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Author:
Franco Salzillo
If you’re familiarized with Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf coffee, you know they’re all about flavor intensity and the quality of their ingredients, especially the coffee — definitely the best in
California and perhaps the finest in the country.
You might also know they sell flavored powders for you to make their famous coffee at home. Don’t get me wrong, the stuff is delicious, but $12.95 bucks for six ounces of powder can be a bit much, especially when you can make your copycat version at home for much less than that.
Of course, creating your own specialty coffee drinks is more than saving money; it’s fun! You get to be a professional barista, and that means creating lots of tasty, caffeinated beverages for your friends. That alone is reason enough to learn to make your own hazelnut chocolate ice blended coffee.
The first thing you’ll need is coffee, and you want a nice one. Think Costa Rica or Nicaragua, for example. Medium roast, of course, which is more compatible with the hazelnut flavors in today’s drink.
As it’s customary with Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf drinks, I’m going old-school with non-fat milk. Almond milk is an excellent alternative if you want to keep this one lighter. It will also be suitable for dairy-intolerant folks.
Instead of using the brand’s hazelnut-flavor powder, we’re throwing into ours a few tablespoons of hazelnut-chocolate cream, in other words, Nutella. The thing with Nutella is that it’s thick, so we’ll have to melt it in warm milk. That’s also the perfect time to add in the rest of the ingredients.
After heating your mixture on the stovetop, the only thing left to do is cooling it and blending it with your coffee. That’s what you do with every one of them, every single time. The results? Totally awesome! Let’s make ourselves a fantastic hazelnut chocolate ice blended coffee!
In a small saucepan, heat the milk over a medium flame until steaming but not boiling.
Add the hazelnut spread and stir until dissolved.
Add the cacao powder and coffee creamer. Dissolve and remove from heat. Let it cool to room temperature.
Brew your espresso and let it cool to room temperature.
In a blender, add the hazelnut milk, the espresso and the ice. Blend until smooth.
Serve and top with whipped cream.
