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Author:
Franco Salzillo
All chocolate types are special; you might like the fancy white chocolate or the sweeter milk chocolate. Dark chocolate, though, is in a category of its own — not everyone can handle the bitterness, but there’s no doubt the bitter-sweet treat is glorious.
Did you know dark chocolate is also relatively healthy? It has more antioxidants than other types of chocolate, and antioxidants fight free radicals in your bloodstream, responsible for many modern ailments.
Of course, most of us love dark chocolate not because it’s healthy, but because it’s delicious! And one of the tastiest coffee drinks featuring the dark beauty is the Dark Chocolate Chip Ice Blended Coffee by Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.
To make this drink at home, one would typically buy the company’s flavored powders, but you know me. I like to use what I have in hand, and if I can save a few bucks, you know I will.
For this recipe, we’re using cocoa powder, chocolate syrup and chocolate chips, the ones used by bakers and chocolatiers. This combo will give our drink a fantastic chocolaty feel that’s hard to match. We’ll also need non-fat milk, lots of ice, coffee creamer and whipped cream as a garnish. The truth is this recipe is quite simple.
Let’s not forget about coffee, because it’s the heart and soul of our drink. Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is committed to coffee quality; they only source theirs from the world’s finest 1% coffee from the Pacific, Africa and South America. If you want your drink to be competitive, you better use a nice coffee. I often use fancy coffee pods or ground myself an Arabica Java blend. Use your favorite coffee, but don’t use the cheap stuff, at least not for this one.
You’ll also need a kitchen blender and make sure it can crush ice. This recipe is ready in five minutes, and you can scale it easily to make everyone a fabulous Dark Chocolate Chip Ice Blended Coffee copycat.
Brew your espresso and let it cool to room temperature or cool it down in an ice bath.
In a blender, add the ice, espresso, milk, cocoa powder, chocolate syrup and coffee creamer. Blend until smooth.
Throw in the chocolate chip cookies and pulse briefly to incorporate them.
Serve and top with whipped cream.
