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Author:
Franco Salzillo
One of the most Instagrammable Starbucks secret menu items, the cotton candy Frappuccino, is a crowd-pleaser. You won’t find this one on the menu, but it exists, and you can order yours from a local barista.
The only thing better than paying five bucks for a cotton candy Frappuccino at Starbucks is making your own for a fraction of that. The flavor, though, is just the same, if not better.
So, what makes the cotton candy Frappuccino so special? For starters, the looks and looks matter. Other than that, this is actually a vanilla bean Frappuccino flavored with a splash of raspberry syrup.
You can use any berry syrup you have in hand, and you’ll find them in the milk chocolate aisle in the supermarket. Hershey’s makes a nice one, but there are many others.
Can you use fresh fruit instead? Of course you can. Blend frozen strawberries or raspberries with a few tablespoons of sugar to make your own berry purée. Then simply add a few tablespoons to the Frappuccino recipe below.
For the Frappuccino base, we’re using espresso, cooled down to room temperature (we don’t want steaming hot coffee diluting our drink). We also need whole milk or any other milk alternative, a sweetener, in case the raspberry syrup is not enough, a dash of vanilla extract and ice.
I top my cotton candy Frappuccino with whipped cream, and you can too. You can even combine it with a few drops of red food coloring to give the pink drink a pink topping.
How about the blue cotton candy Frappuccino? If you’ve been browsing Pinterest for this drink, you’ve undoubtedly seen the blue version of it. It’s even prettier.
To make it, just substitute the raspberry syrup with blueberry syrup or blend some frozen blueberries with sugar. It’s harder to find in stores, so you might need to make yours with frozen blueberries — it’s worth the trouble.
What makes the cotton candy Frappuccino taste like cotton candy? I’ll be straight with you. Cotton candy is just spun sugar. It has no flavor. What I’m trying to say is it’s all on our heads! That means you’ll have no trouble finding that cotton candy flavor in the Frappuccino. Isn’t that cool?
Brew the espresso and cool it down at room temperature or in an ice bath.
In a blender, add the ice, espresso, milk, vanilla extract, simple syrup and raspberry syrup. Blend until smooth.
Top with whipped cream.
