This is a bonus. Not only can you create your own cold brew coffee with the recipe here, but you can also create four different at-home syrups that are healthier than what you’ll find at the café and can be combined for very interesting flavors.
If you need a light version, use a sugar substitute. Almond syrup, cinnamon brown sugar syrup, and vanilla bean syrup are all standard favorites, but the blackberry syrup is excellent as well and gives your coffee drink a fun purple or pink color when mixed with creamer!
INGREDIENTS:
My favorite coldbrew coffee
1 cup whole coffee beans
5 cups filtered water (this made a HUGE difference in how I liked iced coffee at home!)
regular ice or coffee ice cubes
Vanilla bean syrup
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Blackberry syrup
2 cups fresh blackberries
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
Cinnamon brown sugar syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup water
Aalmond syrup
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
DIRECTIONS:
My favorite coldbrew coffee
First things first: coarsely grind the coffee beans! Yeah, this is annoying. For a year I’d try to make coldbrew coffee with already ground beans, and grinding them definitely is better. I used my grinder thing for my vitamix. Just make sure they are COARSELY ground, this way you won’t have granules floating in your drink (which is one of the worse things ever in life, in my opinion). Once the beans a freshly ground, add them to a large bowl or pitcher/container/jar. Add the water and stir to mix. Let this mixture sit overnight in the fridge. I have heard both ways: at room temperature and overnight. I prefer it from the fridge. (Also as a note, sometimes I made this in my french press too. I just don’t have a huge one.)
The next morning, strain the coffee through a few layers of cheesecloth or a coffee filter. It’s key to reduce the granules. Now you have your coffee! Fill a glass with ice, add your desired amount of coffee and cream/milk – then go to town with the syrups. Note: the syrups should be stored in a sealed container in the fridge. They should last a week or two!
Vanilla bean syrup
Combine the sugar, water, scraped vanilla beans, whole bean and extract in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is bubbling. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool completely before storing in a jar. I usually don’t remove the vanilla pod and just leave it in for flavor. You can remove it if you wish!
Blackberry syrup
Add the blackberries to a blender with the water. Puree until completely smooth and blended, then strain over a fine mesh sieve into a bowl – so all you have is blackberry juice. Combine the juice and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is bubbling. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool completely before storing in a jar. This syrup can get extra sweet due to the flavor of your berries, so feel free to play along with water and sugar ratios.
Cinnamon brown sugar syrup
Combine the sugar, cinnamon and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is bubbling. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool completely before storing in a jar.
Almond syrup
Combine the sugar, water and extract in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is bubbling. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool completely before storing in a jar.
