Yummy Iced Coffee Recipe

I'm not a big coffee drinker, which is too bad now that I think about it.  It sure would have come in handy back in my college days when I had to occasionally pull an all-nighter to finish writing a paper.

On the somewhat rare occasion when I do drink coffee, it's always iced coffee.  Actually, when I make iced coffee, it's end up being more like a milkshake that happens to be coffee flavored.  I adore milk and can easily go through a gallon a week.  So when I make iced coffee, I add LOTS of milk or cream.

A few months ago I stopped by the blog, The Pioneer Woman.  While there, I stumbled across a recipe for iced coffee.  The title of the post, Perfect Iced Coffee, caught my eye.  Ree found the recipe in Imbibe magazine and she shared it on her blog.  She also likes her coffee with lots of cream, even using condensed milk on occasion, so the pictures looked insanely yummy.

The recipe makes a large batch and lasts a long time in the fridge.  It's almost like a concentrate, so when you're ready for a glass of iced coffee, you just fill up your glass with ice, add the coffee and some cream/sugar and you're good to go.  This method is so much better than the way I've prepared it in the past where the coffee always ended up melting the ice and watering down the coffee.

Since this concoction lasts for several weeks when kept in the fridge, I decided to give it a try.  My favorite way to dose it up is with the flavored creamers.  Coffee Mate's Peppermint Mocha and their Pumpkin Spice are two of my faves.  I haven't tried my coffee with condensed milk as Ree suggests, but I bet that would be amazing, too...probably like dessert.

Ree mentions in her post, this recipe appeared originally in Imbibe Magazine.

Here's the super easy recipe for making this fab iced coffee.  You're not gonna believe how it's done.   Oh, when I make this, I usually only make half the recipe.  That lasts me at least 2-3 weeks.  If you're a big iced coffee fan and drink it every day, you may wish to make the full recipe.
Ingredients you'll need:
1 pound Ground Coffee (I use Eight O'Clock Coffee)
8 quarts Cold Water
Half-and-half or any milk of your choice.  The flavored creamers are yummy.  If you like it sweet, add sugar, artificial sweetener or sweetened condensed milk, if you dare.

Supplies you'll need:
A large food storage container or a large pot that will hold 2 gallons
A 2 gallon beverage dispenser to store the coffee in the refrigerator once it's all done

Directions:
In a large container, mix the ground coffee with the 8 quarts of water.  Just stir it well enough to get all the coffee good and wet.

Since I don't have a huge food storage container, I use my large dutch oven.  It works okay, but it isn't very easy to pour the coffee out once you're done.  I'm going to be on the look out for a large container like Ree uses.

Next, cover the container and let it sit at room temperature for eight hours.  I always make it at night so it can "brew" while I sleep.

In the morning, strain the coffee mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a large pitcher or beverage server.  You'll want to pour it into a container that's appropriate for storing in the fridge.  You can use cheesecloth in the strainer, if you're worried about any grounds sneaking through.

Discard the grounds and place your coffee into the refrigerator to chill.  It doesn't take long to chill since it's room temperature when it goes into the fridge.

When you're ready to have a glass of iced coffee, just pour it over ice and add milk or sweetener as desired.   Your ice doesn't melt (since the coffee isn't hot) and you've got ice coffee at the ready, anytime you want.  I've had it sit in the refrigerator for 3 weeks with no problem.

If you end up making this, take photos of the process showing how you made it.

Got any iced coffee fans out there?  Have you ever tried your iced coffee with sweetened condensed milk?

To view Ree's gorgeous photos and the pictures of the restaurant style container she uses to prepare this recipe, stop by The Pioneer Woman blog.