pumpkin spice frappuccino | simple recipe

 Hey guys :) So a while back, talking like a month back, i tried to recreate the pumpkin spice frappuccino (which is basically just a drink that this coffee shop called Starbucks made and is super popular during the fall months) after tasting the one at Starbucks.  There were plenty of recipes online, so after tweaking the recipe here and there i achieved a drink that i liked pretty good.

you know that website i was talking about a while back - Chocolate Covered Katie? Well, she had a recipe for a mocha frappuccino of sorts a while back, and mm, that is SO good.  I made it literally like five times.  i'm serious. so really, to make a pumpkin spice frappuccino isn't that far off from a mocha one.  frappuccinos are so delicious, partly because they're just a sweet, iced drink, and also because they have that kick of coffee in them.  Honestly, i hate coffee by itself, but in something like this, it's really not that bad.

lately i've been posting more recipes, so what do you guys think of that? you should definitely give this one a try and taste it.  it's not that bad actually.  and if you're not a big fan of pumpkin-y stuff either, you could totally just make it without the pumpkin and add cocoa for a mocha one.  i mean, that's what i do 99.9% of the time.  so yeah. super delicious.

mmm.

PUMPKIN SPICE FRAPPUCCINO 

1 3/4 c. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 - 1 1/2 c. chilled coffee
1/4 c. pumpkin puree
3 tbsp. of sweetener of choice (i used xylitol, you can use sugar, maple syrup, agave, or stevia etc.)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon.
1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

First of all, you're going to brew your coffee and refrigerate it overnight.  If you have very cold coffee already, then you  don't have to, but make sure the coffee you're using is very cold.  Set aside, and in a mixing bowl, stir together your milk, vanilla extract, pumpkin puree, sweetener, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.  Once it is well combine, transfer it to an ice cube tray.  Then set the trays in the freezer overnight.  When you are ready to make the frappuccino, put your ice cubes and coffee into a blender and whip it up.  If your blender isn't mixing it thoroughly, you might need to add more milk.  Taste the frappuccino once it's done, and see if you need to add more spices, sweetener, or pumpkin.  Top with whipped cream and garnish with spices, if desired, and serve immediately.

After making your coffee, you're going to want to mix the frappe ingredients together.  It turns out into this orange-ish color, as you can see.  When making a frappuccino, you're going to want the milk mix to be almost a little too sweet.  When you freeze it and then blender it, if you want to retain that sweetness, just add a little extra when you first make it.

And then transfer to ice cube trays.  When I made it, I almost filled two ice cube trays, so obviously I didn't use all of it at once.  I made this frappe like twice with all the cubes I got.  Some people just make the frappe and add ice cubes, but what that does is that it really waters your drink down, which is not we're going for.  I mean, that's what McDonald's does, not us. -_- 

 Okay okay, I only said that because the first time I ever tried a frozen drink at McDonald's, it was so watered down and disgusting.  Not my favorite. 

 Alright, so fast forward to the next day.  I generally like to keep my ice cubes in the freezer overnight, that way I know for certain that they're hardened.  This is perfect to do on Sunday night and have it ready to go Monday morning.  After removing the ice cubes from the tray, all you have to do is pop it into your blender.   I use the VitaMix, which is a really tough blender, but even so, a few times I've had to add a little milk.  Unless you want to be like soft serve ice cream, which, I guess, isn't so bad either.

And then for our coffee :) So you can add as much or as little as you want.  I prefer mine with plenty of coffee, because it just makes it taste so much better.  But if you really hate coffee in all forms, this frappe is good without it.  You just might need to add milk when whipping it up, since the coffee is really what helps this to blend nicely.  So pour your cold coffee in, and then turn on the blender. 

 And YES! You get a wonderful, healthy pumpkin pie frappuccino that tastes almost like the real deal.  You can top it with whipped cream (I highly recommend it) and sprinkle cinnamon on top.  #pictureworthy

 i hope you guys liked this post and i'll see ya next time xx

autumn 

p.s. keep smiling. ♥
p.p.s  this is a scheduled post that i wrote on the weekend, and i accidentally published it and then deleted it, so you might have known this post was already coming ^_^