Hey. How are you? Are you well? Are you rested? Or are you still working away, slogging it out, just waiting for that summer holiday you’ve been dreaming about all year?
I’m in that last category. I finished uni, ready for some fun summer projects, my garden, get some summer reading done, relax about. But then I got slammed with work and I decided to do NaNoWriMo and, well, it’s been a bit of a hectic rollercoaster since then. But hey. This right here? This cold, caffeinated beverage I have to offer you? This, my dear friends, will snap you right out of that funk you’re in. It’s like summer in your glass.
I love coffee. I really, really do. And I LOVE iced coffee. This right here is a wonderful homemade alternative to the jumped-up expensive iced coffees you get in expensive coffee places. It’s really, really good. I’m drinking one right now, in fact. And it’s GREAT for NaNoWriMo, when you live in Australia where sometimes it’s hot in November. I don’t drink energy drinks, and I need caffeination sometimes, when it’s late at night and I’m behind on my word count.
Cold Brewed Iced Coffee
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman
I halved this recipe, except I accidentally quartered the water, so I think it ended up stronger although I wouldn’t know (first time! not last time!) so I’m going to give you the full amount of ingredients and you can mix and match as you desire.
The pictures are from making it with sweetened condensed milk, which I love love love. I’ll give instructions for both sugar and sweetened condensed milk.
400g ground coffee
8 litres cold water
cooking cream or milk
sweetened condensed milk or sugar
you can also use syrups to sweeten/flavour
ice cream (optional but recommended)
Mix coffee and water in a large container. Allow to sit at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight.
Line a fine mesh strainer with several layers of cheesecloth or paper towel and position over another large container. Carefully pour coffee mixture into strainer, pausing for it to seep through the paper/cheesecloth. Once it’s all poured through, use a tablespoon to gently press all the liquid through.
Discard grounds, and keep coffee in the refrigerator until needed.
To make each serving: Fill a glass about half full of coffee. Add two to three tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk or a few tablespoons of sugar, to your liking. Add milk/cooking cream to fill and stir until combined. Drink up!
cut.the.cookie 