Drinks on Me: Mint Hot Chocolate (Non-Alcoholic)

Mint Hot Chocolate**

1/4 cup chilled heavy cream
4 tbsp. sugar
3 tbsp. Dutch process cocoa powder
4 cups milk
4 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped, plus 1/2
oz., shaved
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract

In a bowl, beat the cream and 1 tbsp. of the sugar until soft peaks form. Cover the whipped cream and refrigerate until ready to serve. In a small, heavy saucepan, combine the remaining 3 tbsp. sugar and the cocoa. Gradually whisk in the milk. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer, whisking frequently. Add the chopped chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Stir in the peppermint extract. Divide the hot chocolate among warmed mugs. Top each with a dollop of the whipped cream. Sprinkle with the shaved chocolate and serve immediately.

*Johnna's tip: Hot chocolate is the drink to cure your freezing body temperatures. We snagged this recipe from the Williams-Sonoma website while browsing the different hot beverage recipes. We love, love, love the Williams-Sonoma sweet ground hot chocolate which is what inspired us to post about a warm beverage today. When we get home from a long day, we just pour about a cup of milk in a small pot, heat to boiling, pour it in a mug with about 5 tbsp. of the W-S sweet ground, stir and...bliss. We love whipped cream but keeping in line with our New Years resolutions (*and the fact that we want a beach body this year...), we nixed it from our serving. Of course, you should indulge...try making the whipped cream from scratch, it's easy, Enjoy!

**Recipe source