MMM-pepermint hot chocolate fun

We went to Denny's for Jordan's 10th birthday to get his free Grand Slam and I also bought him peppermint hot chocolate. It was so yummy, we have started making it ourselves and the kids think it is the most special treat ever! I also tried a peppermint mocha at Starbucks and so am making my own with basically the same stuff I use for this hot chocolate recipe (add espresso)- and the best part is that I can make about 20 of these for the price I would pay for 1 Venti Peppermint Mocha - gotta love it.

I know you can buy peppermint syrup, but we just bought a big tub of little candy canes and grind them in a coffee grinder (we used to smash them in a plastic bag and make a big mess - wish we had thought of the coffee grinder earlier). The kids think it is fun, I think it is cheaper and we can use the candy canes for other things.

What makes the kids think this is the bomb, is adding whip cream and sprinkles on top or tiny marshmallows and sprinkles. They feel like they are drinking a specialty drink from a coffee shop - great memories for just pennies.

You can also add this candy cane powder to vanilla ice cream to make peppermint ice cream - mmm.