Mint Hot Chocolate

     1/4 cup chilled heavy cream

•      4 tablespoons sugar
•      3 tablespoons Dutch process cocoa powder
•      4 cups milk
•      4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped, plus 1/2
•      ounce, shaved
•      1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

In a bowl, beat the cream and 1 tablespoon of the sugar until soft peaks form. Cover the whipped cream and refrigerate until ready to serve.
In a small, heavy saucepan, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar and the cocoa. Gradually whisk in the milk. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer, whisking frequently. Add the chopped chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Stir in the peppermint extract.

Divide the hot chocolate among warmed mugs. Top each with a dollop of the whipped cream. Sprinkle with the shaved chocolate and serve immediately.

* I thought that this was good I only used about 1/4 tsp peppermint and I thought that it was to strong. I would just leave that out if I made this again or use mint flavored chocolate to get the mint flavor. Maybe like junior mints or andies mints. Its pretty rich chocolate and so a one cup serving is plenty.