If there is one thing that social distancing has taught me, it’s that I miss Starbucks. Due to the coronavirus, my parents have officially banned me from drive-thrus, which were my last hope when it came to having a purpose in life during my quarantine. From KFC to Dunkin’ Donuts, I had covered a lot of ground in just a few days.
At least once a day, I still pull the, “Can I pleaseeee go to the Starbucks DRIVE-THRU?!”
And my parents still say, “NO!”
Since my exclusive relationship with iced vanilla lattes had come to a screeching halt, I knew I had to do some experimenting. I thought about using my Keurig to make iced coffee, but I didn’t have any creamer that I liked. I also couldn’t make a latte without an espresso machine. Then, I realized that there was one coffee drink that was undeniably a big part of my late middle school and early high school years. I decided that it was time to revert back to my old ways with the good ol’ Caramel Frappuccino.
I looked up a recipe online:
2 cups ice
1 cup strong brewed coffee, cooled
1 cup low-fat milk
⅓ cup caramel sauce
3 tablespoons white sugar
Now, I am no barista, and when it comes to cooking, I sometimes tend to do my own thing. Therefore, I didn’t follow the exact recipe. I couldn’t imagine digesting 3 tablespoons of sugar in one sitting, considering my current lack of physical activity.
In the morning, I made a cup of coffee with my Keurig, using the Starbucks Veranda Blend Blonde Light Roast K-Cup, and I let it chill in the refrigerator for about 2 hours. It probably doesn’t need two hours, but I honestly forgot it was in there.
I put 2 cups of ice, a cup of coffee, a cup of milk, about 1 tablespoon of sugar and dumped some caramel sauce in my blender. The only caramel sauce I had was Smucker’s Caramel Ice Cream Topping. I blended it all up for about 15 seconds. This recipe actually makes a lot more than I realized. It is definitely enough for two people.
The end result actually tasted a lot like Starbucks’ Caramel Frappuccino and had a very similar consistency. I’m sure that if I followed the exact instructions, it would have been even better. One complaint that I had is that the coffee flavor in the drink wasn’t very strong. I would recommend trying a darker roast.
Trying recipes like this one is a great way to pass time and satisfy your Starbucks craving during this period of social distancing.
Happy experimenting!