Hello and welcome to the Christmas after-season! This is the time when you attempt (usually unsuccessfully) to get rid of all that extra leftover food and candy. This is an easy solution on how to get rid of all those candy canes! Try out this easy Peppermint Mocha to sum up the holiday season! Enjoy, and don't forget to like the video and subscribe to my YouTube channel @joshpancooking :P Thanks!!

*Note: This recipe requires an espresso maker and milk steamer. If you don't have an espresso machine, you can use strongly brewed coffee and heat your milk on the stove instead.

Step 1: Gather Your Ingredients

The ingredients for this recipe are...

A dollop or two of whipped cream (from heavy cream)
1 0.75 oz packet of hot cocoa mix
2 standard candy canes
2 shots of espresso (or about 4-6 oz of strongly brewed coffee)
1/2 cup of cold milk (any type, including almond or soy)

Step 2: Whip the Heavy Cream

Pour out a bit heavy cream (just a few spoonfuls is fine, enough to have some room for whisking), and use a hand mixer with a whisk attachment to whip your cream to stiff peaks. Put your whipped cream in a refrigerator until ready to use.

Step 3: Prepare the Crushed Candy Cane

Unwrap one candy cane and stick it in a plastic seal-able bag. Push out all the air from the bag, and fold it a couple times. On a non-damageable surface (ie. ground outside, hard stone surface, carpet, etc.) use a heavy object like a hammer or meat tenderizer to crush your candy cane. Make sure the candy is crushed as finely as possible. Then, run the crushed candy through a sieve to remove large particles (the particles should be separated about half and half).

Step 4: Prepare a Cup

Pull out a large cup. The size doesn't have to be very exact. Pour in your finely crushed candy cane (about half of the cane) along with your packet of instant cocoa powder (0.75 oz). Mix the two together, and set aside.

Step 5: Prepare the Espresso

Now, go ahead and brew your two shots of espresso (if you don't have espresso, use strongly brewed coffee). Immediately pour your two shots into your cup, and mix to dissolve the cocoa and candy cane.

Step 6: Prepare the Milk

Pour out a bit of milk (about 1/2 cup) into a frothing cup, and use a milk steamer to steam the milk. You can use any sort of milk. If you don't have a milk steamer, simply heat it up on a stove. Immediately pour your milk into the cup, and scoop the foam on top of the mixture.

Step 7: Final Preparations

Pull out your whipped cream and scoop a few spoonfuls onto your mocha (however much you want). Sprinkle the top with a bit of your large bits of candy cane, and stick in your other candy cane (unwrapped) for decoration.

Step 8: Enjoy!

And that's it!!

If this video/Instructable was helpful, please <3 it, and subscribe. Also, find me on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, and YouTube @joshpancooking. The greatest gift to me would be if everyone subscribed to my YouTube Channel. Well, thanks for your time, and I shall see you all soon. Goodbye!