I have been craving iced beverages lately, what with the weather being about a BAGILLION degrees for a solid week in San Diego! Okay, more like 103 degrees, but with no air conditioning inside, it definitely feels like it’s in the bagillion digits. Anyway, my heat-stroked mind convinced me that a Starbucks frappuccino would be just the thing to cure me of my delusions of cheeseburgers dancing Zumba on the beach. And it was tasty. . . For about five minutes until it separated and I was sucking on nothing but milky foam. Ick! Since most of you know I can’t just sit idly by and not cook or concoct something, I was desperate to find a solution to my parched pallet and discovered a recipe online for the Starbucks Java Chip frappuccino. I was, however, a little disappointed to discover it was nothing but chocolate and ice and milk and sugar. 

So, of course, I had to make a couple minor adjustments. . . Like freezing coffee cubes instead of ice, using dark chocolate sauce inside the drink, nixing the white sugar, adding plenty of vanilla, and just a plash of milk to keep it smooth. The result is delicious! And it doesn’t get that funky separation because it’s nothing. but. COFFEE! Try it and see for yourself.

Oh, yeah, and we have also been remodeling our kitchen for about a week, which means we’ve been without a kitchen sink and counters for several days. . . which also means getting very creative with what we cook and where we do so. But it led to a great discovery! If these suckers can be made in a bathroom (I’m a germaphobe, so it’s completely sanitary), then they can be made anywhere. I.E.: Yes, YOU, dormroom kiddos, campers, etc. So long as you have a blender, you’re good to go! I mean, I guess if you were desperate enough, you could go all caveman on the cubes and chips and use a rock or something. *shrugs* If that’s your only option, then I would definitely explore it, because you don’t want to miss this. Be sure to check out my recipes on the upper left of the site.

The Step-Aside, Starbucks! Choco-Chip Frappe:

2 C frozen coffee cubes, apx. 16 cubes for an ice tray (any type of coffee it great!)

1/4 + C milk (add 1 TBS at a time, if you need more for smooth consistency)

1/3 C chocolate chips

3 TBS dark chocolate syrup

1 tsp vanilla (1/8 tsp of anything is an insult to extracts)

Caramel sauce for decoration

Dump everything in a blender or food processor (sans caramel sauce) and pulse it up to break up the chips and cubes, then blend smooth. I like adding everything in this order because sometimes the fudge sauce will solidify if dumped directly on top of the frozen cubes. If it’s too icy for your liking, just add a splash of milk at a time and then pulse until you get the right consistency (I like it pretty thick, because I enjoy eating it with a spoon). Drizzle a glass that has been in the freezer for 10 minutes with a little caramel and fudge for decoration. When the frappe is ready, pour into glass and drizzle the chocolate sauce and then the caramel over the top. And this tasty beauty melts slower than your favorite Starbucks frappe, too, because there’s no water added! The trick with the frozen glass helps a little, too. ~_^ Enjoy, and stay cool, my very cool friends!

NOTES: I used World Market brands for the caramel and chocolate sauces. They have great, smooth flavors. I make my coffee the day before and let it freeze in the trays overnight–that way you get a really yummy frozen texture and don’t have to deal with half-frozen cubes or excess liquid.