Naturally Sweetened Copycat Frappuccino

I’m all about the simple things in life… you know like $5.00 coffee drinks! 🙂

Ok, me kid, me kid. I’m more of a plain latte type of gal because have you seen the ingredient lists on Starbuck’s famous drinks? Unfortunately you are getting a lot more then you bargained for when you purchase a Frappuccino, in the form of preservatives and 57 GRAMS OF SUGAR. Hot damn Starbuck’s, REALLY?

Ok, now that we know why their drinks are so addicting and taste wonderful (hint 57 grams), let’s talk about solutions to this problem because I know you know someone who loves them some sugary coffee drinks. The solution is really simple…5 REAL, simple ingredients. Ice, coffee, milk, vanilla (bean or extract), and pure maple syrup. I pinky, pinky promise your coffee will not taste anything like pancakes, but will instead have a really subtle sweetness that works perfectly with the flavors of the coffee, milk, and vanilla mixed together. The best part? 43 grams LESS sugar then the Starbuck’s version. Now this is a treat you can feel okay about!

Imagine… all this time we’ve been paying Starbuck’s $5 a pop to blend coffee and ice for us in their fancy blenders. *face palm* I mean, I’m sure the person who thought this up immediately thought to themselves “No, this would never work.” But somehow, it has been working for many years and making us all fatter and poorer. Thankfully you now have this recipe with no weird, crazy ingredients (dates, bananas?????) that you can play around with to see what works best for you.

If you are used to the super sweet stuff, you might have to add some additional sugar. I’m a person who really loves the flavor of coffee so going easy on the sugar wasn’t a problem for me. Additionally, if you can’t wrap your head around using maple syrup then I would suggest looking for coconut palm sugar and using that instead. That will give you a rich, caramel flavor that would work great with this recipe. I also whipped up some real cream and topped mine with my naturally dyed sprinkles just for fun!

Healthier Vanilla Bean Frappuccino

Ingredients:

1 cup ice
3/4 cup strong brewed cold coffee (I used the cold Starbuck’s coffee in the cold drink section of the grocery store)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 vanilla bean pod or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp pure maple syrup

Directions: Put everything in a blender and mix until smooth. Separation is natural and will happen, just like a Frappuccino you would purchase.