A Christmas Peppermint Float

The other night, we surprised the kiddos with a cozy evening in (after too many nights out). On the agenda? A Christmas movie and treat.

Last year, we went the way of The Grinch...but this year, we decided for some nostalgia.

White Christmas just might be my favorite Christmas movie...so many favorite scenes...and I was excited to share it with our children for the first time. (They enjoyed it. Except for Nathanael during the kiss at the end!)

Peppermint ice cream (from Braums) is a sweet memory of childhood for me. So to go along with our movie (thanks to Pinterest and Southern Living,) here's our take on Christmas Peppermint floats:

Christmas Peppermint Floats

1 recipe homemade Hot Chocolate mix (recipe follows)
peppermint ice cream (I used Mayfield)
mini candy canes

1. Heat hot chocolate, enough for your crowd.
2. In festive mugs, place 1-2 scoops of peppermint ice cream.
3. Ladle hot chocolate over ice cream and top with candy cane. Serve with a spoon and enjoy!

Dark Hot Cocoa Mix

1 1/2 cups of a mixture of 43% cacao dark chocolate morsels and 60% cacao dark chocolate morsels*
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup instant nonfat dry milk
2/3 cup dark unsweetened cocoa

1. Mix all ingredients until blended and store in an airtight container.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat one cup of milk per serving to 180 degrees over stove. Remove from stove and stir in 1/4 cup hot cocoa mix per serving until combined. Make sure that the chocolate chips are fully dissolved. Serve.

*This recipe from this month's Southern Living calls for 53% cacao chips, but I couldn't find those, so I used a combination of what I had on hand!