Kat's Kitchen

One thing about me, is I am a cold brew fanatic! I used to be team iced latte all the way, but this entire year, I have been all about cold brew. So although I do love a good Peppermint Mocha, my heart belongs to the Starbucks Peppermint Chocolate Cream Cold Brew!

This drink has a delicious chocolate peppermint cold brew base with a sweet and creamy cold foam that just takes this drink to the next level. Let’s dive into the ingredients so you can make your own version at home this year, and maybe it’ll become your new seasonal favorite!

Ingredients You’ll Need:

Full measurements for each ingredient can be found on the recipe card at the bottom of the recipe.

Peppermint Syrup: I love the Torani Peppermint Syrup or the Peppermint Bark Sauce for an easy store-bought version! You could also make your own Homemade Peppermint Syrup with peppermint extract, sugar, and water. Making it at home is super easy and you can have a big batch ready to go for the week in about 10 minutes! Feel free to use a sugar substitue like monk fruit or stevia in your homemade syrup, or use the Torani Sugar Free Peppermint Syrup!

Chocolate Sauce or Syrup: My favorite store bought option is the Torani Dark Chocolate Sauce. It has a delicious rich dark chocolate flavor that compliments the peppermint syrup flavor perfectly in this recipe. If you prefer making the sauce from scratch, make a Homemade Chocolate Sauce with these 5 ingredients you most likely already have in your kitchen: 2 tablespoons dutch process cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon warm water, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon salt. Combine all ingredients together in a small bowl or container, and whisk until fully incorporated and smooth.

Cold Brew: This is a a cold brew recipe so you will need unsweetened black cold brew. To keep this drink sugar free, make sure you get an unsweetened cold brew. Check the label on your store bought cold brew container to make sure there’s no sugar added. If you make your own cold brew at home, that’s perfect too! You could easily swap the cold brew for equal amounts of iced coffee if you prefer. If you want a latte version of this recipe, you will need espresso instead of cold brew, and I will share that full latte recipe later in this blog post!

2% Milk: Since we’re making cold foam for this drink, you’ll need 2% milk as one of the cold foam ingredients. I’ll share the best substitutions later in this recipe.

Heavy Cream: Starbucks uses a combination of 2% milk and heavy cream for their cold foams, so I like to do the same. If you need a dairy free or lower calorie option, I share best substitutions later in this recipe.

Ice: Since this is a cold brew, you’ll need ice to chill the drink.

OPTIONAL Chocolate Malt Powder: In the Starbucks recipe, they use a chocolate malt powder inside the cold foam. You could absolutely use a chocolate malt powder for it to taste identical to Starbucks, but I just like to use the same Torani Dark Chocolate Sauce or Homemade Chocolate Sauce that I use inside the cold brew to use/buy one less ingredient.

Optional Toppings: My favorite Peppermint Chocolate Cream Cold Brew toppings include: Crushed Candy Cane, Chocolate Shavings, Holiday Sprinkles, Chocolate Sauce Drizzle, or Cocoa Powder. These toppings are totally optional, but they add an extra layer of texture, flavor, and fun to your Starbucks Peppermint Chocolate Cream Cold Brew, making your at home recipe, a little extra special!

How to Make Cold Brew at Home:

If you prefer to make your own cold brew at home, this is the process I recommend:

• Add 1 1/2 cups medium roast coffee grounds to a French Press.
• Add 3 cups room temperature water to the French press and gently stir to saturate the grounds.
• Place the plunger on top of the French Press to cover, but don’t plunge down.
• Set the French Press on the counter and let brew for 18 hours.
• After 18 hours, plunge down and pour the cold brew concentrate into a mason jar or a pitcher with a lid.
• This is a concentrate, so I like to do 1 part concentrate to 2 parts cold water (1/2 cup concentrate to 1 cup cold water, or 1 cup concentrate to 2 cups cold water)
• Then add your syrup and sauce, ice, cold foam, and toppings.

Best Store Bought Cold Brews

• My personal favorite store bought cold brew is the Stok Unsweet Black Cold Brew. It’s not too bold, but still has a pleasant coffee flavor.
• For a stronger, extra bold cold brew that’s very similar to Starbucks or Dunkin cold brew, I like:
  • Wandering Bear Straight Black Cold Brew
  • Stok Extra Bold Cold Brew
  • Stumptown Original Nitro Cold Brew

What’s The Best Coffee For at Home Cold Brew?

My two favorite ground coffees for at home cold brew are:

• Bizzy Smooth & Sweet Organic Cold Brew Coffee
• Laka Java Sleeping Volcano Organic Cold Brew (get 10% off with code: katerinafaith)

Chocolate Peppermint Cream Cold Foam

STORE BOUGHT COLD FOAM:

For a super easy cold foam, you can buy a canister from the store. The International Delight Peppermint Mocha Cold Foam Creamer is so good! You can get it at Target or other grocery stores in the creamer/whipped cream aisle, and you just squeeze the cold foam overtop any drink for cold foam in seconds!

HOMEMADE COLD FOAM:

If you’d rather make your own homemade Chocolate Peppermint Cream Cold Foam, you’ll need:

• 1 tablespoon Homemade Peppermint Syrup or Torani Peppermint Syrup
• 1 tablespoon Homemade Chocolate Sauce or Torani Dark Chocolate Sauce (or chocolate malt powder)
• 2 tablespoons 2% milk
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• Small cup
• Handheld milk frother

1. Combine the peppermint syrup, chocolate sauce (or powder), 2% milk, and heavy cream in a small cup.
2. Use a handheld milk frother to froth the mixture until thick and foamy (about 15-30 seconds) and then pour the cold foam over the cold brew.

For a lower sugar Chocolate Peppermint Cream Cold Foam:

• Use the Torani Sugar Free Peppermint Syrup, or use a sugar free substitute like monk fruit or stevia in your Homemade Peppermint Syrup.
• Use a sugar free substitute like monk fruit or stevia in your Homemade Chocolate Sauce or use the Torani Sugar Free Dark Chocolate Sauce.

For a dairy free Chocolate Peppermint Cream Cold Foam, you have a few options:

• 1 tablespoon peppermint syrup + 1 tablespoon chocolate sauce + 2 tablespoons barista style oat milk + 3 tablespoons soy milk (froth together with a handheld milk frother until thick)
• 1 tablespoon peppermint syrup + 1 tablespoon chocolate sauce + 2 tablespoons barista style oat milk + 3 tablespoons chilled coconut whipping cream (froth together with a handheld milk frother until thick)
• 1 tablespoon peppermint syrup + 1 tablespoon chocolate sauce + 2 tablespoons plant based milk + 3 tablespoons dairy free heavy cream (froth together with a handheld milk frother until thick)

What Should I Do If My Cold Foam Won’t Get Thick?

1. Get a better milk frother! No, not all milk frothers are created equal. The best one I have tried is the BonsenKitchen handheld milk frother. It’s around $7 on Amazon, and is essential for great at home cold foam!
2. Add more heavy cream! The syrup, milk, heavy cream ratios I use in this recipe is fool proof, but if you steer away from it too much, you’ll notice your cold foam won’t get as thick. If you try to substitue with half & half or almond milk, your cold foam will not be the same texture as Starbucks, so keep that in mind. Be sure your heavy cream amounts are higher than your milk amounts!
3. Change the batteries in your milk frother! Sometimes you may notice your cold foam doesn’t get as thick as it used to and you didn’t change anything! Simply swap out the old batteries with new ones, and I guarantee you’ll have thick cold foam again!
4. Make sure to use BOTH 2% milk AND heavy cream (or for the nondairy version: barista style oat milk AND soy milk)! Opting for just one or the other will not give you the same texture as Starbucks. You can always make substitutions to fit your diet/lifestyle/preference, but not all substitutions will achieve the exact same texture as the original recipe ingredients, so keep that in mind.

How To Make a Low Calorie Cold Foam?

I recommend simply using a sugar free syrup/sweetener and using half the amount of milk and heavy cream. Instead of 2 tablespoons of milk and 3 tablespoons of heavy cream, simply use 1 tbsp of milk, and 1.5 tbsp of heavy cream. This will take the calories from 215 to 83 calories!

Do You Have More Starbucks Cold Foam Recipes?

I do! See ALL my cold foam recipes on my Starbucks Cold Foam Recipes blog post!

How To Make a Starbucks Peppermint Chocolate Cream Cold Brew

In a drinking cup or glass, add peppermint syrup, chocolate sauce, cold brew, and ice. Stir to combine, then set aside.

In a separate smaller glass, add the cold foam ingredients: peppermint syrup, chocolate sauce (or chocolate malt powder), 2% milk, and heavy cream.

Froth the mixture together with a milk frother until thick (about 15-30 seconds), and then pour the Chocolate Peppermint Cream Cold Foam over the cold brew.

Top with your choice of toppings: Crushed Candy Cane, Chocolate Shavings, Holiday Sprinkles, Chocolate Sauce Drizzle, or Cocoa Powder, and enjoy!

What Ratios Does Starbucks Use?

For the different sized Starbucks drinks, follow these ratios:

	TALL	GRANDE	VENTI
PEPPERMINT SYRUP	1.5 PUMPS (3/4 TBSP)	2 PUMPS (1 TBSP)	3 PUMPS (1.5 TBSP)
CHOCOLATE SAUCE	1.5 PUMPS (3/4 TBSP)	2 PUMPS (1 TBSP)	3 PUMPS (1.5 TBSP)
COLD BREW	10 OUNCES	12 OUNCES	16 OUNCES

Can I Use Iced Coffee Instead of Cold Brew?

Absolutely! Keep everything in the recipe the exact same, simply swap the cold brew for iced coffee! See my How To Make Iced Coffee Using Nescafe Ice Roast post for an easy way to make iced coffee at home!

How Would I Make This as a Latte?

If you prefer to use espresso instead of cold brew, follow my Peppermint Mocha recipe, then make the Chocolate Peppermint Cream Cold Foam to pour over the top, and add your toppings!

Can I Make This Without Coffee?

Of course you can! Swap the cold brew with cold milk for a caffeine free Peppermint Chocolate Cream Chocolate Milk or with steamed milk for a Peppermint Chocolate Cream Hot Cocoa!