by Pamela Morgan

I have a new addiction. I crave it every morning. I’m like an addict…slogging into the kitchen eyes half closed. I open the fridge and pour myself a half glass of this dark cold brew concentrate and then top it off with ice and some homemade vanilla simple syrup, or cashew vanilla nut milk.

Cold Brewed Coffee and me go together like ….. sugar and cream. It’s like drinking a coffee milkshake every morning and it gives me that little buzzzzzzzzz!! Ahhhh I even drink it in the winter. I can taste all the coffee notes with cold brew. It’s rich, caramel, deep and satisfying and truthfully, cold brew doesn’t even need sugar or cream.

And here’s what is the best thing for me… I have acid reflux, so cold brew is ideal for someone like me. A recent study shows that cold brew is 67% less acidic than regularly brewed coffee. Plus the reduced acid makes it healthier for your stomach and your teeth

And I’m kind of a fanatic about using organic coffee beans!!

Enjoy this recipe and let me know what you think of cold brew.

Cold Brew Coffee and Simple Vanilla Syrup

• Prep Time: 15m
• Cook Time: 12h
• Total Time: 12h

• Serves: 10
• Yield: 9 – 12 cups

Ingredients

Cold Brew Coffee

• 2 cups coffee, medium coarse grind
• 10 cups filtered water
• cashew milk (optional)
• Vanilla Simple Syrup (optional – see recipe below)

Vanilla Simple Syrup

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 vanilla beans, sliced in half

Instructions

Cold Brew Coffee

1. Place the coffee grinds in the bottom of a large glass jar, and add filtered water.
2. Mix well, with wooden spoon.
3. Cover, and let the coffee brew for 12-24 hours in the refrigerator (depending on how dark you like your cold brew)
4. Strain through a coffee filter twice, and store in clean glass jar.
5. In a large glass with ice, pour one tablespoon of vanilla simple syrup, pour cold brew concentrate, add water or milk if desired. Mix and Enjoy!

Vanilla Simple Syrup

1. In a small pot, place sugar, water, and vanilla beans.
2. Cook over medium heat, and let the sugar dissolve, about 5-8 minutes.
3. Leaving the vanilla beans in the simple syrup will infuse their flavor.
4. Cool and store in a mason jar for up to one month!

 Cookbook author and entertaining expert, Pamela Morgan is the owner of NYC based Flirting with Flavors, where she offers exclusive cooking parties, inspirational seminars and special events. She is highly regarded as a special event planner, culinary consultant, cookbook author, and is a food & entertaining editor for Hamptons’s Cottages and Gardens.   Pamela sees food as a flirtation: sexy, provocative, and a little mysterious. Her desire is to teach you how to flirt your way into a full on passion for cooking and entertaining! Visit her web site for recipes, entertaining inspiration and much more.