.....and other random stuff......

Friday, June 7, 2013

In Search of the Perfect Homemade Frappuccino


Hello, my name is robin and I’m a Mocha Frappuccino-holic.

It all started with Starbuck’s.
At first it was just the occasional Frap. But then the cravings became more frequent. 
I was going once a week……twice a week…..when the Barista’s saw me coming they had my order ready by the time I got to the counter.
I gained weight, and found out I might be lactose intolerant.

It was either cold turkey or stern reprimand from my Dr. about high cholesterol and sugar levels.
So I gave them up.
There were the usual withdrawal symptoms but I toughed it out and eventually won.

Then one day in Panera……I was offered a free Frozen Mocha.
Well, I couldn’t be rude!
But it weighs in at a whopping 400 calories! Plus it’s loaded with sugar and whipped cream, both of which I should avoid.

So began the search for the perfect homemade Mocha Frappuccino.

I tried brewing espresso and adding cocoa powder and Splenda with ice cubes.
I tried regular coffee with sugar free chocolate syrup and ice cubes.
I even bought sugar free Mocha syrup (Yuck!)
I tried using the Keurig Mocha K-cups…not bad but not quite right either.
I tried freezing concoctions into ice cubes and blending those.
I must have tried dozens of different ways to achieve my desired results.

I failed miserably, AND I broke my Cuisinart blender in the process!

So we bought a Ninja. 
A 2 HP/1500-watt food processor that claims it ‘can do it all’!  

I continued with the frozen brewed concoctions, tinkering and adjusting the recipe. But it was time consuming and you have to wait for it to freeze. (I am not a patient person.)

Then one day while grocery shopping I spotted instant espresso! Who knew?
And Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup Lite (only 6 gm of sugar per 2tbsp serving)

♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪ Cue the heavenly music ♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫

Ice cubes, instant espresso, Splenda, chocolate syrup, a splash of skim milk…..pulverize the living daylights out of it in the Ninja and voilà!
Easy peasy!
 No waiting and the best I can calculate it’s about 150 calories!

Cheaper, less calories, you can make it anytime you want (this may be a drawback…..) and you don’t even have to get dressed to have one!
I call that a WIN WIN in my book!

8 comments:

  1. Sounds perfect! (although I would be tempted to have more than one of them per day, thus exceeding the est. 150 calories...so I would fail fail fail) LOL.

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  2. instant espresso?? I'll have to be on the lookout for that!

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  3. I don't care for coffee of any kind, but I feel your joy

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  4. I like the mocha frappucino at Starbucks and haven't found a real comparison. I've tried skipping the whipped cream but it isn't the same. I've tried homemade too but decided that wasn't really good for me so now I stick to having one when I visit the grandkids. I get one at the beginning of the 2 hour drive to their house and the trip is much more enjoyable plus I don't overdo on the frap. I made a Keurig iced coffee yesterday and felt so guilty drinking it that I dumped it and made a fruit smoothie. That made me sad though. Why does guilt have to kick in? What is so bad about a little sugar and fake sugar?

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  5. I'm so happy for you!! lol!

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  6. Robi, there is also a dark chocolate lite Hershey's syrup. Heaven. Glad you like the Ninja; i have one myself.

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  7. Oh my Goodness! I think I have a new addiction!!! And I haven't even tasted it yet!

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  8. I am glad you persevered! I don't like coffee and at an early age decided not to try and learn to like it ... I am glad I made this decision, so I don't have to worry about becoming addicted. ENJOY - you deserve it!

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