Coconut Vanilla Bean Cold Brew + Chocolate Salted Caramel Drizzle

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been drinking coffee at all hours of the day lately.

I wake up and drink my first cup of black coffee, and then I usually add a little bit of creamer into my next cup, but come mid-day, I find myself needing another pick-me-up. It’s getting pretty hot here in Mississippi as summer rolls around, so my go-to drink recently has been cold brew. I love cold brew for a few reasons. For one, it’s so easy to make. Just add coffee grinds and water to a jar and let it steep for a day and then you’re good to go. Another reason I love it is because of the flavor it acquires. To me, it’s the strongest, boldest, and smoothest version of coffee besides espresso.

And finally, I love it because of this recipe right here.

Don’t get me wrong, most of the time I just drink my cold brew black or pour a splash of milk into it, but sometimes it’s refreshing to switch things up a little bit. I had some leftover coconut milk in the fridge and thought it would be fun to add that into the cold brew instead of my usual almond milk. And then I made a little salted caramel drizzle to amp it up just a little bit more. And then I added chocolate, because nothing goes better with coconut and caramel than chocolate. On top of all of that, it's actually refined sugar and dairy free, and vegan!

And that’s how this super creamy, smooth, perfectly sweetened iced coffee drink was made.

What You’ll Need:

Makes roughly 5 servings, with extra caramel

For the cold brew:

• 1 cup coffee grinds/beans

• 4 cups water

For the Coconut Cream:

• 1 can full-fat coconut milk

• 1 tbs. maple syrup

• 1 vanilla bean

For the Salted Caramel:

• 10 pitted Medjool dates

• 2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1/2 tsp. sea salt

• 1/4 cup unsweetened baking chocolate - melted

• 1/3 cup hot water

• 1/2 cup milk or cream - I used coconut milk

Making the drink:

Step One: Cold Brew

To make my cold brew, I used Lavazza Super Crema Espresso beans and ground them up very finely. There really is no single, correct ratio for cold brew—it really just depends on your preference. I like my cold brew pretty strong, especially when I'm adding other flavors and milk into it. I’ve found that my sweet spot is typically a 1:4 ratio of coffee to water. I put 1 cup of coffee grinds into a mason jar along with 4 cups of cold water, shook it up, and let it sit in the fridge for about 24 hours. In my experience, it needs to soak for at least 12 hours and no more than 24 hours. The longer you steep, the stronger it will get. When you’re done letting it soak, strain it using either an extremely fine mesh strainer or a cheese cloth and store it in the fridge until ready to use.

Step Two: Coconut Vanilla Bean Cream

This is such an easy, fast, healthy, and delicious way to amp up any drink (matcha, chai, coffee— hot or iced). Simply blend 1 can of full fat coconut milk (light coconut milk can be used, but it won’t be as creamy) with 1 tablespoon of maple syrup or any other liquid sweetener. I prefer using whole vanilla beans, but vanilla extract will work too. To add vanilla beans, slit one bean down the center with a knife and scrape the insides out into the blender. If using vanilla extract, add one teaspoon into the blender. Blend all ingredients together until frothy (about 1 minute).

Step Three: Chocolate Salted Caramel

This is by far the most decadent step to this drink. The cold brew and coconut cream by itself is already super creamy and perfect, but this just takes it to the next level. In a high-speed blender or food processor, blend 10 Medjool dates, 2 teaspoons of unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/4 cup melted unsweetened baking chocolate, 1/3 cup hot water, and 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt until extremely smooth. Add 1/2 cup of any type of milk or cream in (I used coconut milk to keep up with the theme), and blend until incorporated. Strain the mixture to get rid of the date chunks and make it as smooth as possible. It should be a drizzle-able consistency, so add more milk/cream to get the appropriate texture if needed. Store any leftover caramel in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Step Four: Building the Cold Brew

To put this drink together, I like to start off with a frosty glass filled with ice. If you really want to up the ante, freeze leftover cold brew, normal brewed coffee, or coconut milk into an ice cube mold and use that so that the drink never gets watered down. Next, drizzle the chocolate salted caramel along the inside rim of the glass, and spoon a little straight into the glass as well. Then pour the cold brew about 3/4 of the way up and stir briefly to make sure the caramel is mixed in. Finally, top it all off with the frothy coconut vanilla bean cream.

If you’re getting tired of your usual at-home coffee or miss your “Salted Cream Cold Brew” from Starbucks too much, try this drink out! I promise it will satisfy your mid-day pick-me-up.