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Major Nikon

(36,814 posts)
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 01:31 PM Feb 2020

Frappuccino

There's lots of frappuccino recipes out there, this is mine. In fact this isn't really a frappuccino at all, I'm just using that name to loosely associate with the bottled frappuccino product you'll find at the market, but even that isn't really what this is. It's more of a chilled and flavored coffee drink you can customize in as many ways as your imagination allows. The bottled product is rather expensive with prices ranging from about $1 per bottle if bought in bulk to $2 or more if bought in singles. I don't like paying that much for what is essentially flavored coffee. Since I always have coffee on hand and a daughter that drinks these things all the time, it makes sense for me to make something similar at home.

The secret ingredient is Xanthan Gum, which is available at most supermarkets or online. If you've never used it before, just remember a little bit goes a very long way. Use just a small pinch. You can always add more. Too much and you'll get coffee flavored chocolate pudding, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but not what we're after here.

Method 1, espresso:

8 oz of whole milk or 8oz of cold water or 8oz of ice
Double shot of espresso (~ 2 oz) or 2oz Aeropress brewed coffee
~ 1.5 tsp vanilla (or some other) flavored syrup
1 tsp dutch process cocoa powder
1 small pinch of Xanthan Gum

Method 2, brewed coffee

6oz properly brewed coffee (recipe follows) chilled
2 oz half-n-half or 2oz of cold water or 2oz of ice or use 8oz of coffee instead of 6
~ 1.5 tsp vanilla (or some other) flavored syrup (sugar free is fine)
1 tsp dutch process cocoa powder
1 small pinch of Xanthan Gum

I use an immersion blender for this so for mixing I use a plastic cup large enough for the wand to go inside. You could use regular blender which is essential if you want to use ice.

Mix together xantham gum, cocoa powder, and syrup to form a slurry. You could just dump everything and blend, but occassionally I get clumps so this step avoids that. Add all liquid ingredients and blend.

I like to reuse the commercial frappuccino bottles and chill in the fridge for a few hours or days.

Naturally you can adjust this recipe to suit your own tastes. Leave the sugar out or use whatever substitute you want. Add more syrup, more cream, no cream, cream substitute. Blended ice with whipped cream and cherry on top, or whatever suits your fancy.

Recipe for proper coffee:
So you might say, hey I make coffee all the time, why do I need a recipe. Well you don't. If you love your own coffee, by all means use that. I'm not trying to rock your world (or am I?). Just something to consider.

Where most people get brewed coffee wrong is they use too much water and not enough coffee. The complaint being, I don't like strong coffee! That's fine. Add hot water AFTER the coffee has been brewed to get whatever strength you want. Brewing with too much water results in overextraction and bitter flavors. It doesn't really matter if you are using a chemex, a french press, a pourover, or a Mr. Coffee maker, the ratio of coffee to water remains the same. Just because the pot has a 12 cup mark on it, doesn't mean you need to use that much water! The golden ratio is 1:18, which is one part coffee to 18 parts water, by weight. In practical terms that works out to about 50 grams(~1.75oz) of coffee for 32 oz (~900ml) of water.

If I were making this with pre-ground coffee, I'd probably use coffee with chicory. I've never tried it, but the result would be more along the lines of cà phê đá. Another variation would be to use the cafe cubano method.

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Frappuccino (Original Post) Major Nikon Feb 2020 OP
My husband likes these in his work lunches Cairycat Feb 2020 #1
What you've described is essentially the Starbucks bottled recipe Major Nikon Feb 2020 #2

Cairycat

(1,694 posts)
1. My husband likes these in his work lunches
Sat Feb 8, 2020, 08:21 PM
Feb 2020

as you say, the commercial stuff is expensive, but re-using the bottles from them is practical.

As I am making these early in the morning, my method is rather simpler. I've no doubt your method produces great results, but it's too complicated for me. Here's what I do for a 9.5 ounce bottle:

Fill the bottle about half full of coffee. Actually a bit more, up to the "shoulder" of the bottle. We make our coffee strong. Then stir in about 2 teaspoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Then add about 1 teaspoon or less of half and half, then fill the bottle with milk (at our house is usually 2%). Then into the lunch bag with an ice pack. I think he drinks it over ice at work, or sometimes just straight from the bottle.

Major Nikon

(36,814 posts)
2. What you've described is essentially the Starbucks bottled recipe
Sat Feb 8, 2020, 08:52 PM
Feb 2020

They use cocoa in most of their varieties. Starbucks uses pectin as a thickening agent. I use xanthan gum to do the same thing.

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