RECIPE DOCTOR
Make your own syrup for light mocha recipe

By Elaine Magee

There's something about that white chocolate mocha combination of flavors that has me mesmerized. So how do you make this at home? This inquiring mind wanted to know.

I innocently went shopping at higher-end markets for "white chocolate syrup" or anything similar and came up empty.

Ghirardelli does make a white chocolate hot cocoa mix, but I wanted to come up with a solution that everyone could make at home with ingredients easily found in your typical supermarket. I tasted a sample of the Starbucks white chocolate "syrup" and it reminded me, in taste and texture, of sweetened condensed milk blended with melted white chocolate.

So I melted an ounce of white chocolate with a few tablespoons of fat-free sweetened condensed milk. It worked beautifully! The next step was to blend half of this mixture with 1/2 cup of very strong freshly brewed coffee. If you have a cappuccino maker, you can steam some nonfat milk and add it froth and all. The rest of us can heat up milk in the microwave, then pour about ácup into the coffee mixture and stir. You can add more milk or strong coffee depending on your tastes.

If you want it iced, just add the milk cold and pour in a cup filled with ice.

A similar drink at a coffee chain contains 320 calories, 12 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, and 35 mg cholesterol per 12 ounce serving.

WHITE CHOCOLATE MOCHA

• 1 ounce white chocolate (chocolate chips or bar broken into pieces)
• 3 tablespoons fat-free sweetened condensed milk
• 2/3 cup super-strong coffee or espresso
• 1 1/3 cups nonfat milk

A squirt of light whipping cream or white chocolate shavings (optional)

Add white chocolate and fat-free sweetened condensed milk to a glass measuring cup and microwave on low until milk is hot and chocolate is starting to melt. (Watch carefully because this can happen quickly.) Stir mixture to finish melting chocolate.

Divide chocolate mixture between two large coffee mugs. Add 1/2 cup hot, extra-strong coffee or espresso to each. Stir to blend.

Using the microwave or stovetop, heat nonfat milk until very hot or steam milk using a cappuccino maker. Divide milk between mugs. Stir to blend. Top with a squirt of whipping cream or white chocolate shavings, if desired.

Adjust the amounts of coffee or milk to your tastes.

Makes 2 servings.

• Per serving: 215 calories, 9 g protein, 34 g carbohydrate, 4.5 g fat (2.7 g saturated fat, 1.4 g monounsaturated fat, .1 g polyunsaturated fat), 6 mg cholesterol, 0 g fiber, 127 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 19 percent.

Omega-3 fatty acids 0 g

Omega-6 fatty acids .1 g

Weight Watchers POINTS 5

Elaine Magee is author of "Tell Me What to Eat if I Have Diabetes," "The Flax Cookbook," "The Recipe Doctor Cookbook" and "Tell Me What to Eat If I Have Acid Reflux." Reach her through www.recipedoctor.com. Column distributed by Knight Ridder News Service.