How to make a caramel ribbon crunch from starbucks

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It’s Memorial Day weekend—the kick-off to summer—which means hot days that call for cold drinks. For me, that means plenty of icy coffee beverages and Starbucks Frappuccinos.I l… 

Copycat Starbucks Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino - Starbucks Copycat Drinks

Copycat Starbucks Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino - Starbucks Copycat Drinks

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This caramel crunch frappuccino is a refreshing sweet treat for an afternoon pick-me-up or whenever you crave an icy coffeehouse beverage from home.

Enjoy a blend of buttery caramel flavor, hints of vanilla, coffee, and milk. Top it off with whipped cream and a sweet crunch to make it even more irresistible. Not only does this drink taste amazing, but it looks impressive too!

See how you can easily become your own barista and skip a trip through the drive-thru.

Copycat Caramel Crunch Frappuccino at Home!

A regular caramel frappuccino is just fine, but sometimes I want that extra crunch! My local Starbucks usually has fun toppings or add-ins that are challenging to replicate at home. I figured out a good chip substitute with the java chip frappé, so now lets get that crunch going!

Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappé Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make this drink. Measurements are in the recipe card.

• Ice
• Coffee
• Milk
• Caramel ice cream sauce
• Whipped topping
• White sugar
• Water

How to make the caramel crunch frappé

For the crunch, add parchment paper to a baking sheet and set aside.

Add the sugar and water to a saucepan and heat over medium-high heat.

Stir constantly until the sugar is dissolved and a dark amber color.

Watch the mixture carefully as it’s easy to burn it.

Gently pour the mixture onto your prepared baking sheet.

Set aside to harden. Once it’s hard, break it apart. I did this by picking up the piece and dropping it back onto the pan.

Place the pieces into a resealable sandwich bag and crush them into even smaller pieces with a rolling pin.

Sprinkle on top of your drinks.

For the drink, add ice, cold coffee, milk, and caramel sauce to a blender and blend well.

Pour into two glasses and top with whipped cream and caramel crunch.

Serve immediately.

Caramel Crunch Recipe Notes and FAQ

Stock up on the crunch topping.

If you want to make a bigger batch of the crunch topping, feel free to do so. That will help shave off a little time if you want to make this drink more often. Store it in an airtight container and keep at room temperature.

Watch the sugar mixture while heating.

It’s important to constantly stir and watch the sugar mixture while heating. Don’t step away from it at all. As you can see, this crunch we have here is even a little burnt! It ended up being okay, but you can see how easy it is to burn with a few seconds of overheating.

Can I use something else for the topping?

If you don’t want to mess with heating the sugar, I get it! You can try toffee bits or caramel chips to give you a bit of crunch without the fuss. Another idea (that I haven’t tried yet) would be to crush up some butterscotch hard candies and sprinkle it on top! Just be careful when sipping through a straw. If you don’t crush up the candy enough, it could quickly become a choking hazard!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

Caramel Frappuccino

• 2 cups ice
• 1 cup coffee, cold
• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup caramel ice cream sauce, plus extra for topping
• whipped topping

Caramel Crunch

• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons water

Instructions

Caramel Frappuccino Directions: 

1. Add ice, coffee, milk, and 1/3 cup caramel sauce to a blender and blend well.
2. Pour into 2 glasses and top with whipped topping and caramel crunch. Serve immediately. 

Caramel Crunch Directions: 

1. Add parchment paper to a baking sheet and set aside. 
2. Add sugar and water to a saucepan and heat over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved and a dark amber color.
3. Gently pour onto prepared baking sheet. Set aside to harden.
4. When hard, break apart. I did this by picking up the piece and dropping it back onto the pan.
5. Scoop the pieces into a resealable sandwich bag and crush into smaller pieces with a rolling pin. Sprinkle on top of the drinks. 

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Nutrition facts are an estimate only.

More caramel coffee drinks to make:

• Caramel frappuccino
• Salted caramel mocha
• Iced caramel macchiato

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Let me know if you try this caramel ribbon crunch frappuccino recipe!

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