Vanilla Coconut Syrup and How to Cold-Brew Iced Coffee

There is something very therapeutic about preparing coffee in the morning. For the most part, I wake up close to right before I absolutely have to be out the door, clinging to the last few minutes of shut eye I can manage before greeting the dark hours of early morning. I do just about everything I can the night before so that I have very little to do in the morning. But there's something about that quiet time when you're up before everyone else, something that makes you want to slow down a bit and take in the quiet. In these moments, between putting on about 2.5 minutes worth of makeup and driving 30 minutes to work, I take the time for coffee. 

Now, in a Salt Lake City summer I think about 2 percent of people can manage drinking something so hot. I had a conversation with a friend a couple of weeks ago about cold brewing coffee. I hadn't ever thought of trying it, and then my wonderful Bon Appetit Magazine had instructions on how to make it. Now I'm in love and I have a new morning routine of mixing the coffee concentrate with some lovely homemade vanilla coconut syrup and almond milk. It makes for a happy little accompaniment to a morning devotional. 

So, whatever your morning routine looks like, subbing out your usual french press or coffee-maker coffee for this cold-brewed iced coffee will be a great addition :)

Vanilla Coconut Syrup
makes about 1 cup

1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup sweetened flake coconut
1 vanilla bean

In a small saucepan, stir together sugar and water and bring to a boil. Slice the vanilla bean lengthwise and place in a bowl with the coconut. Pour sugar water over the mixture. Cover and let sit 6-8 hours. Scrape vanilla bean seeds into mixture. Strain. Return to saucepan and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 5 minutes. Cool and pour into a jar or container.

Cold-Brew Iced Coffee Concentrate
adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine July 2012
Makes 3 cups concentrate

8 oz ground coffee beans

Place ground coffee in a large jar. Slowly add 4 cup of cold water, making sure all of the grounds are moistened. Cover with a layer of cheesecloth. Let stand at room temperature 15-20 hours.

Remove cheesecloth and use it to line a fine mesh sieve. Hold it over a pitcher and slowly pour coffee concentrate through. Discard cheesecloth with solids and rinse jar.

Line same sieve with a new piece of cheesecloth and set over the clean jar. Strain coffee through sieve into the jar. Cover and chill up to 2 weeks.

To serve, fill a glass with ice, pour in equal parts coffee concentrate and either water or milk (I like a combination of almond milk and water). If desired, serve with a few tablespoons of vanilla coconut syrup.