Friday, June 17, 2011

Iced Coffee YUM

I have tried a LOT of iced coffee recipes.

Some were really good -but they involved 10 ingredients and a blender.

Some made 2.8 servings (massively big servings) and sometimes I am the only one that needs an iced coffee and I don't think I should force feed myself an entire blender of coffee just so nothing is wasted.

Some recipes were really quick - but they lacked the flavor, creaminess, and general taste that you find in your $5 iced coffee drinks. Other times they had to be consumed in one super-fast gulp before they became watered down from the melted ice.

Here is my new solution- the goals were:
1. Must be yummy.
2. Must be few in ingredients.
3. Must be fast in the morning.
4. Must be able to make a single serving.

Ready?
There is some pre-day prep - but it is painless:

Step one: Brew strong coffee - any flavor - just make it strong.

Step two: Shut off coffee pot and let it cool but don't forget it is there.

Step three: Freeze this coffee in ice cube trays and smile for all the future goodness you will enjoy. (I try to make several batches over the weekend and once the cubes are solid I pop them in a Ziploc bag. This stockpile ensures that I will have supplies to last through the week!)

On the big day:
Make one average size cup of super hot water, about 6 ounces of water in a much larger cup- if you have a Keurig then brew one medium cup.

Add to that 3 Tbs. of cappuccino mix. Any flavor. Any brand. This MAY be more powered than you would usually add to that amount of water - but this will provide the sweetness and the creaminess that you need.

Add 7-8 coffee cubes. (Adjust cubes to give more or less coffee flavor to please your pallet.) Be patient and let this melt.
I find that if I make my cup right before walking out the door - by the time I reach work 5-10 minutes later, it's perfectly chilled.

Sit back and enjoy your cool pick-me-up! Maybe with an episode of Weeds? :)

3 comments:

Cole said...

I must try that recipe right away!! Well...with the prep work, tomorrow. But close enough. :-)

Janet said...

I have to tell you, I was so excited today to see in the instant coffee section they have General Foods International Coffee Iced Vanilla Latte. I will let you know how they are.

Janet said...

Okay, just FYI, I'm drinking the instant iced latte this morning, and I'm on the fence. You mix it with a cup of milk, and to me, it's awfully sweet and rich. I think it's better as the ice melts and waters it down some.