If you read my newsletters from time to time, you may remember that a choosing between a Starbucks Frappie or a McDonalds burger is a surprising comparison. Starbucks frozen drinks pack quite a calorie punch. But I know, I know, you love them. So make one at home – where you control the ingredients.
First you need the coffee concentrate. Coffee houses do NOT make their frozen coffee drinks using brewed coffee that has gone cold. They make their frozen coffee drinks using cold brewed coffee. You can find “machines” for brewing cold coffee but it’s the same principle as the specialty containers for making ice tea. That principle is Don’t Waste Your Money.
I picked this up from Smitten Kitchen. To make the coffee concentrate: Start with regular coffee beans, coarsely ground, mix the grounds with water, let it sit at room temperature for about 12 hours, strain it and voila! coffee concentrate.
If you are an iced coffee drinker, the difference between cold-brewing it and just letting hot coffee cool off can be remarkable . The coffee is less bitter, has no acidity and all of those background flavors–chocolate, a dark caramelization and even slight smokiness–come through.
Cold-Brewed Ice Coffee
Yield: Two drinks
1/3 cup ground coffee (medium-coarse grind is best)
Milk (optional)
1. In a jar, stir together coffee and 1 1/2 cups water. Cover and let rest at room temperature overnight or 12 hours.
2. Strain twice through a coffee filter, a fine-mesh sieve or a sieve lined with cheesecloth. In a tall glass filled with ice, mix equal parts coffee concentrate and water, or to taste. If desired, add milk.
Here is another homemade Frapuccino recipe:
Ingredients:
1.5 – 2 cups of crushed ice
3/4 cup coffee liquid concentrate
1/2 cup of milk
3 tbl. of sugar (more or less depending on preference)
*optional whipped cream and chocolate syrup (but remember the Starbucks vs McDonalds!)
Directions:
Blend all the ingredients except the whipped cream in a blender for 30-45 seconds. Pour into a tall glass and top off with whipped cream and garnish with chocolate syrup. Best served with a straw. Enjoy!
You can vary this recipe quite a bit. Really hits that afternoon craving.
