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This creamy, froth-topped Velvety Peppermint Mocha is my sugar-free take on the Starbucks holiday favorite! I blended in some good ol’ Bulletproof-style fats to create one of my Velvety THM Deep S drinks! These drinks are perfect for Fuel Cycles – or just any time you want to get your metabolism going.
As I said in the Peppermint Cheesecake Bars recipe I posted a few weeks ago, I have a pile of seasonally inappropriate recipes to share with you. 😛 Shall we continue with the peppermint theme? Christmas in April, how about it? I’m game!
When can I have this drink?
Since this drink does contain some protein, you can have it as a stand-alone snack. (You can also enjoy it as a dessert after a THM Deep S, regular S, or Fuel Pull meal.) Personally, I would use a drink like this for a snack most of the time because if I would drink it for breakfast or lunch when my body is expecting more of a main meal, my tummy would be rumbling in an hour. For a snack it’s perfect to tide me over – like between lunch and supper.
I probably wouldn’t use this as a meal on its own because it only contains 9 grams of protein AND as I said above, it wouldn’t be enough to hold me over for 3 hours. One other consideration: you need to be sure to get plenty of “real food” into your diet and not just rely on shakes and drinks for nutrition.
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A note on coffee…
I’m not a big coffee drinker so I like to make this Velvety Peppermint Mocha with a less strong coffee. When testing this recipe I made coffee using water and instant espresso powder, but you could substitute brewed coffee of your desired strength for the water and espresso powder if you prefer. I actually tried this recipe with Starbucks coffee that my husband brought home from work but it was too strong for me. Maybe it would be perfect for you!
Despite not being a coffee lover, I loved this creamy drink as written in the recipe below. Don’t worry, coffee snobs, it still has plenty of coffee flavor. (But maybe I’m not the best judge? Haha… Leave a comment if you make it and let me know how it fit your taste buds and if you made any tweaks! I love when people tweak my recipes to what they like!)
Looking for a non-coffee option? Try my Velvety Peppermint Sip!
Sweetness is key.
When I first tested this recipe I tried using 2 1/2 teaspoons of THM Super Sweet Blend to sweeten it, then had to add a doonk of stevia to make it sweet enough, but the concentrated sweeteners were a tad bitter when combined with the coffee and chocolate. I wanted to try some of my new Lakanto monkfruit sweetener and it really did a great job of sweetening this drink with a more rounded sweetness profile. (The Lakanto Classic 1:1 Sweetener supposedly measures like sugar. I have a hard time remembering how sugar measures so I can’t confirm or deny that…haha.) When testing the recipe the final time I used 2 tablespoons of the Classic Lakanto Sweetener and then added a teaspoon of Sweet Blend for some extra sweet oomph. The combination of the two sweeteners was delicious!
If you don’t have either of these sweeteners, just sweeten to taste with your favorite low-glycemic sweetener. Amounts will vary depending on the strength of your sweetener, so start small and just taste and add more until you get the right amount. Less concentrated sweeteners (like THM Gentle Sweet) will probably do better in this drink because of the bitter notes from the coffee and chocolate.
Monkfruit Sweeteners
Many people who are sensitive to the taste of stevia (or are allergic to it!) have found great success with monkfruit sweeteners! If you want to try some, Lakanto has some great options. (Please note: not all of their products are on plan for Trim Healthy Mamas.)
Peppermint Essential Oil vs. Peppermint Extract
Do your own research and make your own decision regarding ingesting essential oils. My friend Gwen has a good article about it HERE. I find that peppermint essential oil gives me a less toothpasty flavor than say, Watkins Peppermint Extract, but you’re welcome to use extract instead of the oil. You can easily add too much, so start with a small dash of extract and add more until you get your desired strength.
You may also enjoy:
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STARTING THM
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my recipe index
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recipe index by fuel type/allergy/theme
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all my velvety drink recipes
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all my peppermint recipes
As always, check out the Notes section of the recipe for extra info. Check out the links in and below the recipe to see the products I use and recommend. Some of the links included in the recipe and blog post are affiliate links, which means that if you make purchases through these links, I make a small commission (but your price doesn’t change).
My cookbooks Necessary Food and Convenient Food contain about 400 low-glycemic recipes each, separated by carbs and fats and free of refined sugar and flour (like all the recipes here on my website). I grew up on my momma’s good cooking, and the recipes in these books are mostly just old family favorites made healthy! Now that I’m married, I’m gravitating even more toward quick and easy, and my newest cookbook definitely reflects that! CLICK HERE to check out my cookbooks in more detail and purchase.
- 1⅓ cups water
- 2 teaspoons espresso instant coffee powder (I used Medaglia D'oro brand available from my local grocery store)
- ⅔ cup unsweetened cashew or almond milk
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- 2 tablespoons Lakanto Classic Monkfruit 1:1 Sugar Substitute (or more, to taste)
- 1 teaspoon THM Super Sweet Blend
- 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons refined coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons salted butter
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 drops peppermint essential oil (or peppermint extract to taste)
- Dash salt
- 2 tablespoons vanilla whey protein powder
- Combine the water, espresso powder, and nut milk in a large glass measuring cup and microwave for 3 minutes or until nearly boiling. (You could heat this in a saucepan on the stove if you prefer.)
- Add the rest of the ingredients, adding the protein powder right before blending, and blend with an immersion blender until smooth and emulsified. (You could also blend everything together in a regular blender but always be careful when blending hot liquids because a pressure build-up might occur.)
- Taste and adjust as desired. Feel free to add more sweetener or peppermint oil/extract! Blend after any additions. I like the drink even better after it cools off a bit; the flavors settle out. I like it topped with a dab of Reddi-wip (not dairy free)!
-Do your own research and make your own decision regarding ingesting essential oils. My friend Gwen has a good article about it HERE. I find that peppermint essential oil gives me a less toothpasty flavor than say, Watkins Peppermint Extract, but you're welcome to use extract instead of the oil. You can easily add too much, so start with a small dash of extract and add more until you get your desired strength.
-If you're dairy free, collagen would be a good substitute for the whey protein powder, but it won't make the drink quite as creamy.
-Looking for a non-coffee option? Try my Velvety Peppermint Sip!
Some products I used in this recipe:
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Delicious peppermint mocha!I wish I could purchase at a coffee shop!
Amazing!! Better then Starbucks 😁
This is heavenly!!! Thank you so much for this recipe. I used 1/4 tsp of peppermint and instant coffee, same measurements as listed.
Also I omitted the super sweet and used gentle sweet in lieu of the monkfruit. Perfect sweetness for me
This recipe is so warm, creamy and delightful that I had it twice today! I used fresh brewed coffee rather than the water and expressing powder. It makes a great stand alone breakfast or a great pick-me-up in the afternoon. Once again Briana proves herself to be the queen of THM drinks.