Sweet Treat of the Week: Almost-Famous Mocha Frappes

I am proud to say that it has been well over a year and a half since I last had Starbucks.  Fo' real.  I was pregnant when I last had Starbucks.  And I have purchased one cup of Dunkin' Donuts coffee since Elliott was born 15 months ago.  Uno.  Why? 

((Stepping onto my soapbox)) Well, $3 here and there adds up--especially when you consider that you can buy a pound of good quality coffee beans for a few dollars and brew it yourself for pennies.  It takes little effort to create even coffee shop quality specialty drinks in your home--they're a much more frugal alternative. Besides, do you know how bad those coffee shop drinks are for you?  Check out the Starbucks Nutritional Info.  They're certainly not drinks that you should have on a daily basis.  Bad for your body and bad for your budget.  But a sweet treat of the week?  Well, sure.  Plus, I hate having to call small drinks "tall" or larges "venti".  Come on people.  Starbucks, if you're listening, I am not willing to pay 800% mark-up because you give your sizes fancy names.  Sheesh.  ((Sheepishly stepping down from soapbox with a red face from ranting))

This particular recipe is in Food Network Magazine this month (thanks to my MIL for the subscription--great gift).  I'll bet you have all the ingredients in your home already!

Almost-Famous Mocha Frappes
Ingredients

For the coffee ice:

3 tablespoons sugar

2 cups warm strong coffee

For the chocolate syrup:

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 ounce milk chocolate, finely chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons honey

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the frappes:

1 cup reduced-fat milk

Whipped cream, for topping

Directions

Make the coffee ice: Stir the sugar into the coffee until dissolved, then let cool. Pour into a 16-cube ice-cube tray and freeze until solid, about 3 hours.

Make the chocolate syrup: Combine the sugar and cocoa powder in a saucepan and slowly whisk in 2/3 cup hot water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking, until the sugar dissolves, 3 to 5 minutes; do not boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate, honey and vanilla until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until cool.

Make the frappes: Puree 8 coffee ice cubes, 1/2 cup milk, 1/3 to 1/2 cup chocolate syrup and 1 cup plain ice in a blender until smooth. Pour into 2 glasses, then repeat to make 2 more drinks. Top with whipped cream and more chocolate syrup.

(I personally don't like whipped cream on top of my drinks, so I am omitting it.  For me, it doesn't add enough flavor value for the calories it adds.  To each his own!)

Added bonus of making these drinks at home?  You're not selling out to "the man".  Boo-yah!


So what's your take on Starbucks?  Love 'em?  Hate 'em?  I want to hear your opinion!