour the mocha into 4 mugs; top each with milk foam and serve.

Helpful Tips

Stevia or Other Sweetener: Instead of stevia, you can use any sweetener you like in this recipe, such as maple syrup, honey, etc. Here is a guideline on how sweet 1 packet of stevia is: the amount of stevia in 1 packet measures 1/2 teaspoon, which is about as sweet as 2 to 3 teaspoons of regular sugar.
I use Medaglia D’Oro espresso powder, and for the biggest savings I like to buy it in bulk on Amazon. It’s also available in a 2 oz jar if you just want to try it out. Just a little bit of it adds another delicious level of flavor and complexity to baked goods and quick drinks!

Nutrition

Tried this recipe?Mention @anediblemosaic or tag #anediblemosaic!

:: GIVEAWAY ::

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you probably realized that I love Chocoley chocolate (check out my recipes for Deluxe Cake Batter Fudge and Grain-Free Salted Dark Chocolate Cookies that both feature Chocoley). I’m excited to be able to share this chocolate with you!

Chocoley is giving away 3 (2 lb) bags of their Indulgence Ultra Couverture Dipping and Enrobing Chocolate (Semi-Sweet Dark) to 3 different winners! (Thank you, Chocoley!)

To participate in this giveaway, just leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite way to eat chocolate.

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You do not need to have a blog to enter this giveaway. For shipping purposes, this giveaway is only open to U.S. residents. This giveaway ends on December 17, 2014 at 11:59 PM EST. Once the giveaway ends, the winner will be randomly chosen and notified via email. The winner will have three business days to respond with his or her mailing information, otherwise a new winner will be randomly chosen. Good luck to all!

Disclosure: Chocoley is providing the prize for this giveaway; as always, opinions stated are my own. This post contains Amazon affiliate links to products I believe in, which means that even though it doesn’t cost you anything extra, I will receive a small amount of money from the sale of these items, which helps me keep this site alive – thank you for helping to support An Edible Mosaic!