Blended Mocha Protein Frappe

Coffee shop frappes are mostly sugar syrup and crushed ice, and they collapse into brown water within ten minutes. Freezing the coffee itself means the drink never dilutes as it melts. A whey-casein blend plus a trace of xanthan gum keeps the slush suspended, so it drinks closer to a wet sorbet than a shake.

Ingredients

• 1 cup strong brewed coffee or espresso, cooled and frozen in an ice cube tray
• 1/2 cup 2% milk, cold
• 1 scoop (32 g) chocolate whey-casein blend protein powder
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 pinch fine sea salt

Instructions

1. Brew the coffee at double strength, cool it completely, and freeze it in an ice cube tray for at least 4 hours. Hot coffee poured over ice is why most homemade frappes taste weak.
2. Add the milk, cream, maple syrup, cocoa, salt, and xanthan gum to the blender and run on low for 10 seconds.
3. Add the protein powder and pulse five times on low. Whey whipped at high speed in a thin liquid builds a head of foam that will not go away.
4. Add all the coffee cubes and blend on high for 30 to 40 seconds, stopping the moment a vortex forms and the mixture stops jumping.
5. Pour immediately into a tall glass. It holds its slush for roughly 10 minutes, and any leftover can go back into the ice cube tray to be reblended tomorrow with a splash of milk.

Tips

• A whey-casein blend beats straight whey here. Casein sets up in the cold and gives the frappe a spoonable edge that whey alone never develops.
• To make it taste sweeter without more sugar, add 1/4 teaspoon of instant espresso powder. More coffee intensity reads as more flavor and lets you cut the maple syrup in half.
• Decaf freezes and blends identically, so keep a tray of decaf cubes if you want this after 4pm without wrecking your sleep.

FAQ

How much caffeine is in this?

About 150 to 200mg from 1 cup of strong brewed coffee, roughly a large drip coffee. Cubes made from three espresso shots land in the same range.

Can I use instant coffee?

Yes. Dissolve 2 teaspoons of instant coffee in 1 cup of hot water, cool it, and freeze. It is actually more consistent than brewed coffee for this.

Why does my protein powder clump in cold coffee?

Coffee is acidic, and acid plus cold makes whey seize. Mixing the powder into milk first buffers it, which is exactly why the milk goes in before the coffee cubes.

Can I make this without a high-powered blender?

Use half coffee cubes and half cold liquid coffee. A standard blender cannot break a full tray of cubes, and running it longer just melts everything into a drink.

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