Peppermint Chocolate Smoothie

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As a part of Williams-Sonoma's Smoothie Week, I was asked to create a fun and unique beverage for their "Not Your Typical Smoothie" campaign. Peppermint chocolate combinations are all the rage during the holiday season, so that's what I decided to go with. I see that combo everywhere...all the local coffee chains, in the candy aisle of my grocery store and now? In a smoothie.

Who can mess up a smoothie? You just toss a bunch of stuff into a blender, add some ice to make it thick and frothy and delicious, then you're done. Who can mess it up? Me, that's who. First of all, too much mint is a bad thing. A really, really bad thing. I must have forgotten how powerful mint leaves are because my first drink was total mint overload. So gross. But after scaling that back a little, I was on the right track. I also ended up needing more chocolate, because even though the mint flavor was tamed down, the chocolate needed to be spruced up big time so that it was the star of the smoothie (plus, you can't go wrong with lots of chocolate)! One thing I've learned is that trial and error are okay when in the kitchen :)

This smoothie is perfect for the holidays. It's thick, frothy, chocolaty and has just a hint of mint. My favorite part is the candy cane rim since it compliments the smoothie and adds some texture. Kids will love this drink just as much as adults. The VitaMix blender works perfectly for this recipe, so if you don't have one, it's not too late to ask for one this holiday season :) Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients
Makes 2 servings

• 1 cup milk
• 2 small mint leaves
• 4 tbsp. dry hot chocolate mix
• 2-3 cups ice
• 1 candy cane
• 1 tbsp. agave syrup
• Mint leaves, for serving (optional)

In a small saucepan, add the milk and mint leaves over medium heat. Heat until just about to boil then remove from the heat. Add the hot chocolate mix and stir to combine. Set aside for 20-30 minutes or until cooled.

In a blender, add cooled hot chocolate mixture. Add 2 cups of ice and blend. Slowly add the remaining 1 cup ice, or until it reaches the consistency you prefer.

Put the candy cane in a ziplock bag. Crush with a rolling pin.

Put agave nectar on a small place. Put crushed candy cane on a separate plate. Take two coffee mugs and put the rim on the place with the agave and swirl until fully coated. Then dip into the candy cane pieces until they stick to the rim and it is fully coated.

Pour the peppermint chocolate mixture into the prepared coffee mugs. Garnish with mint leaves, if desired.

Source: SK Original