DIY Frappuccino

Mmm! Who doesn't love an icy, sweet frappuccino from Starbucks Coffee? But there's a problem: the price. A typical 12-oz frappe costs nearly $4.00, giving you only a few sips of coffee delight for the price of a gallon of gas. The solution: make your own frappuccino!

After researching ingredients and doing plenty of experimenting, I have designed what I believe is the perfect copycat frappe recipe.

Before You Begin
To get the blended ice texture and coffee flavor, I used coffee ice cubes. To make your own, brew 4-6 cups of coffee using 1.5 or 2 times as much ground coffee as usual. Let it slightly cool, then pour the strong coffee into empty ice cube trays. Freeze the cubes to use in the recipe.

Ingredients
12 coffee ice cubes
3/4 cup milk
2 tbsp. caramel sauce (I made my own! recipe here)
2 tbsp. chocolate sauce
2 tbsp. white sugar
1/2 cup vanilla ice cream (optional, for added creaminess)
whipped cream

Instructions
Blend the milk, sugar, flavored sauces, and ice cream. Once they have combined, add the coffee ice cubes into the blender and set on High until the ice is smooth. Pour into a glass, top with whipped cream, and enjoy! Serves 2.