Vanilla Coffee Syrup and Cold Brewed Coffee

My coffee machine is on the fritz.  Sorry, did I say on the fritz?  I meant broken.  It’s so irritating – I’ve only had the thing for 8 months!  I’ve adjusted by using my espresso machine and fixing myself lots of lattes!  …And by steeping a filter with coffee grounds in a cup of hot water like tea.

I made a batch of homemade vanilla coffee syrup to liven up the lattes I’ve been drinking.  It was pretty standard as far as vanilla coffee syrup goes, and it’s so much cheaper to make it yourself.  Next time I want to add honey and make honey vanilla syrup.  I think that it would be perfect with hot blackberry tea.  Naturally, I really want to whip up a batch of caramel syrup too – keep your eyes open, it’s bound to happen in the next few weeks!

Vanilla Coffee Syrup

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp vanilla

1. Heat sugar and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved.  Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 10-15 minutes, just to thicken the syrup up a little bit.
2. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla (you can adjust this for different levels of flavor or substitute a different flavored extract).
3. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container.

My husband and I are fortunate enough to not pay for heat in our apartment building and it’s usually right around 74-76 without even turning the thermostat on (almost too warm – we have crack the window overnight).  With that heat, some days I crave an iced coffee despite the icy temperature outside.  I’ve just discovered the process of cold brewing coffee this year and I am in love with!  In summer, I used to brew a pot and stick it in the fridge for a couple hours to cool –  no more of that!  You can make a whole pitcher at once with this method and it’ll last you all week!  …Or maybe only a couple days if you drink coffee the way I do.

Cold Brewed Coffee

• 6 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups coffee grounds

1. In a pitcher, or any container large enough that can be covered, mix water and coffee grounds.  Mix or shake to ensure that all of the grounds have been submerged.  Let it sit for 8-12 hours – overnight works perfectly.
2. When ready, place a coffee filter into a funnel and put the funnel over the container you will be storing your cold brewed coffee in.
3. Pour the coffee, grounds and all, into the funnel and let the filter do its job.  Add more as it empties until all of your coffee is filtered!
4. Store in the refrigerator, the coffee will be good for up to two weeks.