In the words of Jim Carrey a’la “The Mask,” somebody stop me.

Except please don’t. Because I don’t ever want to stop drinking iced coffee, and especially this vanilla iced coffee.

Vanilla iced coffee | Kitchen Treaty

I can’t get enough of this stuff. And, you know, I actually used to not be a huge fan of sweetened iced coffee, but I’m converting. Because just the right touch of sweet along with a heady dose of flavor elevates plain ol’ cold-brewed iced coffee into nirvana territory. Except it doesn’t smell like teen spirit or anything. It smells, predictably, of coffee and vanilla. Thankfully.

I finally bit the bullet and ordered a ginormous bunch of vanilla beans from Amazon, and I love having them in my pantry. Working them into my iced coffee took me all of about, oh, one day after delivery, when I infused some maple syrup with vanilla beans and poured it on in.

This time, though, I just wanted vanilla. Plain, unadulterated, nothing-but-vanilla.

Homemade vanilla syrup for iced coffee | Kitchen Treaty

And creamy, heady, heavenly vanilla iced coffee.

Vanilla iced coffee | Kitchen Treaty

(You know, something that would make me go crazy with the adjectives.)

So I whipped up some easy homemade vanilla syrup and added it liberally to each glass of iced coffee thereafter. And then I cried when it was gone.

Just kidding.

A little.

(On my list this week: make some more, stat).

Do More

Glazed vanilla bean cookies

Glazed vanilla bean cookies

Make these indulgent brown sugar cinnamon scones to serve alongside :: Got vanilla beans to spare? Make vanilla sugar or whip up some melt-in-your-mouth glazed vanilla bean cookies :: Create more flavored syrups with this terrific tutorial (Annie’s Eats)

Homemade Vanilla Syrup
Recipe Type: Syrup
Author: Kitchen Treaty
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 1 cup
A double dose of vanilla makes this syrup twice as divine. It’s so easy to make and so unbelievably good that you’ll never want to be without it ever again.
Ingredients
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 vanilla bean, sliced open vertically and seeds scraped
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Add sugar, water, and the vanilla bean and seeds to a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil a full boil, then remove from heat. Let sit for at least 1/2 hour (up to 2 hours). Add vanilla extract. Pour syrup over a fine-mesh sieve to catch the vanilla pod and any pieces. Store refrigerated in an airtight jar; keeps up to 2 weeks.
Notes
Adapted (slightly) from [url href=”http://www.annies-eats.com/2011/08/15/diy-flavored-syrups/” target=”_blank”]Annie’s Eats[/url]
Creamy Vanilla Iced Coffee
Recipe Type: Beverage
Author: Kitchen Treaty
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 1 glass
Sweet vanilla syrup mellows this creamy-yet-potent iced coffee. Be sure you have lots of cold-brewed iced coffee on hand when you make this for the first time, because you will want more immediately. Guaranteed.
Ingredients
  • Ice or coffee ice cubes
  • 1 cup [url href=”https://www.kitchentreaty.com/cold-brewed-iced-coffee/”]cold-brewed iced coffee concentrate[/url]
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla syrup
  • Half-and-half
Instructions
  1. Fill a tall glass with ice cubes. Add coffee concentrate, 2 tablespoons of vanilla syrup (use less for a less sweet coffee), and half and half to desired point of creaminess. Serve.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a portion of the proceeds. More about this here.