First off, let me say I love coffee. Oh, it wasn't always this way. As a matter of fact I hated the smell of it, the taste of it and everything associated it with until I was way into my 20's. It was an icy cold, 7 month long, 15 feet snow drifts lining our drive way kind of Minnesota winter that drove me to wanting to cup something hot in my hands as I sat at the kitchen table staring out the patio doors, watching 8 inch long, feather like snowflakes falling from the sky. (True story.)
I slowly graduated over the course of 3 winters from cupping the hot beverage, to enjoying the aroma of freshly brewed coffee, to sipping it, to drinking it and finally.... to loving it. Then, I kind of became a coffee snob, but that's a post for another day.
Today's post is about making your own iced coffee. So good, so easy and so many variations that anyone can make it and you can use so many different products that you probably have what you need on hand right now!
Iced Coffee
Start with coffee. Fresh brewed, leftover from morning, espresso, that 1/2 cup that cold in your mug - doesn't matter
Crushed Ice
Sweetener - Have one or more of these on hand;
- Sweetened Condensed Milk (canned)
- Sugar
- Flavored coffee syrup - sugar free or not (vanilla, almond, hazelnut, chocolate, caramel, mint)
- Packets of sweetener; (Ideal, Splenda, Equal, etc.)
- Liquid non-sugar sweetener
Milk - cream, half and half, almond milk or soy milk (if that is what you normally drink)
Start with about 1/2 cup of strong coffee or about 1/4 cup espresso (hot or cold the ice cools it)
Add your preferred sweetener to your taste and flavors if you choose to use them
When I am not eating sugar free I like to use sweetened condensed milk
as it already has the milk in it and you need not add anything else!
However, when going sugar free I prefer to use a vanilla or caramel
flavored sugar free syrup like Torani.
Add ice to fill the cup 3/4 full
Add milk or almond milk, etc. to the top
Stir.
Taste.
Add more sweetener or milk or flavors to your taste.
Once you make this once or twice you will know what your personal flavor amounts are. I like 1/2 cup strong hot coffee, a tablespoon of vanilla sugar free Torani syrup, one packet Splenda or Ideal and filled to the top with crushed ice and almond milk or half and half!
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| Around 11:am I switch from hot coffee to ice - and use my leftover cold coffee! |
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| Sugar free is easy using coffee, Torani vanilla and unsweetened almond milk |
