The BEST DIY Starbucks Iced Mocha!

I really love a Starbucks Iced Mocha Latte. The thing I really DON'T love about them is the price.  A grande costs me nearly 5 bucks! OUCH! So even though I'd find myself craving one a few times a week I really try to limit myself to swinging through the drive through a few times a month.

This is my favorite afternoon "mom treat" once the toddler goes down for a nap and the big kids is cozied up with a quiet activity (see here about how we implemented daily afternoon quiet time!)  It is time for momma to power through the day with a little pick me up!

Image credit: Starbucks.com

I tried making them at home and never had success. I'm not lying when I say that I literally have been trying for years to find a great make at home recipe.  Some of the recipes I ran across even required cooking your own chocolate on the stove!! Who has time for that?!?! My kids barely allow me enough time to eat meals let alone prepare a special syrup to flavor my coffee.

I went to all lengths to find one that fit the bill and nothing... I searched tons of bloggers' pages and none of them nailed it in my opinion. About two weeks ago... for a while I had a dark chocolate syrup that I purchased for one of my coffee experiments and it didn't cut it. Many of the recipes I read about required using cocoa - which I realized seemed to be the missing piece in my elusive DIY Iced Cafe Mocha.  The following is my DIY Starbucks Iced Mocha. The cost of each drink just a fraction of my Starbucks treat and tastes just as delicious plus I can make it at home without needing to run out!

I recommend using a robust coffee - it doesn't need to be espresso, just a nice strong coffee.  I LOVE to use the Grande Intenso pods with our Dolce Gusto Coffee Maker from Nescafe because it has a cold brew option - meaning I don't need to wait til it cools to add ice!  Their pods are fantastic and brew incredible coffee both cold and hot. For this recipe I've been using their Grande Intenso. The coffee comes out frothy and full bodied. Its much more compact than our old Keurig and makes better coffee. 

You can also using a French Press (this one gets great reviews and is currently marked down!) is a great way to make your own cold brew by brewing in the fridge overnight.  I also love Chameleon Cold Brew or Nitro from Target . 

Prepare your mocha flavoring  by placing 2-3 Tbs. cocoa (we recommend dutch, not dark cocoa powder) , 2 Tbs. of Milk and 3-4 Tbs. of Hershey's Dark Chocolate syrup in a bowl and mix - at first it will seem like its not going to mix - keep going (I promise) it will come together into a dark syrup. Once it is mixed you are ready to combine it with your coffee. **HINT you can also add your ingredients all to a mason jar and SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE, its easier than hand stirring and faster.

Stir (or shake) everyone together and you are done! Top with whipped cream and enjoy! 

Cheers! 

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Image courtesy of Sabotta Imagery

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