Copycat Starbucks Frappuccino-Regular & Skinny

If you're anything like me & millions of other people, you love Starbucks. Every ridiculously overpriced drink. In an effort to satisfy cravings & save money, I started buying the bottled mocha frappuccino. They're still pricy but not quite as bad when you buy bulk. But why couldn't I just make my own? I took to Pinterest and found what appeared to be a good recipe, so I made a couple minor changes and prepared some for this morning...

1 cup of brewed medium blend Starbucks coffee (the kind you can buy at Walmart & make in your own coffee maker) 

3 tbsp chocolate syrup (I used sugar free but feel free to use any kind you like)

2 tbsp sugar (I used Truvia but again, use the real stuff if you so desire)

Mix these 3 ingredients together. Put in the fridge or freezer until it cools down (about 15 minutes). When you take it out, add 1/4 cup half and half and pour it into the blender with 1.5 cups of ice. Blend until smooth and creamy. Top with whipped cream and chocolate chips if you want to feel like you're getting the Starbucks treatment but I promise it's just as delicious without. 

When that turned out so well, I knew I needed to figure out how to make a more guilt free, "skinny" version that would rival the Light Mocha Frappuccino I normally drink. Here's what I came up with...

1 cup brewed medium blend Starbucks coffee 

3 tbsp dark chocolate chips

2 tbsp & 1 tsp of Truvia 

I mixed that together until the chocolate chips melted and put it in the freezer to cool down (about 15 minutes). Meanwhile I melted 1tbsp of butter and added it to 1 cup of almond milk to make my own half and half. Once the coffee was cooled, I added the homemade half and half, stirred it up and put it in the blender with 1.5 cups of ice. Blend until smooth. 

As you can see from the picture above, the regular version is more creamy but they are both delicious. I'll be using both recipes in the future. Feel free to experiment with the base and I'm sure you can come up with lots of other copycat Starbucks recipes to suit your taste. Enjoy!