Some blog posts take seconds to appear from plate to page. Others take months; carefully tweaking, reading tips online and twisting and perfecting until the recipe is right for posting. This is one of those posts. I’ve been trying and well, not failing, but not doing well enough to recreate a classic coffee shop frappe. The icy cold temperature, the thick texture, the tastes of coffee and sweetness mixed together in a perfect summer time drink. The irony that the perfect homemade frappe has fallen in my lap in the beginnings of autumn hasn’t escaped me; I’ve been trying for days to get dry weather to shoot this recipe.

And what a simple recipe it is too! I found it on A Beautiful Mess, one of my favourite lifestyle blogs months ago, and pinned it in the hope that I would try it one day. And boy am I glad I did. The icy temperature I’ve been looking for comes from little coffee ice cubes. I know right, inspired! Simply brew a coffee strong enough to blow your socks off, cool and pour into an ice cube tray. Freeze. Pop out some cubes and get busy with your flavours. You can make a massive batch of cubes and keep them handy for last minute frappes. Simple, quick and just like the real deal, only heaps cheaper and you can stay in your pyjamas to drink it.

 

Adapted slightly from A Beautiful Mess

To make the coffee ice cubes, simply brew a mug of strong coffee with about 4 teaspoons coffee powder and a little hot water. Cool and pour into an ice cube tray. Freeze and then decant into a sandwich bag to store in the freezer. To make a large batch of cubes, simply brew 2-3 mugs of strong coffee to fill a regular ice cube tray and follow instructions above.

Serves 1

You Will Need

4 coffee ice cubes

2 scoops vanilla ice cream

1/3 cup milk (about 80ml)

A small handful of dark chocolate chips

½ teaspoon vanilla paste

Add all the ingredients to a blender and whizz until smooth. Pour into a glass and top with a few chips to decorate. Add a straw and drink immediately.