Iced coffee is my favorite summer time treat! And this year, since we are trying to be more economical, I have been brewing my own. Cold brewing, to be exact. I sit a gallon of cold water in a pot, add an entire bag of dark roast ground coffee, and let it brew overnight. I strain it through a fine mesh sieve into a pretty glass pitcher and let it sit in the refrigerator until it is really cold.

Or sometimes I cheat and make a half gallon pitcher of instant coffee. It’s not as good, but with two mobile boys it is a lot easier!  Pick your favorite method!

I also love vanilla bean syrup. It’s good in coffee, black tea, milk, on pancakes and scones and is great for baking! Mr. T is a big fan of just drinking it, so it has to go to the back of the fridge on the very top shelf. Boys are funny like that.

Here’s my recipe for Vanilla Syrup. Let me know if you try it!

1 cup of sugar(this time I used coconut sugar so it has a caramelish flavor which is really good!)
1 cup of water
1 vanilla bean split
1 TBS pure vanilla extract

Put all the ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until all the sugar is dissolved. Remove vanilla bean and scrape the seeds, add the seeds into the syrup. and simmer the syrup for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a glass container. I like to put the vanilla bean pod into the glass for extra flavor and so it looks pretty. This syrup will last for about a month, kept in the refrigerator.

Vanilla Iced Coffee:
Add 2-3 teaspoons of syrup, cream or almond milk and iced coffee in your desired increments to a tall glass filled with ice. Enjoy!