COFFEE KLATCH

Fit & Frosty Coffee Freeze

My son Max and I celebrated the first day of every season – from his birth through college. Sometimes, on the first day of winter, we’d pretend it was summer: we’d hit the greenhouses, fill our lungs with dewy oxygen in the oddly warm, exotic, green spaces, cloaked in the silent outdoor snowfall. Then we’d grab a frozen shake somewhere. And finally back home, to find a place for the little plant we had just bought. Now that’s a holiday!

This wintery concoction is an homage to those memorable “First-Day-of-the-Season Celebrations.”

Why not start your own?

Ingredients

4 large cups of brewed, strong, bold, quality coffee (brewed

2X stronger than usual – to compensate for ice-melt)

3 cups crushed ice

4 tsp Agave Nectar, or desired sweetener, if any

1 cup cream, milk or milk replacement such as oat

4 Tbsp. chocolate syrup (or the equivalent in cacao)

2 Tbsp. caramel flavoring (or, your favorite flavor combos will work here)

4 sprigs fresh mint, if available

LINK TO EASY CONVERSION CHART method servings 4 affiliate partner…

Hint: Frost the glasses in the freezer overnight first.

1. Have all ingredients ready, along with a blender and 4 smoothie glasses.

2. Brew coffee.

3. Without blending yet, pour in the hot coffee and combine wit h any desired sweetener and any flavorings. USE CAUTION ABOU T SWEETNESS LEVEL AND TASTE TEST AS YOU GO.

4. Add cream or milk.

5. Lastly, add the ice. (This can be divided into 2-3 smaller batches, depending on blender size; just be sure to evenly distribute the ingredients. Never blend hot liquids unless in very small batches, starting slow before increasing speed, and vent. This recipe does not call for any hot liquid to be blended without ice and other cold ingredients.)

6. Blend on high, or frape’ mode.

7. Pour immediately into glasses.

8. Decorate with a drizzle of chocolate syrup and a sprig of mint. Or just guzzle it up as it is! You’ll be ready to take on all that winter has to offer.