Happy Tuesday! Have you had your coffee?

There are a few things in life I adore: coffee, chocolate, babies, and puppies. All give me great happiness. Can you tell I am excited about this post today?!

I am excited because I beat the system. I love coffee and I do spend quite a bit on it. I am picky. No Folgers for this girl. So when I can figure out a way to make something at home that tastes as good or better than what I would order at Starbucks (or any other coffee shop), I am tickled!

I am shaky from caffeine experiments. I have spent the better part of my day trying to duplicate the Starbucks Discoveries Caffe Mocha I picked up yesterday. I am happy to announce that I was able to do so. In fact, I think I did better. The Starbucks version has a slightly filmy/ slimy taste. Mine doesn’t. Boom. Even my husband did a blind taste test and liked mine better!

This recipe is easy. I used ingredients from my pantry, and put the iced caffe mocha in a pitcher we own. It can stay good for about a week. Make sure to use good, fresh coffee beans. If you can use an Espresso blend, do so. We used First Colony Rainforest Blend from Costco. The beans are dark and moist in the bag. It is best to grind them fresh yourself.

Pour over ice. Store it for coffee dates with friends. Save the time I spent trying to re-create this and enjoy. I am so happy I can enjoy a yummy iced coffee beverage without spending $5.99 on 50 oz.

Starbucks Caffe Mocha- Iced Espresso Beverage
10 cups brewed coffee (the darker roast the better, grind your own beans for best taste!)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 cups milk (I used 2%)
2 tablespoons half and half
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon double cocoa hot chocolate mix

Directions
Brew coffee. Store in refrigerator until cold. Pour into pitcher. Add brown sugar, milk, half and half, vanilla extract, and cocoa mix. Whisk with all your might until all ingredients are combined and caffe mocha is smooth. Pour over ice.

Enjoy!