Starbucks For Less!

I have a new obsession. White Chocolate Mochas from Starbucks. Iced or Hot. As I mentioned before, I'm not a "coffee" drinker, but I need the pick-me-up.

A month or so ago while I was at Starbucks, I randomly ordered a white chocolate mocha. First sip was like, "Whoa! Hello there, coffee!" But as I kept drinking it, I liked it more and more. Then, when we were driving back from Yosemite, Grant needed some caffeine, so I got him an iced version, which was so delicious. Since then, I've been getting a few here and there.

But, man! Those things are expensive! So I got the idea yesterday to try and recreate it.

I got a bag of Starbucks Espresso Roast coffee, and Safeway brand white chocolate hot chocolate mix. When I got home, I experimented a few times, but I think I finally came up with a winner. Well, I think it tastes the same. I'm sure if I got another one from Starbucks, I might find that it's not that close at all, but this version tastes pretty yummy.



Starbucks uses a white chocolate syrup, but I don't have that. That's where the hot chocolate mix comes in. The directions say to use 3 flat tablespoons for 6 ounces of water, but I changed it up a bit. I mixed 3 heaping tablespoons of the mix per 6 ounces of milk. Heat the milk first, then add the mix. That's a pretty thick, syrup-y mixture. The reason I used milk instead of water? Starbucks adds milk to their drink, so this is a good way to get the milk in there without adding extra water. Smart, huh? And the reason I heated the milk, is because I tried adding the mix to the milk while it was cold, and it didn't mix right.

As for the coffee, I pretty much know nothing about brewing coffee. But the instructions on the bag say to use 2 tablespoons per 6 ounces of water. So again, I did 2 heaping tablespoons of ground coffee.

Now the next part is key - at least from what I could tell from my few experiments, I've found it to be key. Refrigerate the coffee and the hot chocolate mixture over night. Because if you add the coffee and the hot chocolate while it's hot to the ice, it melts the ice way too fast, and that waters everything down. And you don't want that.

Then, in the morning when your kids wake you up way too early, you have everything ready to go! Here's how to put it all together.

Put a bunch of ice in a glass, then pour 1/3 cup of the cold hot chocolate mixture, and 2/3 cup of the coffee over the ice (my measurements are generous, so it's a little more than that). Stir together, and you have yourself a nearly identical cup of Starbucks Iced White Chocolate Mocha. Now all I need is one of those Starbucks cups to put it in!