For The Creamiest Homemade Frozen Coffee, Grab This Dessert Topping

Getting a good frozen coffee can be an expensive but worthwhile habit. High end Frappuccinos cost a ton, especially if you get lots of customizations, and coffee shops often have long lines during peak hours. The creamiest Starbucks Frappuccino you've ever tasted needs to be blended twice, so you'd have to wait even longer after ordering. Luckily, there's a way to achieve peak frozen coffee creaminess with just one specific ingredient. Next time you're in the grocery store, grab a small tub of whipped cream and be ready for game-changing smoothness.

There are a few different ways to make the most of whipped cream in frozen coffee. The easiest is to first start with your favorite coffee, either chilled or cold-brewed. Add ice and whipped cream (such as Cool Whip) into a blender with any syrups, creamers, or sweeteners you enjoy, then blend everything thoroughly until it's smooth and sip to your heart's content. You can also top the blended beverage with Cool Whip for an extra decadent finish.

The drink generally takes about five minutes to make, but it's luxuriously creamy. Some have compared the texture to the frozen coffee you can get at Dunkin', which has quite the following. Because you're doing it at home, you can recreate the frozen coffee drinks that Dunkin' sadly discontinued rather than just remember them fondly.

You could make whipped cream from scratch or simply freeze some milk cubes, but Cool Whip, Truwhip, and similar dessert toppings are the better option. Part of why this ingredient works so well in frozen coffee is that it's already sweetened which means you don't have to add tons of extra sugar and risk it ending up sickeningly sweet. It's also a stabilized product that contains binding agents whose thickening effects are going to enhance your blended drink. Most of all, though, it contains milk and has a rich, creamy flavor on its own that shines through the otherwise overwhelming coffee flavor. In short, whipped toppings do everything needed for a lavish frozen drink without a bunch of extra effort.

On top of that, there's the cost to consider. Cool Whip, for example, is generally sold for $2 per tub. You can easily use one container for multiple drinks, meaning you'll save money if you opt to make this coffee at home rather than going out.

Once you have the technique down cold, so to speak, you can start changing up ingredients for different flavors and textures. Adding a little instant pudding to the mix makes the drink thicker and more dessert-like, while lining the glass with chocolate or caramel syrup drizzles can give your drink a more professional appearance and additional sweetness. Alternatively, freeze your coffee into ice cubes for the ultimate slushy finish. Experiment until you find an indulgence that suits your innermost desires and you'll never be beholden to coffee shop lines again.