Today is my due date with our first baby. It’s surreal, exciting, nerve-racking and miraculous all at the same time. I’ve been hearing delivery stories from family and friends throughout my pregnancy and surprisingly most moms I know had their babies rather early. So with this in mind, when I hit week 37 I was convinced our little girl would come out at any time.
Wrong.
I now sit here at 40 weeks having spent the last three weeks waking up thinking “today’s the day!” only to have it not be. If there’s one thing I’m not teaching my child already it’s patience. UGH! By this point I at least know she has to be in my arms within the next two weeks. She HAS to. She has no choice. Thankfully my mom has been here for a majority of my impatience helping to distract me with delicious food, walks, shopping, organizing and preparing. One bright thing I’ve managed to do is keep us all cool, refreshed and happy on homemade skinny mocha frappuccinos. Go me.
You gotta love a good blended coffee in the summer. They’re refreshing and delicious and beautiful to look at. However I’m one of those people who can’t handle the insane amount of sweetness that goes into a typical frappe. I find them to be overwhelmingly sugary even when I ask for less flavor.
Thanks to a recent post from The Minimalist Baker for a delicious Cold Brew Caramel Frappuccino, I was inspired to start making my own frappuccinos at home to save us some sugar, some mullah and some waste. The result: quick, simple and perfectly sweet skinny mocha frappuccinos that can be customized with your flavor of choice. Mine is chocolate.
First things first, you need some cold brew coffee. The night before, follow this method:
1. Grind your favorite coffee on a fine grind (like espresso).
2. In a medium bowl add 6 heaping tablespoons of coffee grounds.
3. Add 3 cups of near boiling water to the grounds
4. Give it a quick stir and let sit for 20-30 minutes.**
5. Using a fine mesh strainer and another large bowl, drain the coffee to remove all grounds.
6. Pour the brewed coffee into a glass jar and store in the fridge overnight.
**For stronger coffee let the grounds sit in the water and “brew” for up to 12 hours before straining. You can let this brew process happen in the fridge overnight and strain it in the morning.
I’m pregnant so I can’t handle as much strength anymore! Plus I need weak sauce decaf.
You can’t go to bed just yet. You have one more nightly duty if you’re doing to enjoy a fantastic morning frappe. This is easy. Simply pour your milk of choice (I use unsweetened almond milk) into an ice cube tray and let it freeze overnight. Using frozen milk instead of ice makes your frappe even creamier!
Now that you’ve done all of your prep work, in the morning all you need to do is pour 1 cup of your cold brew coffee + 6 almond milk cubes + 1/4 cup additional milk + 1 Tbsp of your favorite sweetener and BLEND BLEND BLEND!
This recipe makes one skinny-fied 20 ounce frappuccino that you won’t feel bad about drinking. ENJOY!!
WHAT TO BRING TO THE STORE
In order to reduce your packaging waste, bring the following reusables with you to the store:
- 1 reusable bulk bag for your coffee beans (Look for the bulk coffee section. Use their grinder if you don’t have one at home)
This recipe is so simple, that’s all you need! Other than your reusable grocery bag 
WASTE METER – 4!
Although there’s not much in these skinny mocha frappuccinos, you’ll have a thing or two to recycle. But we like recycling, so don’t fret. Here’s what to do:
Recycle: Milk Carton and Syrup/Flavoring Bottle
Compost: Nothing
Trash: Nothing
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Skinny Mocha Frappuccinos
Serves 1
A quick and easy way to make a delicious frappuccino at home without so much sugar!
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Cold Brew
- 6 heaping Tbsp of your favorite coffee, finely ground
- 3 cups near-boiling water
Frappuccino
- 1 cup cold brew coffee
- 6 almond milk cubes
- 1 Tbsp of your favorite sweetener (I used chocolate sauce)
- 1/4 cup additional milk of choice (I used unsweetened almond)
The Night Before
- In a medium sized bowl, add the 6 heaping tablespoons of coffee and 3 cups of water. Give it a quick stir then let it sit for 20-30 minutes. If you like strong coffee you can let the grounds sit in the water for up to 12 hours (in the fridge).
- Using a small mesh strainer, or a larger strainer with a coffee filter or cheesecloth overtop, strain the coffee into a separate bowl. Pour the brewed coffee into a glass jar and store in the fridge overnight (if you only let it brew for 30 minutes, otherwise it will already be cold).
- Meanwhile, fill an ice cube tray with your milk of choice (I used unsweetened almond milk) and place in the freezer.
In The Morning
- Combine 1 cup of cold brew coffee, 6 frozen milk cubes, 1 Tbsp of your favorite sweetener (caramel, honey, chocolate, white chocolate, etc.) and an additional 1/4 cup of milk to a blender.
- Blend on high for 30-45 seconds or until frothy and completely blended. Pour into a 20 ounce jar and drizzle with additional sauce (optional).
Happy frapping!
