Favorite Thing #40: DIY Iced Coffee

Our friends in Saskatchewan introduced us to the world of making your own iced coffee last summer. It was a great discovery and one that I revisited with our current Edmonton heatwave. The temperatures have been in the 30's for the past week. Its been beautiful. I can't understand why people compain about the heat. I'd take this over -30° anyway. Not to mention dreary rain. Or mosquitoes. Seriously. I love the heat!

In a moment of desparation this week, I stopped by Tim Horton's for an Ice Capp. Now believe me, its been months, if not years, since I had my last Ice Capp. While they are tasty, I rarely visit the Horton's these days, not to mention the calorie count just doesn't seem worth it (most days anyway). But at the same time, the cost of an Iced Caramel Macchiato is in the $4 range. So I figured, I want something cold and coffee-like, so I'll suck it up and just go for the cheap one. Well, turns out they didn't have them. On a 30°+  day? Er. Right. This is precisely why I rarely visit your establishment. See ya.

So I came home and made my own drink. Probably more along the lines of a Iced Coffee than a slurpee/blended drink, but just as delicious. It went a little something like this. 

1 Tbsp. Starbucks Vanilla Syrup

1/3 of the mug with Milk

Rest of the mug with coffee

 

#1. I tried using skim milk. That was not a good call. You apparently need some calories to make this drink delicious. My next stop will be 1%. Otherwise I'll just have to stick with 2%, but I certainly won't be drinking these puppies all day long at 130 Calories per cup!

#2. You can buy the flavoured syrups at any Starbucks, providing they have enough in stock. I paid only $9.95 for this giant bottle of Vanilla syrup! I found 1 Tbsp (35 Calories) to be more than enough sweetness, but you could adjust this to your taste preferences.

#3. To make your coffee, brew it super strong (as you will be diluting it with milk). I did 1 Scoop of Coffee to1 Cup of coffee in my coffee maker. Let it cool off, then promptly chill in the fridge.

 My little creation ended looking something like this. It was sooo good.

 *I've also experimented with adding some Bailey's. Also uber delish. The possibilities are endless!