Hint of Mint Chocolate Milk

My dad used to make my sister and I cold cereal for breakfast most mornings. ย He’d spoon some brown sugar into a small bowl, add Life Cereal (remember that goodness!?), and top the cereal with milk. ย My sister and I would sit in the breakfast nook watching I Love Lucy (or The Andy Griffith Show on a bad day) and enjoy our cereal. ย Easy and regular and somehow super special.

I’d try to rush my way through the cereal before it got too soggy. ย Always a race against time. ย The best part of cereal was always the final spoonfuls of milk steeped with the brown sugar that lived at the bottom of the bowl. ย I loved finding those sweet pockets of brown sugar.

I think I’m looking for those sweet pockets all through life. ย They’re not really that hard to find…. especially when you put way too much minty chocolate syrup at the bottom of your chocolate milk glass. ย See what I did there? ย Sweet pockets.

For a hot version of Chocolate Milk, see: Cinnamon Infused Hot Chocolate.

Chocolate milk is about more than just mixing cocoa powder with milk. ย Oooh no. ย We need to fancy it up a bit.

Cocoa powder is combined with brown sugar and granulated sugar. ย Water to make it all a syrup. ย Salt to balance the sweetness. ย Pure vanilla extract for depth, and a dash of mint extract because it’s winter and peppermint is extra pretty in chocolate.

I used two different types of cocoa powder because it’s what I had on hand. ย I used natural cocoa powder and a black onyx cocoa powder. ย Use whatever you have that makes you happy.

The mixture is whisked and boiled for about 10 minutes. ย The chocolate becomes deep, dark, and bubbly hot. ย Not exactly what you might think when you picture cold chocolate milk, but we’ll get there!

Once the syrup is boiled and thickened, it’s rested and cooled. ย It’s sort of like making hot fudge for milk. ย I mean… just imagine how good that is. ย Ps. ย REALLY GOOD, in case your imagination fails you.

A heaping spoonful of chocolate syrup is stirred together with milk. ย The result is creamy chocolate milk with just a tiny hint of mint. ย So satisfying. ย Add a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and we’ll be best friends forever and ever.

My very favorite part is the collected chocolate at the bottom of the glass. ย Life is sweet.

In other news… can you believe that I executed this entire blog post without the use of a single paper straw. ย Food blog miracle.

Hint of Mint Chocolate Milk

adapted from With Style and Grace

makes about 1 1/2 cups chocolate sauce

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3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used natural cocoa powder and black onyx cocoa powder)

pinch of salt

1 cup water

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon pure peppermint extract

whole or reduced fat cow’s milk, soy milk, or almond milk

In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugars, cocoa powder, and salt. ย Place saucepan over low heat and add water. ย Whisk until thoroughly combined and no lumps remain.

Bring the chocolate mixture to a low boil, whisking frequently. Whisk for 8 to 10 minutes, until mixture is thickened.

Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla and peppermint extracts. ย Allow to cool to room temperature.

Transfer to an airtight jar and refrigerate until ready to use.

To make chocolate milk, stir together 2 tablespoons of chocolate syrup per one cup of cold milk. ย Stir and enjoy!

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49 Responses

  1. I would have allowed one of those fancy pants stainless steel straws, BUT when drinking chocolate milk, the milk mustache is key to the experience.

  2. I make chocolate syrup constantly so I can have homemade mocha fraps almost every morning. On the weekends, I use that chocolate syrup to make my son chocolate milk and he loves it – seemingly more than the boxed ones. I know he would love a version infused with mint. Lovely idea. And cereal! I used to eat frosted flakes with extra sugar – believe it or not! And my favorite part was getting, yes, racing for that crunch and then the last bit of sugary milk at the end. I was just telling my husband about that (again) the other day! Good stuff…

  3. Omg! And I’ve never heard of putting brown sugar in the bottom of a cereal bowl, but now I want to! And I bought LIFE cereal a few months ago just to feel nostalgic. Good good stuff.
    I LOVE that you got the two tones of chocolate in one glass. My husband would die for this because he still drinks a glass of chocolate milk as a treat at night :)

  4. The pictures of this are stunning! I will be making this tomorrow when I am less influenced by Chablis :) You are a true inspiration. Your post “The days run away” profoundly changed my life. Thank you for sharing all your beautiful thoughts and for inspiring others to challenge themselves. And, as a yummy aside, your pie crust tutorial helped me overcome my fear of dough. My family is gracious!

  5. I would do that with cereal, but it was with Corn Flakes. Something about Corn Flakes and brown sugar made me unbelievably happy.
    This looks so good. I love the mint and chocolate combo!

  6. This is my dream chocolate milk. Also-ly, I’ve always liked cold chocolate much more than hot, and rarely see recipes for it. Thank you!

  7. I was curious to know approximately how long it would keep. Maybe I’m being overly optimistic about needing the answer to this!
    Also, I can’t agree more about cereal racing. Mushy cereal is just terrible.

  8. Oh this looks amazing! I loved adding more chocolate syrup than needed because I loved slurping up the chocolatey remains. :)

  9. I still eat Life cereal on a regular basis. Also chocolate milk, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. What I mean to say is, sweet pockets are what it’s all about, and I think you’re living right!

  10. Oh wow. I have many sweet pockets in my life, more like a vein of gold running through every day, if only I am wise enough to allow it to shine through. One of the biggest sweet things is my boyfriend, and oh my would he love this chocolate milk :)
    One sweet thing satisfied by another :) Thanks Joy.

  11. Joy I’ve never left a comment before, so here goes! Have loved your blog for years, but after your Uganda posts, I love it even more. Thank you for sharing another side of who you are and what you are passionate about. It was beyond inspirational. Keep up the great work!

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