Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew

Vanilla sweet cream swirls into cold brew coffee

Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew is a simple, delicious coffee drink that can easily be made at home. Make the three elements of this recipe — cold brew coffee, homemade vanilla syrup and homemade vanilla sweet cream — in advance to have the best homemade coffee drink around.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Steep Time 12

Total Time 12 40

Servings servings

Calories 105kcal

Ingredients

Homemade Cold Brew Coffee*

1 cup coffee grounds medium-coarse consistency
6 cups water

Homemade Vanilla Syrup

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
1 vanilla bean split

Vanilla Sweet Cream

¾ cup half-and-half
¼ cup heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons homemade vanilla syrup recipe above

Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew Coffee (1 serving)

6-7 oz. cold brew coffee warm or cold
½ oz. 1 tablespoon homemade vanilla syrup, or more if you like sweeter coffee
1 oz. 2 tablespoon vanilla sweet cream
Ice for serving

Instructions

Make Cold Brew

Combine the coffee grounds with cold water in a large pitcher. Cover with a kitchen towel, and let sit overnight (or for 12 hours) on the countertop.
Line a fine mesh strainer with coffee filter, cheesecloth or a nut milk bag. Place directly over a large bowl or another container to pour the cold brew into.
Slowly, pour the cold brew through the cheesecloth/filter to strain out the coffee grounds. Do this twice. It might take a little while to drain, and that’s OK. You can help it along by gently swirling the liquid with a spoon or a rubber spatula.
Transfer the cold brew into a sealable container, and transfer to the refrigerator.

Make the vanilla syrup

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water.
Heat over high heat until the sugar has completely dissolved, stirring occasionally.
Turn off the heat, and add the split vanilla bean.
Let steep for 2 hours before transferring to a mason jar.

Make the vanilla sweet cream

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the half-and-half and heavy whipping cream.
Pour in the vanilla syrup, and whisk until combined.
Transfer to a mason jar, and store in the refrigerator until time to make your coffee.

Make the Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew

Add ice to a glass, and pour in the cold brew. (Alternately, you could heat up the cold brew in a mug in the microwave if you want it warm.)
Pour in the vanilla syrup, and stir.
Pour the vanilla sweet cream on top and stir.
Give the cold brew a taste. Add additional vanilla syrup and/or vanilla sweet cream if necessary, then enjoy immediately!

Notes

How to store: All these elements—the homemade cold brew, the vanilla syrup and the vanilla sweet cream—should be stored in sealable mason jars or other food-safe containers in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. The syrup will last longer than that.

How to make sweet cream cold foam: If you want to make your drink truly a copycat, you need to transform the Starbucks sweet cream into cold foam. To create vanilla sweet cream cold foam you need to whip sweet cream in a frother that has a cold foam function, use a handheld frother or a whisk or a blender. If using a blender, just give it a few pulses.

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