Iced Mandarin Orange Café Mocha

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

I run the risk of getting pinched for not having any green in this recipe today.

I did find a spec of a green stem on one of the oranges in a picture below which may help.

If one of the colors for St. Patrick’s Day was orange I’d be in luck because orange is a big part of this iced café mocha recipe.

I bought a bunch of clementine oranges on sale and while I was eating about 3 at a time, I thought about how great these would taste as an accent flavor with cocoa.

Then one thing led to another and the next thing I knew, I was drinking this delicious iced mandarin orange café mocha.

The flavor of chocolate, coffee, orange, cinnamon and nutmeg taste so good together……and over ice it’s a real treat.

I especially like clementine oranges because they don’t have seeds and are easy to peel.  A clementine is a variety of mandarin orange and is super juicy and sweet.

I actually love oranges and eat them all the time.  Which is interesting because my mother told me that she craved oranges throughout her entire pregnancy with me.  I must have liked oranges before I was born too.

So there you have it.  Have a nice weekend!

Let’s check out the ingredients:

The main ingredients are milk, cocoa, instant coffee, juice from clementine oranges, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a small pinch of ground cloves (optional).

Forgot to mention the sugar!

Here’s how to make it.

In a small pan,

add the milk,

the cocoa powder,

and the sugar.

Next add the instant coffee granules,

the cinnamon, and

the nutmeg.  If you like the taste of cloves, an option is to add just a super small pinch of ground cloves.

Then,

add the juice from 3 clementine oranges.

Heat the mixture on medium heat while constantly stirring.

Try to keep the heat just low enough so the mixture doesn’t boil.  If it does start to boil, turn the heat down just a bit.

Continue stirring the mixture until all of the ingredients are combined….

….and it starts to thicken (about 6 minutes).  Then turn the heat off and let the mixture cool for about 5 minutes.  Stir it a few times while it’s cooling.

Fill two serving glasses with ice.

Pour the café mocha in a small pitcher or pouring measuring cup so it’s easier to pour in the serving glasses.

If there is potential to make a mess or spill, I will usually do it.

So I don’t trust myself with pouring the mixture straight from the pan into the glasses.

Pour the café mocha into the serving glasses leaving about 2 inches space from the top for the half and half (or cream if you prefer).

Add the half and half, and a few more ice cubes to top it off if there is room in the glass.

After you pour in the half and half, or cream, an option is not to stir it in before serving.

The half and half, or cream should stay towards the top of the glass and look kind of separated from the rest of the mixture.

The separation of the cream at the top looks pretty in the glass when serving.

Garnish with a segment of the clementine orange and a pretty straw if you have one.

I love to collect pretty or unusual straws.

They are such a fun and colorful accent for drinks.

Here are some pretty orange straws.

The perfect shade of orange to go with these clementines.

Thank you so much for stopping by.