Mocha Chocolate Chip Frozen Cappuccino

Oh, the weather outside is... disgusting.

If I could bear the thought of storing a picture on my iPhone of my front yard so I could post it for you, I would.  But looking outside makes me figuratively ill.  Realizing my truck's gas gauge was on 'E' and needing to make a late night gas run in the middle of an almost-blizzard... that made me literally ill.

I've lived in upstate New York all of my life.  I should be fairly proficient at shoveling snow and walking on ice and all of those talents that all good northerners should have.  You would think.  Unfortunately, every year, as much as I enjoy the snow on occasion, I spend about 90% of the time either ignoring or fighting with winter.

Don't get me wrong.  There are tons of fun things to do in winter if you just look for them.  I'm all for ice skating, snowmobiling, fishing and sledding.  And yes, I'm 26 but sledding is still a hobby of mine.  The trouble is, when you're done with the snow, the snow is not done with you.  It doesn't care that you're boots have no traction, or your tires for that matter.  It doesn't care that the Vitamin D in your system is virtually depleted and you're on the brink of a nasty case of Seasonal Affective Disorder.  It doesn't care if your pipes burst, or if your power goes out, or if an icicle-covered tree branch falls on your most important possessions.  As much as New Yorkers love the stuff, we readily admit that it's a pain in the butt about 90% of the time.

So where am I going with this?  Well, thanks for asking.  When winter comes, I invariably become a huge hermit by where I don't leave me house unless someone is paying me to.  It also means I have to be a little bit more creative because the things I take for granted in the summertime are no longer in reach for me.  That includes my snack shop and coffee shop stops.  In fact, if you look back through some other posts, you might notice a trend where my fast food copycats are more commonly posted in winter months.  That's no coincidence when you consider there's about 10 miles of below zero weather separating me from my favorite foods.

So, in honor of my recluse nature, I'm posting some more of my favorite restaurant knock-offs.

I'm starting with one of my favorite frozen cappuccino recipes.

Now, I know what you're thinking, but frozen drinks hit the spot on cold days as much as they do warm ones.  And, when you find a recipe you like enough, you'll drink it all day, every day.

This mocha flavored concoction is delicious on its own, but something about the textural element of chopped chocolate chips just makes this so much better for me. 

This is refreshing and delicious, whether it's 100 degrees, or -100.






Mocha Chocolate Chip Frozen Cappuccino
(adapted from The Dallas Socials)

1 cup strong coffee, cold
1/4 cup Mocha flavored creamer (you could use plain cream here)
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
2 tbsp chocolate syrup
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 cups ice

Garnish:
Whipped cream
Chocolate syrup


Combine all cappuccino ingredients in a blender.  Blend until thick with no large ice chunks.

Pour into a tall cup.  Garnish with whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate syrup.