Make-Ahead Skinny Iced [or Hot] Mocha

Espresso, cold brew and other labor intensive methods aren't needed for this recipe. All you need are simple pantry items: brewed coffee, sweetener, hot cocoa powder and milk of choice. If I could toss some confetti into the air to celebrate this fact I would. An optional "ingredient" would be some frozen coffee ice cubes.

What I love about this recipe is that it can use up leftover coffee and is completely make-ahead. The recipe also tastes great hot! Simply stir everything together while the coffee is hot, cool it down and refrigerate overnight. In the morning all you have to do is toss some ice cubes or coffee cubes into a travel mug and go. Or in our case...stay in...indefinitely and look longingly at the empty streets and blooming trees. Anyway...

I like this recipe better than Starbucks. It's lower calorie than most store-bought versions also. 

NOTES:

• A standard coffee maker makes a 6 ounce cup of coffee per serving. You can use this as your guide when making a pitcher for the fridge.
• Put your coffee into a heat safe vessel with a leak proof lid such as a mason jar. That way you can grab the coffee, shake and pour over ice.
• Recipes are passed down wisdom. Feel free to adjust sweetener and milk to your what you prefer.
• I recommend mixing everything while the coffee is still hot so that everything blends easier.
• I drink 6 ounces at a time. For 6 ounces the calorie count is 52 cals/.4 total fat/.3 saturated fat/9.8g carb/1.4f protein/7.5g sugar
• This tastes great hot also!

RECIPE

Makes 1, 12 ounce serving but I have also doubled this below if you want larger quantifies.

For 12 ounces: 104 cals/.8 total fat/.6g saturated fat/19.6g carb/2.8g protein/15g sugar

12 ounces brewed coffee

2 teaspoons granulated swerve*

2 teaspoons granulated sugar**

2 teaspoons Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa [90 calories per sleeve]

1/4 cup fat free half & half

Pour coffee into heat safe vessel. Stir other ingredients or cover and shake. Cool a little and refrigerate.

*Swerve is a no-calorie sweetener that measures 1:1 with sugar. You can use all sugar or all swerve if you want to reduce the carb and sugar contents. 

**Using all Swerve yields at 12 ounce serving: 72 calories/.8g total fat/.6g saturated fat/11.2g carbs/6.6g sugar/2.8g protein

FOR 2 SERVINGS:

24 ounces brewed coffee

4 teaspoons granulated swerve*

4 teaspoons granulated sugar

4 teaspoons Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa [90 calories per sleeve]

1/2 cup fat free half & half

Follow instructions above