Growing up in Florida, I ordered the occasional vanilla frappuccino, but Starbucks wasn’t even a blip on my radar. Then I got to Andover, and one blustery, frigid day in the middle of December during my freshman year, I stepped into Starbucks with a friend to take a break from the wind, snow and “wintry mix”. I fell in love.
The moment I stepped into the café, I could feel the air, heavy with the scent of coffee and scones, vanilla and chocolate. There were quiet murmurs of people chatting over coffee on round, wooden tables next to the windows. The barista smiled warmly over the top of the cash register and I stepped tentatively up to the cases of pastries. There were flaky croissants, sugar-encrusted muffins, petite scones and sprinkle-covered donuts glittering in the display.
My friend ordered a double chocolate chip frappaccino with extra whipped cream and I watched the barista slide the drink over the counter to her, the cup topped with cloudy, light swirls of whipped cream and chocolate sauce.
Though nothing can really compare with the oblique charm of a walk downtown on a gorgeous spring day, when the rain sets in and the walk is muddy and leaf-strewn, you can stay warm and dry by making your own frappuccino at Commons.
It tastes almost the same from the sip of smooth chocolate to the fluffs of whipped cream.
Start by filling a plastic cup halfway with a few swirls of frozen yogurt. Add a half spoonful of cocoa powder to the frozen yogurt and stir briskly.
In a separate bowl, make a batch of chocolate sauce by microwaving a few chocolate chips, a spoonful of cocoa powder, a little bit of butter and a few squirts of half-and-half. Whisk the heated mixture until smooth.
Split the chocolate sauce into two separate bowls. Then pour a few spoonfuls of coffee into one of the bowls with the chocolate sauce and stir until the combination is glossy.
Wait until the mixture of coffee and chocolate has cooled down a little and pour it into the frozen yogurt mixture. Stir as quickly as possible, so that the chocolate syrup blends with the frozen yogurt. Be careful not to let the chocolate sauce freeze into little chunks.
Once the mixture is smooth and the chocolate is evenly distributed throughout the yogurt, it should have a light chocolate brown color.
Dollop a spoonful of whipped cream on top of the frappuccino mixture and then drizzle the rest of the chocolate syrup on top of everything. Enjoy the delicious drink and save yourself a trip downtown! Bon Appétit!
