'Tis The Season of The Peppermint Mocha: Snack Girl's Skinny Solution

Skinny Peppermint Mocha Latte

November 9, 2011   21 Comments

Dear Starbucks and McDonald's - Why do you insist on derailing our efforts to consume less during the holidays with these alluring drinks?

I have a pal who is ADDICTED to the Starbucks Egg Nog Latte - and her Facebook page reads like a love letter to Starbucks. Okay, I get it, the weather is getting crappy and we need to survive with our hot milk and sugar tasty treats!

The peppermint mocha at both chains has made its appearance and, no, I didn't try it. I know that if I cross that line, I won't be able to drive by either one without braking hard.

Instead, I decided to get creative and make my own because a small peppermint mocha at McDonald's has 260 calories (7 Points+). If you ask for non-fat milk and no whipped cream, you get 170 calories (5 Points+) which is about like eating 3 medium sized cookies.

I picked up some peppermint extract and dark chocolate syrup from the supermarket and after about 5 tries - I got it right. I was a bit buzzed from drinking so much coffee but I managed to get to sleep at 3 AM.

The key here is portion size. I couldn't get it to work unless I made one that was about 1/2 cup in size. You just need too much chocolate if you make a bigger one to get the right ratio of flavors.

Also, you need the teeniest, tiniest drop of peppermint extract. I poured too much in the first time and my peppermint mocha tasted like toothpaste. ARGH! I would even recommend using a medicine dropper if you have one.

I used a milk frother (see below) to get the milk all bubbly. You don't need an espresso maker to make this drink - and you can skip frothing the milk if that is just too fancy for you.

Have you tried to make any of the Christmas drinks at home?

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Skinny Peppermint Mocha Recipe

1/4 cup lowfat milk
1/4 cup coffee
1 tablespoon dark chocolate syrup
1 drop peppermint extract

Brew some coffee and heat milk in microwave until hot. Mix chocolate syrup and peppermint extract into coffee. Foam milk with milk frother or just pour hot milk into cup. Sit down and enjoy!

79 calories, 0.8 g fat, 15.2 g carbohydrates, 2.5 g protein, 0 g fiber, 42 mg sodium, 2 Points+

Points values are calculated by Snack Girl and are provided for information only. See all Snack Girl Recipes

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First 20 Comments: [ see all 21 ]

I would LOVE if anyone out there has a homemade recipe to rival the Starbucks Caramel Frappachino or the Cariboo Coffee Caramel drink. Something that is PointsPlus friendly!! Please share if you have a recipe! Thanks!!

on November 9, 2011

Truly, I used to just get the Peppermint Mochas because I liked the minty aspect of it. I quickly learned that I can replace those with a lightly sweetened mint tea and achieve the same thing.

on November 9, 2011

My absolute favorite is the Salted Caramel Mocha but not sure hot to get the same taste for less points.

on November 9, 2011

My go to sub for breakfast when time is tight (you can mix dry ingredients night before):
1/4 oz tera's vanilla whey powder, 2 tsp Sharffen Berger ubsweetened cocoa powder, 1/4 tsp simply organic cinnamon powder (less gritty in drinks than other brands), NuNaturals NuStevia nocarbs blend to taste, Heat 1/3 cup Blue diamond Original unsweetened almond Breeze (40 cal/cup) microwave for one min, wisk in dry ingredients add 1/2 cup hot strong coffee and enjoy, I usually have 2 of these-good idea to add peppermint, will try that. 55 cal, 8 gm protein, 2 gm fat, 3 gm carb. In this drink, there is the following benefits- good amount of whey protein, anitoxidents from cocoa, and the blood sugar leveling properties of cinnamon. The mix can even be taken to a coffee shop and added to a nf or soy latte.

on November 9, 2011

You think that's bad??! Locally, we have a couple of establishments that sell egg nog daiquiris. They are TDF!

Thanks for the skinny versions. I ordered the frother and plan to give it a try.

on November 9, 2011

Thankfully I don't have a problem with these drinks. I don't drink coffee, even coffee disguised as a dessert!

on November 9, 2011

Just had the Skinny Peppermint Mocha from Starbucks on Saturday. Which they claim is 120 calories for the small.

on November 9, 2011

I just got a great deal for Dunkin' Donuts Mocha Mint Coffee. That was enough for us with some creamer in it. May have one of the specialty ones on our Thanksgiving and Christmas trips!

on November 9, 2011

I like the Dunkin Donunts Mocha Mint (ground) coffee too! Found it at Target a few weeks ago on sale but it was sold out the next time I was there. I confess that the red Starbucks cups do draw me in this time of year for a peppermint mocha (I am a marketer's dream - stuff like that really sucks me in!). But I usually think they put too much chocolate in. Thanks for the recipe for the skinny version!

on November 9, 2011

You could probably bump your milk/coffee mixture to a full cup if you supplemented the original recipe with some unsweetened cocoa powder. It wouldn't be terribly sweet, but you'd still have that nice chocolate-mint flavor!

on November 9, 2011

That look amazing! I just figured out how to deal with birthday cake! The sugar-free cake mixes from Pillsbury are good. However, the sugar-free frostings are still too high in calories and will make you smell very hard to be around, if you know what I mean. Take jello sugar-free mousse and "frost" each cupcake. YUMMM!! Kid-tested, mother-approved.

on November 11, 2011

If you have a Tassimo you can add CoffeeMate sugar free Peppermint Mocha creamer:) I make mine with a cappucino milk and 1tbl. of the creamer, 2 pts! If you do not have the Tassimo I am sure coffee with the sugar free CoffeeMate would be just as satisfying.

on November 13, 2011

Yesterday when I was shopping at Aldi I saw Mint Mocha Coffee Creamer, which I bought. I've been trying to avoid creamer since I started WW last week, but I figured that a tablespoon of creamer might be a good reward for winter days when driving past the Starbucks and McDonalds on the way to work is so hard.

on November 14, 2011

Instead of chocolate syrup I did 1/2 TBSP cocoa powder and about 10 drops of chocolate flavored stevia sweetner. Stevia is slightly pricey but very concentrated and its all natural. Tastes great!!

on December 1, 2011

I found you through SlenderKitnchen.com (www.slenderkitchen.com) I love this recipe for Peppermint Mocha. So simple yet so tasty! my husband is up for a treat tonight, perfect for a cold winter night. Thanks for sharing this!

on December 5, 2011

Okay, because I am someone who is obsessed with these yummy chocolatey expresso drinks, I have been thinking about this post A LOT.

Here's my thought: you say a small McDonald's Peppermint Mocha is 7 PointsPlus or 5 PointsPlus if you order non-fat milk and no whipped cream. It's 12 ounces.

The recipe for the Skinny Peppermint Mocha is 4 ounces for 2 points, but if I make a 12 ounce serving it's 6 points (I double checked in the points calculator hoping it would be less for a larger serving. No dice.). Also, you say a small McDonalds Mocha with low fat milk and no whipped cream is 170 calories - the same size of this recipe is 237 calories.

So really, what's skinny about this recipe? It seems to have a very similar point value to McDonald's ounce for ounce. And I'm saving weekly points so I can have one this weekend. :D

on December 15, 2011

@Crystal - great analysis! I think what I am trying to do here is to get it to taste better than the McD's version. I think fat is a good thing to have in the drink for flavor - this is completely subjective on my part.
I think your knowledge of this subject is going to lead to a very healthy lifestyle! You got it down!

on December 16, 2011

Thanks, Snack Girl! I don't think I'm very knowledgable, just slightly ADDICTED to the iced mocha.

I am DYING to try your egg nog, because I've missed egg nog so much this season that I've been driven to tears on several occasions. :D

on December 19, 2011

*hint hint* egg nog *hint hint*

on December 19, 2011

Omg! coould this post be better?? thanks for the wonderful recipe i'll definitely try!! thank you!

on January 10, 2012

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