It can be difficult when you are ballin’ on a budget. Sometimes there are tough financial decisions to be made and from time to time, you may need to make some sacrifices – including your daily trip to visit your favorite barista. And while it seems like cutting out your Starbs stops is unfathomable, let me break it down for you this way: if you pass on a $4.00 a day coffee for ninety days straight, you’ll save $360. Pretty nice bank, right?
To ease the pain of passing up your regular caffeine fix, you can try making some of your favorite drinks at home. Here’s a round-up of seven favorites to get you started.
Original: Caramel Frappuccino
At Home Knock-Off: Caramel Frappuccino Copycat Recipe
Ingredients:
2 cups ice
1 cup strong brewed coffee, cooled
1 cup low-fat milk
1/3 cup caramel sauce
Directions:
Blend ice, coffee, milk, caramel sauce, and sugar together in a blender on high until smooth. Pour drink into two 16-ounce glasses.
Original: Maple Macchiato
At Home Knock-Off: Maple Latte
Ingredients:
4 ounces whole milk
2 shots espresso (or about 6 ounces strong brewed coffee)
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
cinnamon for garnish
Directions:
Pour milk into an 8 ounce mason jar and replace lid.
Shake for about 10 seconds until bubbles and foam develop at the top.
Remove lid and microwave jar for about 45 seconds or until milk is hot to the touch and foamy.
Pour espresso into a mug and stir in maple syrup.
Top espresso with milk and spoon foam onto the top.
Sprinkle with cinnamon and serve.
Original: “Secret Menu” Pink Drink
At Home Knock-Off: Think Pink Drink
Ingredients:
Half a packet of Lipton Strawberry Acai Decaf Iced Green Tea Mix
1/2 cup So Delicious Dairy Free Unsweetened Coconut Milk Beverage
1 cup ice cubes
1/4 cup freeze-dried strawberries
Directions:
Pour about half of the tea mix packet into a tall glass.
Add 1/2 cup water, and stir to dissolve.
Add coconut milk, ice, and freeze-dried fruit. Stir until cold and well mixed.
Makes 1 Serving
Original: Mocha Frappuccino
At Home Knock-Off: Copycat Recipe
Ingredients:
2 shots espresso, chilled (or 80ml strongly brewed coffee)
⅓ cup milk (80ml)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar (8.3g)
1 cup ice cubes, large
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup (30ml)
To serve: Whipped cream, Chocolate syrup
Directions:
In a blender, add 1 cup of ice cubes, and add ⅓ cup of chilled espresso.
Add in ⅓ cup of milk (any milk you want: full-fat, low-fat, soy milk, etc), 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar, and 2 tablespoons of chocolate syrup.
Blend for about 30 seconds, or until smooth.
Original: Chai Tea Latte
At Home Knock-Off: Homemade Chai Tea Latte
Ingredients:
1 cinnamon stick
5 whole green cardamom pods
5 whole cloves
5 whole black peppercorns
2 1-inch pieces ginger root, sliced
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon loose black tea
1/2 cup milk
Honey (or sugar) to taste
Directions:
In a small pot, combine cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, peppercorns, ginger, and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5-10 minutes, depending on preferred strength.
Remove from heat, add tea, and steep for 3-5 minutes.
Strain through a fine mesh sieve and return liquid to the pot. Discard solids.
Over a low heat, stir in honey and milk and cook until heated through.
Pour into mugs, and top with frothed milk and cinnamon, if desired.
Original: Peppermint Mocha Latte
At Home Knock-Off: Peppermint Mocha Coffee
Ingredients:
1 cup strong brewed coffee
½ cup almond milk
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
2 regular size candy canes, crushed (or a bunch of starlight mints, if candy canes are out of season)
sweetener of choice, if desired
Optional Garnishes:
whipped cream
candy cane
chocolate sauce
Instructions:
Pour 1 cup of hot coffee into a mug.
In a microwave-safe bowl, add the almond milk, crushed candy canes, and cocoa powder.
Heat the milk mixture in the microwave on high for 90 seconds, stirring once halfway through the cooking time.
Stir the mixture until all the candy cane pieces and cocoa powder have dissolved, and pour into the mug of coffee.
Add sweetener of choice and garnishes, if desired.
Original: Passion Fruit Ice Tea Lemonade
At Home Knock-Off: Copycat Passion Tea Lemonade
Ingredients:
4 Tazo Passion Tea bags
32 ounces water
8 ounces lemonade
4 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla – optional but it brings out more flavor
Directions:
Boil water.
Remove from heat and add tea bags, sugar and vanilla.
Allow to sit for 15 minutes.
Remove tea bags and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Mix lemonade and tea mixture in a large pitcher. Store in refrigerator.
Make a single serving cup by adding ice to a tall closable container, mix in 8 ounces tea and 2 ounces lemonade. Shake well to mix.
This is actually my fav drink at Starbs, so I tried it at home, and the results were pretty decent – and I was able to get the ingredients for less than cost of the grande version. Sorry, Bob the Barista, I’ll be making this one at home for the new future.
Nice Move230
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Jenna Crowley
Jenna used to be known as 2NOTBrokeGirls, but then one of the girls actually went broke, so she's struck out on her own. Jenna spends her free time saving the world, one sorority girl at a time (usually while wearing yoga pants), questioning why she decided to get a doctorate, and documenting her love of all things cheese related. You can ask her anything you want about football, using your boobs to get what you want, and pizza at @JennaLCrowley on Twitter or via email at JennaLCrowley@gmail.com.
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