Starbucks Frappuccino Recipe

If you're anything like me, you love Starbucks' frappucinos but have trouble justifying the price tag. A few weeks ago, I started researching how to make frappucinos at home. I keep seeing the same frappucino recipe floating around the internet. While that recipe certainly tastes close to a Starbucks frappuccino, close doesn't cut it.

After a lot of research and experimentation, I have created what I believe to be the closest approximation to a caramel frappuccino from Starbucks as possible without just breaking down and buying one. If you want to make that caramel frappuccino at home for free, here's what you'll need.









Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup double-brewed coffee or espresso – icy cold
• 2/3 cup Bailey's caramel liquid coffee creamer
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 tsp fruit pectin 
• 1 cup crushed ice
• 2 tbsp sugar
• Canned whipped cream

Directions:

You can't skimp on the coffee. If you don't have an espresso machine, brewing a pot of coffee and then running the coffee back through the machine using the same coffee grounds gives you the extra-strong coffee you need to make a frappuccino at home. Put the coffee in a plastic container (cools down faster than a coffee pot) and put the plastic container in the freezer until the coffee is very cold. If you skimp on any of the coffee preparations (using hot coffee, using weak coffee, etc.) your frappuccino will not taste right or will have a runny consistency.

Also, flavored coffees are a no no for this dish since they affect the taste. The flavored coffee may be tasty, but it won't be a frappuccino.

Ok, add the crushed ice, the coffee, the caramel creamer, the milk and the fruit pectin to the blender. Blend on "ice crush" for 10-15 seconds or until the coffee has that wonderful slushy consistency. Add the sugar. Blend the drink for an additional 5-10 seconds. Pour it into a glass and top with whipped cream out of a spray can, since that is the type Starbucks uses.

I cheated and topped mine off with Butterfinger ice cream mix-ins because I didn't have any caramel syrup handy. If you happen to have some, drizzle it over the whipped cream for a truly authentic Starbucks frappuccino.

Parmesan Herb Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 12-15 new potatoes
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
•  2 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp basil 
• 1 tsp oregano 
• 2 tsp California-style garlic powder (with parsley)
• 3 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp lemon juice

Directions:

Wash the potatoes and cut them into quarters. Melt the butter in a small container. Add the lemon juice and stir until the butter and lemon juice are well blended. 

Add the cheese, thyme, basil, oregano and garlic powder to a plastic ziploc bag. I prefer to ues gallon bags for this but I was out so I had to use a small bag. Larger bags work better since you can fit more potato slices into a large bag. Shake the bag to make sure the cheese and spices are well blended. 

Start dipping potato quarters into the butter/lemon juice mixture. Put the wet potatoes into the bag. Shake the bag to coat the potato quarters with the cheese and herbs. 

Place your already coated potato wedges into a microwave-safe casserole dish. Once all of your potatoes are coated, sprinkle any remaining cheese mixture into the dish. Microwave the potatoes, uncovered, for 15 minutes and serve. 

Slow Cooker Sweet Ribs

Ingredients:

• 1 rack of beef ribs
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• Barbeque sauce 

Directions:

Cut the rack of ribs into sections so that they'll fit into the slow cooker. If you're using frozen ribs, make sure to thaw them ahead of time. Toss the ribs into the slow cooker. Drizzle the honey over them. Sprinkle them with the brown sugar. Top with 1/2 of the barbeque sauce. 

Cook the ribs on a low setting for 4 hours. Add the remainder of the barbeque sauce to the slow cooker 30  minutes before the ribs finish cooking. 

Note: I prefer beef bone-in ribs for this recipe, but pork ribs work just as well and fit into the slow cooker better than beef ribs. 

Spinach Casserole

Ingredients:

• 10 oz. frozen spinach
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 cup Swiss cheese
• 3 hard boiled eggs
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1.5 cups milk
• Crumbled bacon

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350. Cook the spinach. Drain it in a colander. Soak up as much of the excess water as you can with a paper towel. Chop the eggs. Next, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, salt, cayenne pepper and half of the milk. Stir the mixture until it starts to bubble. Add the rest of the milk. 

Continue stirring the sauce until it thickens. Remove it from the heat. Grease a relatively small casserole dish. Lay 1/2 of the breadcrumbs in the dish. Top that with 1/2 of the spinach, then 1/2 of the chopped eggs and 1/2 of the Swiss cheese. Make second layers of spinach, eggs and cheese. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup breadcrumbs and the bacon crumbles. 

Bake for 25 mins. 

Kick-In-the-Face Chipotle Meatballs

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground pork
• 1 lb. mild ground sausage
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp. parsley
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
• 2 tsp adobo sauce

Directions:

Thaw the ground pork and ground sausage in the refrigerator. Don't wait till the last minute and try to thaw them in the microwave. Your meat needs to be the same consistency and temperature throughout. Trust me. 

Preheat your oven to 400. Add all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Blend the ingredients together with your hands. Form the meat into golf ball-sized meatballs. 

The meat will feel very soft, this is normal. I promise they will harden up as they cook. Place the meatballs on a cookie sheet. Bake them in the oven for 15 minutes. Serve with gravy or on top of noodles with spaghetti sauce. 

Deep Fried Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless chicken breasts
• 8 slices honey ham
• 4 slices Swiss cheese
• 3 tbsp butter
• 3 cups flour
• 1 bottle of beer
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1 tsp salt
• vegetable oil 

Directions:

Pound the chicken breasts flat with a hammer. Lay a slice of Swiss cheese and two piece of ham on top of each chicken breast. Roll them up. Secure with toothpicks.

Mix the egg yolk and 2 cups flour together. Beat the egg whites until frothy. Mix together the egg whites, beer, butter and salt. Add to the flour/egg yolk mixture. Place 1 cup flour in a bowl to the side. Heat a pan of hot oil on the stove (a wok is better if you have one). Your oil should be at least 1 inch deep.

When the oil is sizzling hot, pick up one of the cordon bleu chicken rolls. Remove the toothpicks. Hold the roll together while you dredge it in flour and cover it VERY WELL with the beer batter. Lay the chicken roll gently in the pan of hot oil. Place two chicken rolls in the pan at a time. Cook the chicken rolls for roughly 3 1/2 minutes before flipping them over and cooking another 3 1/2 minutes.

Take the deep fried chicken roll out of the hot oil and put it on a plate with a paper towel to soak up the grease. Provided you coated the chicken roll well with the batter, the cheese will melt inside of the thick crust. When you cut into the roll, you should see this:

Serve and enjoy!

Note: I'm partial to a wok for frying. It gives you more of a depression to sufficiently fry things while also having the high sides that protect you from splatter. If you fry things often, consider getting one. Personally, I'd always choose a wok over a deep fryer, given the option. 

Banana Nut Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. melted, cooled butter
• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 mashed bananas
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 cup granola
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup chopped nuts

Directions:

Mix the flour, white sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt together. Sift into a large bowl. If you don't have a sifter, fluff the dry ingredients with a fork for 2 mins or until they are fine and aerated. Add the melted butter and mix well. 

In a separate bowl, mix the mashed banana, the eggs, the milk and the vanilla together. Once combined, pour the mixture into the bowl containing the dry ingredients. Mix together only until combined. Fold in the granola. 

Pour the batter into a muffin tin. Mix together the brown sugar and nuts. Place a pinch of the sugar and nut mixture on top of each muffin. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. 

Gnocchi in Tomato Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. potato gnocchi
• 3 tbsp butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 3 tbsp crushed tomatoes
• 2 tbsp parmesean cheese
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:

1. Set a pot of water on the stove to boil. Pour the gnocchi into the boiling water. Boil them for about 3 minutes or until they float. Drain.

2. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the garlic, parsley and oregano. Saute for 2 mins on med/low heat. 

3. Add the crushed tomatoes and parmesean cheese. Mix together until well combined. Whisk in the heavy whipping cream. Saute over medium/low heat for 5 minutes or until hot. 

4. Pour the sauce over the gnocchi. Serve immediately.

Chocolate Fried Pies

Ingredients: 

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup milk

2 tbsp butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups baking mix

Directions:

1. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, salt, butter and 1/2 of the milk in a saucepan. Blend the ingredients together well. Bring to a low boil, stirring constantly. When the mixture begins to thicken (usually after a minute or two), remove it from the heat and stir in the vanilla. At this point the chocolate filling should be the consistency of cake frosting. Set filling aside.

2. Combine the baking mix and the remaining 1/2 cup milk. Knead the mixture into dough. Roll out the dough as flat as possible. Cut it into medium-sized circles. The best way to do this is to place a cereal bowl upside-down on the dough and trace the edges with a knife. This leaves you with a perfect circle. 

3. Heat 1/2 inch vegetable oil in the bottom of a frying pan. 

4. Add 1-2 tbsps of the chocolate filling mix in the center of each dough circle. Wet your fingers and pinch each circle shut around the edges. 

5. Fry the pies in the oil, two at a time for 1 min to 1 1/2 mins per side. Remove from the hot oil and place on a paper towel to drain. Top with powdered sugar if you wish. 

Spicy Turkey Wraps With Southwestern Dip

Ingredients:

4 thin sun-dried tomato tortilla wraps

1/3 cup mayonnaise

2 chipotle peppers

8 slices Monterey jack cheese

2 handfuls fresh spinach leaves

Sliced turkey (amount varies depending on your preference)

1 ripe avocado, sliced

2 ripe tomatoes, sliced

1/2 cup Southwestern salad dressing, any brand

Directions:

1. Chop up the chipotle peppers. Stir them into the mayonnaise. Spread an even amount of chipotle mayonnaise inside each tortilla wrap.

2. Layer each wrap with 2 slices of cheese, tomato slices, turkey, avocado slices and plenty of spinach. 

3. Fold the wrap like a burrito. Cut it diagonally down the center. Serve with Southwestern salad dressing for dipping. 

Rosemary Wine Sauce

Ingredients:

2 tbsp butter

1/2 yellow onion, sliced

1 1/2 cups prepared beef gravy

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup cooking sherry

2 tbsp dried rosemary

Directions:

1. Pull the onion into separate little strips. Saute the onion and garlic in the butter until the onion is translucent. 

2. Add the gravy, the rosemary and 1/2 cup of the sherry. Mix together with a whisk until well blended. Let the sauce simmer and reduce for about 2 minutes or until it thickens slightly.

3. Add the remaining sherry and simmer for another minute or so. Remove from heat and serve.