Move over, Starbucks!

Hi. My name is Erinn and I am addicted to Starbucks.
Phew. That felt good to get out.
Unfortunately, on my side of town, there are NO STARBUCKS. Wait...what? Yes, you read that right. None. I have to drive 10-15 minutes out of my way to get my hands on it. I know, I know. First world problems. Well, if you haven't noticed, the weather here lately has been HOT. Like, have to start your car 10 minutes before you get in and blast the AC so you don't walk around with sweat stains, hot.

I could drink Starbucks every day. Especially on a hot day. An Iced Non-Fat Chai Tea Latte or Frappuccino? YES please.

I got home from lunch with the girls the other day, and Starbucks sounded phenomenal. But, I was NOT about to go back out into that heat, again. So, I decided to attempt to make my own CLEAN version of a Mocha Frappuccino.

BEST. IDEA. EVER.
I mean, this was even boyfriend approved. That says a lot.

WHAT YOU NEED:

Honey and ice not pictured.
Coconut Milk. I used Native Forest's Unsweetened Organic Coconut Milk. Full fat, not light, for texture purposes. But the light will probably work just as well because it is still much more creamy than milk (and better for you).  The organic was surprisingly less expensive than the regular!  So get organic!  No excuses :) 
Blender. I used a NutriBullet, but I think a regular blender should work fine. You may need to add more liquid if it has trouble breaking down the ice.
100% Unsweetend Cacao Powder. I used Hershey's brand. I believe Kroger has the off-brand, though. Make sure you get unsweetened so you can keep the recipe clean.
Honey.  Stevia will work, also.
Pure Vanilla Extract. The actual vanilla bean would be preferred, but the extract will work. Because who keeps vanilla bean around? No one.
Chilled coffee. The coffee for frappuccinos needs to be brewed stronger than your usual pot, otherwise you won't be able to taste the coffee when everything is blended together. So if you are brewing two cups, use 3-4 tablespoons of coffee instead of two. We use an espresso roast, which is already stronger than the regular, so for my two cups of water I used 3 1/2 tablespoons of coffee. MAKE SURE COFFEE IS CHILLED otherwise it will melt your ice and you will not have a frappuccino.  You will have a crappuccino.
Ice.


For two servings:

Brew two cups of coffee (3 1/2 tablespoons of espresso roast or 4 tablespoons of regular).
Chill in freezer for about 15-20 minutes, or until coffee is no longer warm.
Once coffee is chilled, pour into blender.
Add 1/4 cup of Coconut Milk, 3-4 tablespoons of honey, 3-4 tablespoons of the cacao powder, about a half of a cap full of vanilla extract, and two-three good handfuls of ice.

Now BLEND.

After I blended all of the above ingredients together, I added a little more honey and cacao powder because I have an atrocious sweet tooth. But make sure you start with less because you can always add ingredients, but never take away. Sweeten/chocolify to taste.

If you want to get really fancy, swirl some real whipped cream on top. And there you have it. A wonderful, CLEAN Mocha Frappuccino that tastes JUST like Starbucks. Yes, that was a bold statement, but it's true. And I think it is even better! Chocolate chips aren't clean, but don't they look good?


A known fact in the south: EVERYTHING tastes better in a mason jar ;)
YUM, YUM, YUM!

Boomer even got lucky enough to get his own puppy latte! (Real whipped cream)
Now, you can actually enjoy your Monday since you've had your coffee. Go share this with someone special! If you want to make this for one, just cut the recipe in half.   Keep cool, caffeinated, and, above all else, keep it sassy.