It has been a long week over here. Poor little Juliette has the flu, Kevin has been working late almost every night, and I’m just glad that we made it to Friday. You better believe that I’ve been sipping on this slow cooker peppermint hot cocoa to get me through the week! I absolutely love hot chocolate, and pairing it with peppermint makes it even more festive for the Christmas season.
On Christmas Eve, we go to an early mass and come home for a delicious dinner of German food. After putting the kids to bed, we watch the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” while eating Christmas cookies and drinking hot cocoa. With a recipe like this slow cooker peppermint hot cocoa, I can set it up before we go to church and it’s ready when we want to drink it! You can cook it on low for 4 hours or on high for 2 hours; it’ll be delicious either way!
The secret to making homemade hot cocoa taste just as good as what you would buy at a fancy coffee shop is sweetened condensed milk. It adds both the creaminess and sweetness that you’re looking for and tastes better than any overpriced hot cocoa you could buy. If you’re looking to mix up the flavor profile of this, you can leave out the peppermint extract and double the vanilla extract, or even substitute the peppermint extract for orange for a citrusy twist!
This is a treat the whole family can enjoy and makes enough to serve a crowd! Hope you enjoy!
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 6 cups milk (I used whole milk)
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. peppermint extract
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup water
- Marshmallows, whipped cream, and/or crushed candy canes for topping (optional)
- Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker and whisk well.
- Set your slow cooker to low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours. When it's done, you may notice a thin film of chocolate on the top. Just whisk again before serving and it will be delicious!
- Serve topped with marshmallows or whipped cream and crushed candy canes, if desired.
- Enjoy!
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