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

Skinny Peppermint Mocha Recipe
Ingredients
1/4 cup lowfat milk
1/4 cup coffee
1 tablespoon dark chocolate syrup
1 drop peppermint extract
Instructions
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!
Nutrition Facts
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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