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
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!
49 Responses
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.
This sounds awesome… ? I really need to try it out.
My mother does mint cocoa a bit different, so this would be quite interesting to test.
I’m actually drooling all over my face – ps I second “food blog miracle bahaha”
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…
So glad I just found your blog!!! Everything you have posted looks delicious!!!!
https://ncolesnotes.blogspot.com
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 :)
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!
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!
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!
Cant wait to try out this recipe! Looks amazing. I may even add some whipped cream to this bad boy.
ameasureofblush.blogspot.co.uk
oh my GOd! Delish. i would have never known about adding salt to this!! thanks
I read this with a full glass of my favorite wine and now I want chocolate mint milk. Amazing!!
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.
Oh this looks amazing! I loved adding more chocolate syrup than needed because I loved slurping up the chocolatey remains. :)
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!
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.
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!
i appreciate you so much!
This chocolate milk looks so good! The touch of mint makes it more exciting.
oooh!! I love what you did with the hint of mint – I’m definitely doing this with the next batch. loves ~ xo
Oh yum! I would be sticking my face in the glass to get every last bit of chocolate out.
one of the photos isn’t showing up! just thought i’d let you know
Thank you! I’ll check it out.