I am not a coffee connoisseur, but love my morning cup of hot, strong, black brew. When traveling thru the UK, Australia, and Central America I have been surprised at how often instant coffee was served – in homes as well as restaurants.
Initially, a bit of coffee-snobbishness (good word, right?) creeps in and I choose to drink tea instead. But I miss coffee! After some time, and a change in attitude toward non-brewed coffee, I inevitably accept the fact that there are benefits to instant coffee granules. Besides, true frappés are traditionally made with instant coffee – much to the chagrin of even snobbier coffee snobs than myself.
As frou-frou coffees take the market by storm – and the average American spends over $1,000 per year at places like Starbucks and Caribou Coffee – it’s nice to have the option to make a wonderful coffee treat at home. Cheaply.
A medium Caramel High Rise will cost you around $4 at Caribou, but the homemade version is about $1.25, saves you at least 100 calories, and you can sip while still in your pajamas!
When I brew coffee in the morning, I often brew more than 2 of us could possibly drink in the hour of getting ready and breakfasted. The rest of the coffee gets poured into ice cube trays and frozen. Once I pop them out of the trays and store in a freezer container, they are a quick, tasty addition to smoothies, baked goods, and coffee beverages.
Think of this: if you make the world’s tastiest frappé chilled by regular ice cubes, the drink gets diluted and watery as the cubes melt. Yuck! With coffee cubes, you just ramp up the flavour a bit while chilling the drink.
Here are my tips:
- I use instant decaf granules so I can drink this on warm evenings without compromising sleep. 🙂 Folgers instant works much better than Taster’s Choice, which doesn’t dissolve as nicely.
- Whole milk makes the frappé rich and smooth. It’s a TREAT, so why not indulge? Lesser fat in the milk produces a wimpy drink.
- Canned coconut milk works fine, but plan on using the thick part of an extra can (don’t shake it so the “milk” and “cream” will settle) to give the frappé nice body. This will give the drink a completely different flavour, but if you like Mounds Bars, why not try it?
- Do not attempt to boil this tiny amount of water in the microwave. There is a good chance the water will become super-heated and explode when you remove it from the micro! Trust me! I know this from experience, and it is a terrifying and dangerous thing.
Stir boiling water into the sugar and instant coffee crystals until dissolved. Add the coffee syrup, if you wish, and then stir in the milk. Refrigerate for an hour before serving over coffee cubes.
Life is crazy. On mornings when there isn’t time for a sit-down breakfast, add a scoop of protein powder and 1-2 teaspoons of powdered cacao to the frappé and ice cubes for an iced mocha. Whirl it in the Ninja, and head out the door. Then drive past Starbucks and feel sorry for the poor schmucks stuck in line at the drive-thru.
Frappé
- Yield: 2 quarts 1x
Description
Easy treat to make at home — skip the line and expense of a coffee shop
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup sugar, or less
- 1/4 cup instant coffee crystals (Folgers works best)
- 1/4 cup boiling water
- 2 Tbsp coffee syrup, optional
- 2 quarts whole milk
- Coffee cubes
Instructions
- Pour boiling water over the coffee crystals and sugar, stirring to dissolve
- Add syrup, and then the milk
- Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving over frozen coffee cubes
