Make your own Frappuccino!

Alright, I love coffee. I love Starbucks, and I ESPECIALLY love my LCS (Local Coffee Shop.) BUT, I have a completely packed schedule, and very little money (between bills and library fines...Late DVDs are KILLERS!) Anyway, I decided one day, that I would make my own blended coffee drink, without the powders or ice cream other recipes call for. While I was still in the planning stages, I originally added milk, sugar and coffee to ice- blend and voila! The result? A weak, watery, not sweet enough combination that melted and was never a good thick consistency. Then one day, I had inspiration. The idea, was to forgo ice cubes, and instead, blend frozen espresso! Through minimal trial and error, the following recipe was born.

Ingredients:

1 cup espresso, cooled
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. chocolate syrup (optional)
1 cup milk
2 Ice cubes
whipped cream (optional)

Directions:

1. Mix the espresso and sugar, and pour into an ice cube tray (or plastic bag, or container...Anything that will freeze the espresso in a layer or smaller amount, so that it will freeze all the way through.) Freeze overnight, or until completely frozen.

2. In a blender, put in the two ice cubes, syrup, the frozen espresso/sugar mixture, and 3/4ths cup of the milk; blend, and if you need more liquid, add the remaining 1/4th cup of milk. (I usually need more)

3. Top with whipped cream. (It wouldn't be a real recipe if I didn't add an obvious, unneeded step!)

There you go! Like I said, it's not exactly Starbucks, but it hits the spot, especially when you're low on cash. You could probably substitute the espresso for regular coffee if you wanted, but it wouldn't be as strong, and probably wouldn't taste as good. Another option would be to use flavored syrup instead of sugar- you could probably use other sweeteners as well. Enjoy!