This Spiked Peppermint Bark Hot Chocolate Is Holiday Cheer in a Cup

Our peppermint bark does a pretty good job of spelling out H-A-P-P-Y   H-O-L-I-D-A-Y-S all by itself. For many (especially around here!) it just doesn’t seem like the winter holiday season without a few (dozen) tins of peppermint bark kicking around.

We’ve certainly taken plenty of liberties with our bark in the kitchen—adding shards of the bark to cake, crumbles on donuts, bits inside braided sweet breads, and a whole lot more. Add peppermint bark to beverages—especially hot ones—and you’ve accomplished something to toast with (and about!) all at once. This warming concoction from our new cookbook, Drinks for Every Season, hits all the right notes. It has just the perfect amount of sweetness, peppermint, chocolate and warmth to keep us nice and toasty right through Christmas. We’ll be sipping this one well into the winter months. Cheers!

SPIKED PEPPERMINT BARK HOT CHOCOLATE

Using peppermint bark offers you a shortcut for making a wonderfully rich wintertime cocktail: It’s made with unsweetened chocolate, white chocolate, and crushed peppermint candies, but the proportions make for a minty-chocolatey treat with just enough sweetness to not be cloying.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (500 ml) whole milk
• 12 oz (about 1½ sheets) (375 g) Williams Sonoma Peppermint Bark, chopped into pieces, plus more for garnish
• ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
• 2–2½ oz (60–75 ml) vodka, plus more to taste
• Fresh whipped cream, for garnish
• Cacao powder, for garnish
• Flake salt, for garnish

Directions:

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the whole milk, peppermint bark, and salt. Heat, whisking occasionally, until thoroughly combined. Stir in the vanilla and vodka. Pour into 2 mugs and top with whipped cream, peppermint bark pieces, cacao powder, and flake salt. Makes 2 Cocktails.