Since I kicked that expensive habit, I've saved a small fortune is dollars, carbs, and calories. But, every now and then, I do get the old hankering. So, here is my current best summery coffee treat, handy for sipping after a cookout on the patio when the rest of the gang is having ice cream.
Guiltless Frappuccino
Makes 2 "Grande" Drinks
To prep ahead: make double-strength coffee and chill it. (Otherwise, it just melts your ice into a lukewarm liquid instead of a frosty treat!) For the real deal, use Starbucks beans and grind them yourself just before brewing.
COFFEE* 3/4 cup double-strength coffee, cold
* 3 tablespoons granulated Splenda (or equivalent in sweetener of choice)
* 1 cup Hood Calorie Countdown Dairy Beverage
* 2 cups ice
1. Make double-strength coffee by brewing with twice the coffee required by your coffee maker. That should be 2 tablespoons of ground coffee per each cup of coffee. Chill before using.
2. To make drink, combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed until ice is crushed and drink is smooth. Pour into two 16-ounce glasses, and serve with straws.
CARAMELFor this variation, omit (or reduce) Splenda, and add 3 tablespoons of caramel sugar-free Da Vinci syrup or 2 tablespoons of Walden Farms Caramel Dip to the original recipe and prepare as described.
MOCHAFor this variation, you have two options. The simplest is just to use Hood Calorie Countdown Chocolate Dairy Beverage in place of the regular white kind.
Or, omit (or reduce) the Splenda, and add 3 tablespoons sugar-free Da Vinci chocolate syrup or 2 tablespoons of Walden Farms Chocolate Dip to the original recipe and prepare as described.
Enjoy! Let me know what you think!
4 comments:
Becky-
Your faux Frappuccino recipes look absolutely delish! I think I will brew up some coffee and treat myself to one tomorrow! Maybe I'll even share with my husband ;)
--Gemma
Thanks, Gemma!
Let me know what you think.
Hi Becky,
Golden Ticket here :)
I am going to try this recipe, but wonder - how much coffee do you use to make your double strength coffee?
Also - Have you made a pot and stored it in the fridge? If so, how long does it taste "fresh?"
Thanks!
Hi, Brook! I'm so glad to talk to you here!
For the double strength-coffee, I just use the same amount of ground coffee I would normally use for a whole 10-cup pot, but only use half the normal amount of water.
At our house, that is 4 scoops of grounds, freshly ground in a burr grinder, and brewed in a Cuisinart thermal pot with metal basket. We use Cafe Pilon Cuban Espresso beans we order from javacabana.com. (These are from Cuban stock, but grown in Puerto Rico now, because of the embargo.) It is absolutely wonderful coffee! Our youngest son is a barista at Starbucks, and his coworkers love to drink this coffee at our house, because it's just that good.
I do chill it and keep it in the fridge. It is probably at its best within 12 - 24 hours, but still good for 2 days, and perfectly acceptable for 3 or so days.
It won't taste quite as good if you were to drink it black, but in the frappuccinos, protein shakes, or iced coffees, I think it's fine. (But then, at that point, it's more of a caffeine milkshake anyway, I guess. The best part of waking up!)
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