CEIMB: Chocolate Egg Cream

This week's Craving Ellie in My Belly recipe was actually a beverage. This recipe was chosen by Chaya's Comfy Cook Blog. We were to make Chocolate Egg Creams, which are sort of a cross between a chocolate milk and a soda float. There is no ice cream in these, but they are still creamy, with a bubbliness from the seltzer water and a surprise salty kick from the pretzel rod you garnish it with at the end.

Andy and I thought these were okay, but I don't think I would ever go out of my way to make these again. I'd rather just go ahead and indulge in a soda float or chocolate milkshake and accept the fact that I'd be ingesting extra calories.

I do have to say, though, that I am very grateful that I tried them. Why? Because in the process, I have discovered the love of a new coffee beverage that is starting to become my new favorite.

Every afternoon, I make myself an iced mocha on my home espresso machine. I've played with the formula time and again, trying to always make it tasty and low-calorie at the same time. When I read the ingredient list for Chocolate Egg Creams, I realized that if I just added some shots of espresso to this, I could really have a great drink. So I decided to make the recipe exactly as stated, and then make another version with an added java jolt. I also added ice because the espresso is warm when it comes out of the machine. Adding it meant adding warmth, so I had to compensate.

This turned out so well! I have never, ever thought to add carbonation to my coffee drinks. This is genius! It adds flavor, and a different dimension that just makes it so much more refreshing. Plus, it's a welcome substitute for the plain water I normally add to dilute the milk (which is how I lower the calorie content). In this household, we aren't huge fans of the seltzer water. However, in this, I think it's a winner! And the pretzel rod, though I wouldn't treat myself to one every day, was a fun and interesting little stir stick.

So the ex-Starbucks employee in me tinkered with the recipe, and she was successful! If you enjoy Starbucks iced mochas, I recommend you try adding some coffee to your egg cream next time! It's fantastic!

The original recipe for Ellie's Chocolate Egg Creams is found here.