Do you like frappes, but hate spending a ton of money on the ones at Starbucks? Or just find it too inconvenient, for whatever reason? Perhaps too far away, or your local coffee shop isn’t open when you need it to be? Have you thought about making them at home?
Of course you have, or why would you be looking at this page?
Anyways. I have lactose intolerance, which means I either need to pay extra to switch to a non-dairy milk, or I need to take a bunch of pills to be able to drink these things. I just spend the extra, personally, cause I always forget to take the pills. But since I also want peppermint syrup, that’s another upcharge, and then I’m spending $6.96 (after tax) each day if I want a frappe.
Ouch.
So finally, I decided to look into making my own. Turns out, all you really need to make the blended drink actually look and feel like a frappe, is some xanthan gum. The ice just separates from everything else without it. Obviously, not all of these ingredients are commonly kept at home, so there is still shopping to do most likely, but I found the xanthan gum pretty easily in the baking section. I ordered the peppermint syrup on Amazon (Torani brand, and I got a pair of pumps for ease of measuring), and while I bought simple syrup from the store, it’s pretty easy (dare I say: simple?) to make it yourself at home! Just heat up some sugar and water (1:1 ratio) on the stovetop until it’s all dissolved. If you have an empty jar or bottle, you can go ahead and make a bunch ahead of time and refrigerate it.
One thing to note about the chocolate syrup, regular Hershey’s syrup has a pretty distinct taste. I highly recommend making your own, or using the ‘Simply 5’ version.
Anyways, I hope you enjoy this recipe!
Peppermint Mocha Frappe
Equipment
- 1 blender (I use the single serve cup with my Ninja)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup ice
- ¾ cup milk (I use almond milk)
- 1 ½ tsp instant coffee (I use 1 packet of Starbucks VIA Instant Italian Roast)
- 3 tbsp simple syrup
- 3 tbsp chocolate syrup
- ¼ tsp xanthan gum
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- peppermint syrup (optional, to taste)
- whipped cream (optional, to taste)
Instructions
- Add ingredients to blender. If using a single serve cup blender, add the ice first; otherwise add the ice last.1 ½ cup ice, ¾ cup milk, 1 ½ tsp instant coffee, 3 tbsp simple syrup, 3 tbsp chocolate syrup, ¼ tsp xanthan gum, ¼ tsp vanilla extract, peppermint syrup
- Blend together for 30 seconds, or until well-blended. 30 seconds is perfect for my single cup blender.
- Pour into a cup, top with whipped cream if you like, maybe a quick chocolate drizzle to make it fancy. Pop in a straw, and enjoy!whipped cream
