Chocolate Mint Shake

A couple of posts ago, I introduced my Vanilla Mint Shake. Well, here's a different way to make a chocolate mint shake. It takes a bit more prep, but has a smoother, less 'wild' flavor. I'm using a mixture of spearmint and peppermint leaves for this, and lots of them, because this is really a kind of tisane, or herbal tea, which is then chilled and mixed into the chocolate shake. I don't think a lot of people can do this inexpensively, unless, like me, you're up to your eyeballs in mint, and you want to do something with it, besides rip it out of your garden. Here's the first part:

Tear or cut mint leaves from stems. (This is a good job to do while watching TV, or talking on the phone.) Gently rinse mint leaves, then stuff into a glass jar that has a screw-on lid. (Like a pickle jar or mason jar) Fill the jar full, and pack the leaves in as tightly as you can. In the meantime, boil water in a kettle. Add the boiling water to the mint leaves until the water level reaches 1/2 inch from the top of the jar. Loosely set the cover on top of the jar, and let steep for an hour or so. Then, screw on the lid, shake it up, and refrigerate overnight. Within a day, you should have a greenish brown liquid and the leaves should be brownish colored. Drain and save the liquid, throw the leaves out. Refrigerate the mint liquid for up to 3 days. (Maybe more, but I haven't tried it.) This unsweetened mint tea can then be used to make a chocolate mint shake. Here's the recipe:

1 cup mint tea

1 scoop chocolate shake powder

8 to 10 ice cubes

Add the liquid to the blender container. While running on low, quickly add the chocolate powder. Turn power to medium, and add the ice cubes one at a time, until the shake is your desired consistency. Pour and enjoy.