Is there any combination better suited than mint and chocolate? I couldn't think of one either!
I wanted to make mint extract, but almost everything I could find involved alcohol. Which is fine for baking because the alcohol content bakes out, but I wanted to be able to serve my kids homemade mint hot chocolate. So, I came across this recipe and couldn't wait to share it with you!
I had mint leaves from my herb garden and harvested them fresh. Take equal parts of apple cider vinegar and water. I did 1/2 cup of each and pour in a Mason jar.
If using fresh leaves, rinse and pat dry your leaves. Crush and bruise (this step is important) a 1/2 cup of fresh leaves and dump in the jar with vinegar and water. Put on lid and band and then shake vigorously. Make sure all the leaves are covered in the liquid. If using dried leaves, just a 1/4 cup.
You can make other types of extracts at home too, like homemade vanilla extract, lemon extract, and almond extract.
Mint Extract
Put in a dark cool place. I used the shelf in the snack cupboard. Shake the jar every day to help the mint seep into the liquid. Check the strength at two weeks. You can keep it seeping up to six weeks.
When you're ready, take a canning funnel and a coffee filter. Place it over a clean Mason jar and pour mint leaves and extract through the filter. (Hold filter in place or tape it before hand) Squeeze leaves to get the last of the extract from them.
If you'd like to make the extract a bit sweeter, you can put jar (Without lid and band) in the microwave and add 1 tablespoon honey. Heat then stir until completely dissolved. If you don't like the microwave, the stove top and a pot work fine, too. Use in all your baked goods as you would vanilla.
We can't have just mint extract, we need homemade hot chocolate mix, too!
I combined some online versions for:
The Best Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix!
3 cups non-fat dried instant milk powder
2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/4 teaspoon salt
Mix all ingredients in a food processor or blender until well blended. Spoon into Mason jars or glass container. Use 3 tablespoons to 1 cup hot water or milk. Add 1 teaspoon mint extract (or to taste) to hot chocolate. Optional- top with whipped cream and/or marshmallows.
I plan on having a hot chocolate bar on Christmas morning. Complete with sprinkles, cinnamon, nutmeg, and whatever else I can come up with in the next 49 days!
What's your favorite holiday beverage? Do you make homemade gifts for Christmas?
This post is featured on The Barn Hop and The Better Mom.
Mint Extract
Ingredients
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves or ¼ cup dried
- 1-2 tbsp honey
Instructions
- Put in a dark cool place. I used the shelf in the snack cupboard. Shake the jar every day to help the mint seep into the liquid. Check the strength at two weeks. You can keep it seeping up to six weeks.
- When you're ready, take a canning funnel and a coffee filter. Place it over a clean Mason jar and pour mint leaves and extract through the filter. (Hold filter in place or tape it before hand) Squeeze leaves to get the last of the extract from them.
- If you'd like to make the extract a bit sweeter, you can put jar (Without lid and band) in the microwave and add 1 tablespoon honey. Heat then stir until completely dissolved. If you don't like the microwave, the stove top and a pot work fine, too. Use in all your baked goods as you would vanilla.
How long does this extract last
Hello Melissa,
Thank you so much for this helpful method.
I tried it and I’m on the 4th week but The vinegar still has a strong odor. Is there a way to completely get rid of it? Please help.
Thank you
You can’t get rid of the vinegar odor, it is vinegar, but when you use a small amount as extract it’s not overpowering.
Literally just vinegar, not even a hint of mint smell or flavour.
Awesome write-up. I just tried this with Vanilla (B Grade) to make some extract, and I noticed some green spots on the bits of vanilla. Do you have any insight into this. My first thought was mold, but there was no bad smell, and nothing floating or on the insides of the jar, it was only on the vanilla “guts” that were in contact with the liquid.
Chad, sorry I haven’t experience that with any of my vanilla beans. Maybe try contacting the company you got them from?
It has to be apple cider vinegar? or I can use the grape vinegar as well ( I also make the grape vinegar at home so it would be all natural and easy )
I”m not familiar with grape vinegar but as long as it’s acidic it should be fine.
Wow! This is awesome! I was wondering if you can add a little extra mint into it. Also, can you combine both dried and fresh mint leaves? Thanks!
HI MELISSA,
I HAVE TWO JARS ONE WITH AND OTHER WITHOUT HONEY , AND ARE 7 TO 8 DAYS OLD . I WAS WAITING LIKE HELL TO SEE THE RESULT SO AFTER 8 DAYS I OPENED THE JAR WITHOUT HONEY AND THERE WAS SHARP SMELL OF VINEGAR . SO WHAT WILL BE THE PROBLEM , I NOW THAT 8 DAYS ARE NOT ENOUGH, BUT STILL . SECONDLY HAVE YOU TRIED THE RECIPE IN WHICH YOU JUST NEED TO BOIL THE MINT TO GET THE EXTRACT ? IS IT SAME LIKE THIS
THANKS
I haven’t tried the boiling method myself.
Hi, I tried this recipe a little over a week ago. All the recipe’s I’ve seen say that the leaves need to be completely covered. Mine are all floating at the top. Could this have to do with me doubling the recipe? Thanks!
Hazel,
It sounds like maybe too many leaves? Mine will float up, but they always stay beneath the surface. Make sure you’ve crushed them some, too.
I don’t have a comment so much as a question. Your recipe calls for apple cider vinegar. Would distilled white vinegar have the same effect on the process? I have made three different mint extracts using the vodka method, but would like to make more extracts that are non-alcoholic and this method sounds like something I would like to try.
Mary,
White distilled is fine, it just has a stronger flavor to it I’ve found. The apple cider is a bit more mellow.
I tried this extract. I thought it was terrible. The vinegar taste was so dominant that I don’t know how adding it to chocolate could possibly be tasty! I would like to know if all the other women that had it steeping for three weeks found it successful? If so what did they do to make it so?
Jill,
Sorry you didn’t like it. Did you add honey? The sweetness of the honey cut the vinegar taste for me. You can use alcohol if you found the vinegar too strong.
For recipes like this (and homemade ice cream as well), I generally just steep some mint leaves in the milk and/or cream for about 10 minutes at about 170F. The imparted flavor is very fresh and strong, particularly with a small amount of vanilla and a pinch of sea salt. Very effective with no additional ingredients, and it can be done minutes ahead of time while in season (I have fresh mint almost year round here in NC). I’ll be putting the cocoa mix to good use though, thanks for posting!
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I had found different sites telling me how to make extracts with vinegar and I used white not apple cider and I wanted to do cherry and banana to add to ice tea and such so I did that and it has been seeping in a mason jar for about three weeks now. All I did was mash up bananas to fill the jar almost half full and then filled with vinegar but I tried it and it has a fruity taste but a very strong vinegar taste could this be because I didn’t add water? could I do that now and let it steep for another three weeks? thanks
I have never done bananas. You could try adding some honey to help cut the vinegar taste. I don’t know if I would dilute it with water beings it’s fruit. The full strength vinegar will help kill any bacteria that might grow.
I made the extract over the summer and am excited to have some and to also give to friends. Thanks so much for your recipe. I used some today in some cocoa I made with whole milk, and the milk curdled just a little bit, I’m guessing from the vinegar (?) I make substitute buttermilk using milk and vinegar so I guess this shouldn’t be so surprising. Has this happened to you using your homemade hot cocoa mix? I’m wondering if I used powdered milk instead of fresh whole milk if that would prevent or at least minimize the reaction.
Dana,
I used in coffee, with just a dash of cream and milk, so it didn’t curdle. I never thought of the vinegar making it buttermilk. I have used it in the homemade hot cocoa mix (powdered milk) and it didn’t curdle that, so it must just be the regular milk. Shucks on that part, but it should work great in the other options.
Thanks so much! I’m making the mix you posted to give to some friends and family, which sounds so amazingly yummy 🙂
As a quick update on this, I hadn’t added the honey to the extract when I originally made it, so I’m wondering if the sugar in the honey would have helped to prevent the curdling. I’m not sure if sugar actually reduces acid or simply counters the taste so I thought I’d test it out by adding some agave to the extract. I just added it to some milk and didn’t see the curdling reaction.
Yea!! Honey is such a wonderful thing. 🙂
This is very interesting, as I did not know you could make an extract with vinegar. Although, I personally don’t worry about using an alcohol extract in a drink, even for kids, because it is such a small amount of alcohol. Great idea though, and one I will keep in mind. Thx for sharing on Homesteaders Hop!
I just made myself a couple of jars of this bc I wanted to try one with and one without the honey. However, I’m unclear as to when I’m supposed to add the honey. At the end, after steeping for 2-6 weeks and straining the leaves? Or should the honey be in the jar with the mint leaves WHILE it steels for 2-6 weeks? Thanks for posting these recipes btw!
Hi, Katey, the honey goes in after the leaves steep for the 2-6 weeks and you’ve strained it. Then add in as much honey as you want to suit your tastes.
How was it without honey?
Oops, I added the honey before. We’ll see how it turns out I guess.
Wouldn’t white vinegar work and taste more akin to the vodka?
White vinegar is fine, I only had apple cider vinegar on hand when I made this.
Hi Melissa
Thanks for sharing this, How long does the extract keep for in the jar when finished
Mine kept for 3 months until it got knocked over and spilled everywhere. My kitchen smelled great, but I was disappointed. I think if you stored it in the fridge, it would keep for up to a year.
i m really excited to bake my own mint chocolate cake and make my own mint ice cream… i m also on 2nd day of my waiting.. i had a good batch of mint leaves growing in my backyard.. but didnt have any alcohol free mint extract
recipe.. thanks a lot for sharing this recipe.. now i m planing to make other extracts too. 🙂 🙂
HI Melissa,
I actually followed your recipe and I’m only on day 2 of the waiting part. I’m just curious about how the mixture would taste after 6 weeks. Would you still be able to taste the vinegar? I’d like to use the extract on a mint frosting but i’m worried about the vinegar.
Hi, Jane,
You’ll have to see how strong the mint flavor is by six weeks, but it should be pretty good by then. The sugar in the frosting should cancel out the vinegar flavor. I’ve got a recipe for raspberry syrup that uses raspberry, vinegar, and sugar, so it should taste fine. I’d love to hear how it turns out when it’s finished and you make the frosting. My bottle got spilled, so I’m waiting on my mint to have enough leaves to make a new batch. 🙂
Would you post your raspberry syrup recipe? I have lots and lots of raspberries and am always looking for new ideas.
Tomorrow I am going to try the extract recipe.
Could you use this same method for other flavors like vanilla, orange, and almond?
Teresa, I don’t see why not. The vinegar is the preservative in place of alcohol, so it should work fine. I love the idea of the almond!
This is a great idea! I haven’t made extracts because I don’t have vodka and have never been to a liquor store and kind of embarrassed to go. I can’t wait to try this with vinegar. Thanks for sharing!
You’re so welcome, Rose. I feel the same way. I don’t keep vodka on hand and didn’t want to have to buy a bottle just for extract. Plus, I wanted to drink it in my hot chocolate and coffee before work. 🙂
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