Drinks

For anyone who's followed this blog for a while, you know that drinks ocassionally pop up here. After all, there are so many more things to drink than water, plain coffee, milk, tea, and soda.

To that end, here are six yummy drinks to try out, including Copycat Starbucks Caramel Frappuccino and an Orange Julius. Enjoy!

COCOA JAVA

This recipe, from My Food and Family, begins, "You'll need just five minutes and three ingredients to make this tasty coffee drink. Share it with your family for a special treat!"

Prep Time/Total Time: 5 minutes

To view this online, go to https://www.myfoodandfamily.com/recipe/050780/cocoa-java.

Ingredients

2 env. instant hot cocoa mix

1-1/2 cups hot freshly brewed MAXWELL HOUSE Coffee

1/4 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

Directions

Empty cocoa mix into 2 large mugs or cups.

Add coffee; stir until mix is dissolved.

Top with COOL WHIP.

Kitchen Tips

Tip 1

Substitute

Prepare using MAXWELL HOUSE Italian Espresso Roast Coffee.

Tip 2

Substitute

Prepare using instant reduced-calorie hot cocoa mix, or flavored instant hot cocoa mix.

Tip 3

Special Extra

To serve garnished with shaved chocolate, pull vegetable peeler across surface of 1 oz. BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate to form shavings. Fill mugs with ingredients as directed; top with shaved chocolate.

ORANGE JULIUS

This comes from Kelli Foster on TheKitchn. (No, that's not a typo. If you've never checked out TheKitchn, or its sibling site, Apartment Therapy, I highly recommend checking out both. Seriously.)

Anyway, this makes 2 servings. To view the recipe online (along with a little bit about the Orange Julius), go to https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-an-orange-julius-125422.

Ingredients

1 cup milk (whole, 2%, or skim)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 6-ounce can frozen orange juice concentrate

1/2 cup sugar (or sugar substitutes, check package for equivalence)

1 1/2 cups ice

Equipment

Blender

Glasses

Directions

Blend the milk and vanilla: Pour the milk and vanilla in a blender and pulse until combined.

Add the frozen concentrate: Add the frozen orange juice concentrate. Blend until fully combined with the milk.

Add the sugar and ice cubes: Blend until cubes are crushed and mixture has thickened. If things end up a little thick, just add a tablespoon of water and mix once again.

Pour and enjoy: Pour the drink into glasses. Serve with a straw and sip your way to blissful happiness.

Recipe Notes

I used 2% milk, though you can also use whole or skim milk with equally delicious results.

If you don't have orange juice concentrate (or aren't into buying it), I'd suggest freezing fresh orange juice into cubes (or in an 8x8-inch pan, then break it into chunks). Without that added iciness, the overall texture of the drink will change dramatically, and adding more ice in the end just doesn't work. (You end up with a more-soupy, less-flavored version of the original.)

BREWED ICED CAFE LATTE

This is from Folgers. Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: N/A; Makes 5 servings; Difficulty: Easy

To view this online, go to https://www.folgerscoffee.com/recipes/drinks/brewed-iced-cafe-latte.

Ingredients

1/3 cup Folgers Classic Roast® Coffee OR 1/4 cup Folgers® Black Silk Coffee

2 cups Cold water

1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk

Ice cubes

Directions

Brew coffee in coffeemaker using 2 cups cold water.

Combine coffee and sweetened condensed milk in pitcher, stirring until blended.

Serve over ice.

CREAMY INSTANT ICED COFFEE

This is from Folgers. Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: N/A; Makes 5 servings; Difficulty: Easy

To view this online, go to https://www.folgerscoffee.com/recipes/drinks/creamy-instant-iced-coffee.

Ingredients

1 (12 fl. oz.) can PET® Evaporated Milk chilled

2 tablespoons Folgers Classic Roast® Instant Coffee Crystals

1/3 cup sugar or to taste

Ice cubes

whipped cream

Directions

Combine evaporated milk, coffee crystals and sugar in blender container. Cover and process until coffee is dissolved.

Serve over ice. Top with whipped cream.

CREAMY VANILLA ICED COFFEE: Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract to blender container.

CREAMY CINNAMON ICED COFFEE: Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon to blender container.

COPYCAT STARBUCKS CARAMEL FRAPPUCCINO

This is from Delish, and begins, "The caramel frappuccino is the most iconic Starbucks drink. It's sweet, strong, and drizzled with lots of caramel. The drink is easy to make at home and makes the perfect little afternoon pick me up."

Yields: 2 servings; Prep Time: 5 minutes; Total Time: 10 minutes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 c. cold, strong-brewed coffee

3/4 c. whole milk

1/2 c. caramel, plus more for serving

1 c. ice

Whipped cream, for serving

Directions

Blend coffee, milk, caramel, vanilla, and 1 cup of ice until smooth, thick, and icey. Add more ice, if necessary to reach desired consistency.

Pour into glasses and top with whipped cream. Drizzle with more caramel sauce.

CREAMY VEGAN HOT CHOCOLATE

This came from Genevieve Ko at The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Genevieve wrote, "For a vegan hot chocolate that rivals even the creamiest dairy-laden variety, add a few tablespoons of nut butter like almond, sunflower or peanut to the nondairy milk, chocolate chips and cocoa powder. Whisking is also essential here; nondairy products tend to contain stabilizers that keep them emulsified, so they can separate when boiled. If you keep whisking the mix as it heats and remove it from the stove when it’s nice and steaming, but before it boils, you’ll end up with perfectly smooth hot chocolate. Don’t worry if it breaks: You can simply blend it with a whisk or immersion blender over low heat to bring it back together."

Yield: 2 cups; Time: 5 minutes

To view this online, go to https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019960-creamy-vegan-hot-chocolate.

Ingredients

1/3 cup vegan semisweet chocolate chips (about 2 ounces)

3 tablespoons vegan unsweetened cocoa powder

3 tablespoons creamy nut or seed butter, such as almond, sunflower or peanut

Pinch of kosher salt

1-1/2 to 2 cups unsweetened nut or grain milk, such as macadamia, walnut, almond, cashew, hazelnut, oat or rice milk

1 to 3 teaspoons granulated sugar (optional)

Preparation

Combine chocolate chips, cocoa powder, nut butter, salt and 1/2 cup nut or grain milk in a small saucepan. Whisk over medium heat until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth, about 1-1/2 minutes.

Whisk in 1 cup nut or grain milk in a slow, steady stream, and continue whisking until cocoa is steaming, about 1-1/2 minutes. Don’t let it come to a boil or the cocoa will separate.

Taste a spoonful. (Be careful: It’s hot.) If you prefer a thinner hot cocoa, add up to 1/2 cup additional milk. If you prefer it sweeter, add a teaspoon of sugar at a time, tasting after each addition. Divide among cups and serve hot.