Well, it’s beginning to get too warm for hot beverages…which means it’s iced coffee season!
I am a big fan of iced coffee and a big fan of coffee dates…but, when I want an iced coffee every-single-day that the weather threatens to be warmer than 80*F, it can get a little pricey…and really, sometimes I don’t want to change from my grungy house wear (yoga pants and t-shirts with paint/mod podge splatters, holla!) to real-deal clothes.
Luckily, cold-brewed coffee saves the day.
I like my iced coffee all kinds of ways–black, creamy, creamy AND sweet, and sometimes flavored. I don’t really discriminate, the flavor of the day just depends on what I’m feeling. Lately, I’ve been mixing up this concoction with a hint of vanilla and almond. It’s the perfect treat for an afternoon pick-me-up when all I want to do is nap the afternoon away, but I can’t because I got schtuff to do.
Vanilla-Almond Iced Coffee
You can mix-up the creamer in advance and keep it in the refrigerator for a week. Feel free to change the flavors and ratios to customize it to your tastes. I love the sweetened condensed milk in the creamer, it lends that flavor that is reminiscent of Vietnamese Iced Coffee, one of my favorites.
Vanilla-Almond Creamer
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup Half and Half
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Stir together all ingredients in a measuring cup. Pour the mixture into a container to store.
Cold-Brewed Coffee
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
A lot of recipes instruct you to leave the coffee mixture out on the counter. I’ve done it this way before, but I like to just keep it in the refrigerator so it’s already chilled when I strain it. I also like to make this in a 1 litre carafe, so I have plenty of cold coffee on hand for spontaneous caffeine fixes.
1 cup ground coffee (I like to use italian, french, or espresso roast)
4 1/2 cups water
In a large container (a beverage carafe works nicely), stir together coffee and water. Cover and store in the refrigerator or on the countertop for at least 12 hours (I usually go a bit longer). Set a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl, line the strainer with a coffee filter. Strain the mixture, you may have to do this in 2 batches. Alternatively, you can filter the coffee using a french press (I have to do this in batches for this amount of coffee). I personally prefer the coffee filter method so a lot of the coffee-ground-silt is filtered through.
To prepare: Fill a large glass with ice cubes, pour over coffee and as much creamer as you’d like. Add a straw for fun and sip-a-bility.
I have never made my own iced coffee before. You have inspired me to try, It looks so good and the mixture of vanilla and almond sound amazing!
oh, you should definitely try it out!
Looks so wonderful and refreshing, but I don’t suppose you live around my neck of the woods. It’s gray and rainy outside my window. Wah!
Thanks! I think I would trade some gray weather for mosquitos and humidity 😉
i’m absolutely dying over this…iced coffee is my favorite morning beverage in both the dead of summer and the snowiest days of winter! the creamer is such a great idea 🙂
Thanks Heather! You should definitely get your iced coffee on!
Oh this is delightful! Love the combination and I’ve only recently discovered condensed milk in my iced coffee – dangerously addictive, but I’m quite certain this almond addition will put it way over the top! Thanks for the great recipe.
Jess, yes! Condensed milk and coffee are definitely good friends. Thanks!
This is very easy and tasty! I made some this week and funneled it all back into the gallon water jug I bought the filtered water in. I did not flavor the cream mix as I wasn’t sure I’d want flavored creamer each day. But love to have the option! This recipe has just made my summer!
Kassi, that’s so great to hear! Yay! Thanks for the comment 🙂
Woah, hello cold-brewed coffee! What the heck have I been doing with my life?! For me, iced coffee at home always involved pouring hot coffee over ice and ending up with watered-down sadness. This is life changing I tell you!!
Brittany! Yes! I’m so glad you have a new method now, iced coffee forever!
actually, a wonderful method for the coffee part is to pour your typical leftover coffee into an ice tray and freeze it, then use the frozen coffee-cubes like you would use ice cubes in a drink! Fill a tumbler or some other drink holder with the frozen cubes, pour hot coffee over, and add whatever you like. This creates a perfectly chilled beverage!
Thanks for the tip!
I have never tried cold-brewing coffee, nor have I tried making my own iced coffee, but it sounds so darn easy, I’m going to have to give it a try!
Amanda, definitely try it! I bet you’ll be hooked 🙂
I’m not medically allowed to have caffeine – but I suppose this would work with caffeine-free coffee, right? It sounds delightful!
I don’t see why it would be a problem to use decaf, go for it!
I work at Starbucks and we brew our iced coffee double strength so we brew a full batch of coffee on a half batch setting, just like you could brew 2 cups worth of coffee grounds with only a little bit over 1 cup of water because some gets soaked in the grounds, then it’s just half hot coffee half ice, the ice will melt down I would recommend maybe crushed ice if you are doing a small batch. And there you go easy iced coffee, freezing old coffee takes too much time and makes coffee a little more bitter and bleh old coffee is gross. Hope this helps! 🙂
Sometimes, if I can stand it, I make an extra pot of coffee and freeze it in an ice tray for my iced coffee. This way I get iced coffee without watering it down!