The Perfect Vanilla Iced Coffee- Dairy free to boot!

I had no sooner taken the last sips of my green smoothie (aka-my lunch) when I knew I would be needing something more. Not because I was still hungry but rather, I wanted a treat after what seemed like my never-ending day. With it only being nap time, I still had a long way to go till day's end, but I was determined to relax and enjoy myself a bit after having plumbers and audio visual guys in my house, up in my business all morning, making spaghetti o's from scratch, laundry, running errands, and having to answer Melissa when she asked why I wasn't wearing any make-up...again. Sheesh, free will man. Actually, its because I always wear make-up and I've only recently resolved to not wear it occasionally to give my face a break. Unless I have allergies, which is what happened today. Itchy, wattery eyes and mascara = gross and scary.





Anyway, as luck would have it, I had frozen my leftover coffee that morning in ice cube trays. I also had creamy coconut milk, agave and vanilla. Why not put them together? Why did I have to go to Starbucks for a great iced coffee? Why is their vanilla version so sweet? Why did Mc Donalds want me to pay $2.08 for their vanilla iced coffee, when I could make it at home for free? Ah, the questions of life. Okay, so I'm not really cheap. I'd pay a couple bucks for iced coffee on the run any day. But today, by golly I was taking matters into my own hands.

The thing is, I always have to ask Starbucks for only two pumps of vanilla instead of their standard four. Four pumps is really, really sweet. I don't handle that much sugar all that well, especially when mixed with caffeine. Plus, I think coffee tastes better only slightly sweet. If you like it sweeter, just add more agave.

Agave works well as a sweetener because it dissolves well in cold drinks so no need to make simple syrup. The coconut milk is rich and creamy, making the need for full-fat milk obsolete. Yay! Dairy free, and sugar controlled! If you have a sweetened vanilla coconut milk, you might not even need the agave. Three cheers for that!



The frozen cubes of coffee means there will be no ice cubes watering down your drink.

The Perfect Vanilla Iced Coffee
makes 1 glass

Freshly brewed coffee (regular or decaf), frozen in ice cube trays
Coconut milk (I like Silk, pure coconut original)
1/2 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon agave nectar or maple syrup


Measure out vanilla extract and agave in the bottom of a glass. Fill the glass with frozen coffee cubes (I used 5 big cubes for an 7oz glass) and then fill the glass up with the coconut milk. You are looking for a 50/50 ratio of coffee to milk. Mix together with a spoon and let it sit for five minutes. Stir again and start drinking. Adjust sweeteners or vanilla to your liking.

Variations: 


Almond Iced Coffee- Substitute almond extract for vanilla.


Chocolate Iced Coffee- Leave out the agave nectar, and sub 1-2 tablespoons Hersheys syrup. Leave the vanilla the same.

The coffee cubes will melt as you drink, making it stronger and stronger. I like it, but if it bothers you, try making this in a to-go cup before work and letting it sit and melt together for the drive so you can enjoy it when you get there. You will have some left over coffee cubes before you get done, so another idea is add in one more cube than you need to make up for the ones that don't melt all the way. Or, you could simply add some more coconut milk and have a second cup!