Mocha Frappuccino

October 7: National Frappé Day

Before we switched to mostly drinking tea, Highlander would spend several dollars a day at Starbucks drinking coffee—and that, when added up, was a budget buster! So sometimes it made “cents/sense” to make our own blended coffee drinks, such as a mocha frappuccino, at home for a whole lot cheaper. And we could control the amount of sweetened condensed milk, chocolate and whipped cream added to the coffee to suit our tastes. We still go to Starbucks once in a while, but not as frequently as before, to indulge in a frappé. But instead of buying one today, we made our own to observe National Frappé Day.

Recipe

(Adapted from The Pioneer Woman)

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups espresso or strong brewed coffee (we used leftover Kona)
• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ¼ cup chocolate syrup
• ice cubes
• whipped cream

 Directions

In a blender, pour the coffee, milk, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla.

Add the chocolate syrup. Top off the blended with ice cubes. Blence until smooth. Pour into two tall glasses. Swirl some whipped cream on top. Add a straw and enjoy cold.

Notes

• We halved the above recipe for the two of us and still had an extra serving left over.
• Add about ½ cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips to the recipe for some texture and flavor.
• We drink more tea now (just plain—no sugar or milk/cream) than the sugary blended coffees but still indulge in a frappé once in a while. Although it saves us more money than buying Starbucks drinks daily, sometimes good quality organic tea can get pricey, too.
• We bought a Starbucks frappucino and saved the logo cup, cover and green straw to drink the rest of our homemade frappé.