Four Homemade Coffee Syrups and My Favorite Cold Brew.
Humor me while I talk about sugar and water please.
Late last night I was all prepared to tell you about chicken today. It was the plan. But then I was all… it’s Monday. Coffee Monday. Who cares how simple? We must discuss.
These syrups. We gotta talk about them.
I made homemade vanilla bean syrup. Traditional and easily loved by me. Cinnamon brown sugar syrup – because earlier this winter I was losing my mind over the dunkin donut’s flavor. Homemade almond syrup, because anything amaretto flavored makes me nutty. Pun intended. And my real – but shocking – favorite: fresh blackberry syrup. GAH. I love it so much.
I don’t care much for raspberry flavored things, but the idea of blackberry? I was all over that. It is SO good. And you can obviously use these syrups for other things, I mean this is embarrassing because they are literally just flavored simple syrups.
But, like, why haven’t I been doing this for a year?
Ever since making this fresh mint syrup for iced coffee, I’ve been read-my-lips-OBSESSED with making homemade coffee syrups. And even though I lost my taste for coffee a few weeks after sharing it, I was still so in love with the whole coffee experience that I wanted to KEEP drinking it. Kind of like how I forced myself to drink it in the first place.
The problem was that I’d go get some and no matter how small the size was, I’d only take a few sips and have to be done. Just couldn’t do it. I did go a few weeks completely without a drop of coffee, but then the taste came back to me and I’ve thoroughly been enjoying it – iced only.
Sometimes I’ll still head out and get coffee – though I’ve never been able to finish one, so it’s much better if I just make it at home. And EASIER! And cheaper. Says my raging basic Starbucks addiction.
Back in April I also shared a cold brew concentrate method with that but over the months have been loving this one below so much more. It’s kind of a major pain to grind the beans but I tell you: the flavor is so much better. I’ve done regular and decaf beans. I’ve experimented over and over with using filtered versus unfiltered water and surprisingly prefer the filtered. I didn’t think it would make a difference, but it does. TOTALLY. Is it less acidic? Are my taste buds just in overdrive? Either way, I’m finding it WORTH IT.
Big deal for this person.
Also, I find it easiest to just use a bowl or a pitcher. I have a Toddy, but it’s rather obtrusive and, well, the real issue is that my husband LOATHES coffee and the scent so much that if it’s in his view or if he gets one whiff, he throws a major tantrum. I think that’s weird because even though I’ve spent most of my life hating coffee, the scent always brought me back to my childhood and gives me warm and cozy nostalgic feelings.
My not-so-secret love for the blackberry syrup comes partially from the color. It kind of tints your coffee (if you’re using cream) to a purpleish-fuschia color and I think it’s gorgeous.
Leave it to me to like a drink for the color. I mean, it tastes great too but just look. It’s PINK. Or red. Whatever.
So I’m just in love with this idea of homemade syrups and multiple syrups, and having them on hand so you can have little coffee parties with pals. The syrup mixes into iced coffee beautifully – but after a while some will settle on the bottom just as it would with iced coffee you order out. My simple solution is adorable mixers. It works in hot coffee perfectly and I can’t get enough. And it can work in other things too – like even making some almond hot chocolate and all that jazz. But let’s not talk about that in summer.
Now please go make this for a million friends. (invite me.)
Four Homemade Coffee Syrups and My Favorite Cold Brew
Ingredients
my favorite cold brew coffee
- 1 cup whole coffee beans
- 5 cups filtered water, this made a HUGE difference in how I liked iced coffee at home!
- regular ice or coffee ice cubes
vanilla bean syrup
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
blackberry syrup
- 2 cups fresh blackberries
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup sugar
cinnamon brown sugar syrup
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/3 cup water
almond syrup
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
Instructions
my favorite cold brew coffee
- First things first: coarsely grind the coffee beans! Yeah, this is annoying. For a year I’d try to make coldbrew coffee with already ground beans, and grinding them definitely is better. I used my grinder thing for my vitamix. Just make sure they are COARSELY ground, this way you won’t have granules floating in your drink (which is one of the worse things ever in life, in my opinion). Once the beans a freshly ground, add them to a large bowl or pitcher/container/jar. Add the water and stir to mix. Let this mixture sit overnight in the fridge. I have heard both ways: at room temperature and overnight. I prefer it from the fridge. (Also as a note, sometimes I made this in my french press too. I just don’t have a huge one.)
- The next morning, strain the coffee through a few layers of cheesecloth or a coffee filter. It’s key to reduce the granules. Now you have your coffee! Fill a glass with ice, add your desired amount of coffee and cream/milk – then go to town with the syrups. Note: the syrups should be stored in a sealed container in the fridge. They should last a week or two!
vanilla bean syrup
- Combine the sugar, water, scraped vanilla beans, whole bean and extract in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is bubbling. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool completely before storing in a jar. I usually don’t remove the vanilla pod and just leave it in for flavor. You can remove it if you wish!
blackberry syrup
- Add the blackberries to a blender with the water. Puree until completely smooth and blended, then strain over a fine mesh sieve into a bowl – so all you have is blackberry juice. Combine the juice and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is bubbling. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool completely before storing in a jar. This syrup can get extra sweet due to the flavor of your berries, so feel free to play along with water and sugar ratios.
cinnamon brown sugar syrup
- Combine the sugar, cinnamon and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is bubbling. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool completely before storing in a jar.
almond syrup
- Combine the sugar, water and extract in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is bubbling. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool completely before storing in a jar.
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
Okay. I’m done being boring with coffee now. Swear.
238 Comments on “Four Homemade Coffee Syrups and My Favorite Cold Brew.”
4 syrups in one! I get more bang for my buck on this post. Can’t wait to try the blackberry and vanilla bean.
Wife doesn’t like me going to Starbucks and spending 5 bucks a cup either so it’s time to get all creative.
I’m glad you posted this because I love these ideas! I was just talking to my husband about my coffee syrup obsessions yesterday and the fact that they’ve totally changed my at home coffee experience this summer. Now I loathe going out for coffee because our options are so much better :)
Love love COFFEE!!! It’s my favorite thing to wake up to in the morning and just the thought of being able to have it when I wake up is more than enough for me to go to bed happily, haha – the syrups are awesome! I haven’t made my own yet but that blackberry one sounds phenom!
We have wild blackberries everywhere around here (Florida) now. Been looking for fun ways to use them!
I have been drinking hot coffee every morning, and it’s not jiving with the FL heat. So, cold brew? Yes.
I also happen to spend a fortune on coffee syrups…so you just saved me life with these.
By “life” I mean wallet. Same thing. Pinned!
Cannot wait to try the almond flavored one! Now you’re making me think I should go buy coconut extract so I can recreate Dunkin donuts toasted coconut (fav flavor) iced coffee at home!
you can definitely do it with coconut – i tried it an it’s so good! mix it with chocolate syrup for mocha coconut!!
Coconut Coffee Syrup
8 oz water
2 tbsp sugar
1 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
1 tsp coconut extract (omit if you cannot find)
In a small pot, combine the water and sugar and heat over medium heat.
Allow water sugar mixture to come to a boil, then stir in the coconut flakes (and coconut extract if using)
Remove from heat and allow to sit in pot for 1 hour
Strain liquid to remove coconut flakes. Place in a clean saucepot and bring to boil again. Remove from heat and allow to cool fully before placing in jar or container.
looks so good!! and the pictures are amazing!!
x
laura&nora
So glad you posted this! I thought I was crazy (as did my husband and coworkers) when I found out I was preggo I couldn’t drink hot coffee anymore only ICED! Hot coffee makes me gag anytime I’m near it. Now all I want to do is go home and make these syrups! Yum! Also congrats fellow Pittsburgh mama… I found out recently I’m due in January, so your post yesterday I TOTALLY GET.
This is so perfect on this cloudy Monday morning. The blackberry syrup sounds so intriguing – i would never think to put that in coffee, despite the fact that I am obsessed with Dunkin’s blueberry coffee (especially iced!). Will definitely be trying your cold brew method. I’ve had some missteps with the process at home, but I’ll give it another shot. Also, could not agree more on floating coffee granules ruining life. That’s the worst.
In the middle of my 2nd pregnancy and not 2 DAYS after I found out-the idea of drinking hot coffee made me gag. The ONLY thing that has saved me from turning into a caffeine-deprived monster has been cold brews. Im real excited to try these-although my husband will gag at the coffee soaking in the fridge as soon as he gets a whiff :-)
Congrats! You being pregnant at the same time as me makes it even better!!!
I need these in my life. I cannot wait to try these!
I really, really like this idea! I’ve never heard of putting syrups in coffee…I’m assuming it’s kind of like flavouring hot coffee (which I love)….definitely need to give this a try!
My coffee addiction is out of control. I’m so screwed when I get pregnant.
pretty much sure I need a cinnamon brown sugar coffee now to get me through the day.
Any chance you can do a caramel one? It’s my fave!
i thought about doing caramel, but i think if i was trying to make a caramel syrup, i’d probably just do a caramel sauce??
I was going to ask you the same thing too but then I also thought maybe I should just use caramel sauce, but wasn’t sure. Thanks so much for this post! I love the idea of making my own syrups and that it’s so easy! I am a major coffee person but when I was pregnant that was one of two food aversions for me (the other being anything tomato related). Then one morning I woke up after having a dream about coffee and craved it, but throughout my entire pregnancy I only wanted iced coffee! :)
I want to put a straw in those 4 bottles and drink them straight up!
My new thing is dark brown sugar simple syrup in my cold brew. It.is.everything. Love these flavors AND your photos!
Love your cold brew method… it’s one of the easiest ones that I’ve seen. Can’t wait to give it a try! Oh and those syrups, too!
Yay for coffee! Similar issues with the husband’s coffee aversion, so I’ll be having a girls-only coffee + syrup party, and you are definitely invited!
Ok, so you have created a post about my obsession, iced coffee. But you have also hit my other love, photography. For a long time now, I’ve been looking for a couple beautiful photos of iced coffee with the “swirly milk” for my kitchen. Yours are so beautiful!! Can i make some prints, pretty please????
Really, this is wonderful. I”m going to make another cold brew tonight. I’ve resorted to dumping hot brewed coffee over ice every morning. Thank you!
I am a barista in a coffee shop and am so happy you posted this. I’ve wanted to make my own flavored coffee at home to save myself from buying the high dollar ones at work. Saves me from buying the expensive syrups too! Thank you for the great recipes!! I especially love coconut and chocolate mochas too!
Wow – now my problem is which to I make first!
This looks so good and coffee talk is not boring, at all! I have no energy to make pressed coffee on workdays and instead I opt for tea but on the weekends…it’s such a lovely routine.
Ugh, I love this and hate this at the same time. Right when I tell myself that I am done with coffee, get rid of all things coffee related in my apt., and give my french press to my boyfriend…I find this. It’s not like I can just ignore it. I now I have to take my french press back. :-) I guess it’s just not time for coffee and i to part ways just yet.
you just made my life with this post. i only lost my taste for coffee for about 4 weeks at the very beginning of my pregnancy, and it’s been back ever since. so this whole iced with syrup thing? gonna get me through my last month.
also: i just want to let you know that the only craving i’ve had was sauerkraut in the first trimester…because i had ZERO appetite the whole time and it was the only thing that soudned good. i’ve also not had any “rush to the store” cravings, and have never gotten ravenously hungry, and i’m already at 36 weeks. i totally hear you when you said you are physically incapable of overeating. i think the little one must be squishing our normally giant stomachs. (also also: i have some pregnancy posts up on my blog if you ever want to commiserate or need any ideas).
All of these photos look oh-so-drinkable right about now! How much is too much coffee for a Monday? : )
Thank you for this as I sit here choking down a cup of coffee wishing it had a delicious creamer in it! I’m off to try some recipes! MORE please!
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Can’t wait to try these! Where did you get the cute stirrers from?
i got them from anthropologie – it was a little over a year ago and they were on sale, but i’m sure they have others now!
As a coffee lover myself, I can’t wait to try out these recipes!
Thanks for sharing! ^^
http://cindismusings.blogspot.co.uk/
The cinnamon brown sugar one sounds amazing! I never thought of that flavor of syrup. Must try soon!
Iced is the only way I can do coffee. Plus loads of syrup, cream and sugar!
Almond and blackberry syrups?! Both are right up my alley!
i am by no means the pickiest cold brew coffee drinker, but i do love it. I’m going to have to try your method! the last time I made it, I made it as a concentrate, but that just seems silly — why add the hassle of adding water when you could just brew it so that it pours straight from the pitcher. faster coffee, happier me.
How do you store the syrups? (In the cupboard or in the fridge?) how long do they last in the bottle?
oh duh! i guess that would help huh… sorry about that! i’m losing it. i store them in a jar in the fridge. i have had simple syrup last for about 2 weeks (it may even last longer, i just usually use it up!) when sealed tightly in the fridge!
I was going to ask the same thing, thought I’d check the comments first! Where did you buy the cute jars you have syrups in the pictures? Do they have lids so you can store them? Thanks for the awesome ideas!
I found another cold brew method that really isn’t as messy as this. I got a nut milk bag and used it for my coffee grounds. Everything else is the same. Just put your fresh grounds in the bag and toss it into the pitcher and cover with water. Genius!
I love the idea of a coffee party!
hello mind reader!! thanks for this! my weekend project was going to be making syrups for my iced coffee and now I don’t have to scour the interwebz to find a recipe. cold brew iced coffee is pretty much the most important thing in my life right now…that and cherries. oh summer humidity.
Now I really want a coffee party at home! This looks amazing!
This came at the PERFECT time!! I’ve been a cold-brew coffee fiend for the last few weeks and I’ve been wanting to jazz it up!
Ooo. Sending this post to my hubs. He’s a coffee freak.
Love this idea! Even though I gave up coffee but I can totally see myself using some of the fruity syrups in tea.
LOVE this idea for brunch! How much syrup do you recommend per cup of coffee?
Love all your ideas and I love iced coffee so much that I will drink it in the winter and shiver! Except I just brew coffee as normal, wait for it to cool, pour it in glass jars, refrigerate them. Then the next day I just add ice cubes, sweetener, half and half, and shake. So easy but maybe I should try your method with filtered water and the whole she-bang. I definitely need ALL those syrups! They all sound incredible! pinned
How long do you think the vanilla syrup would last for? I have about 20 vanilla beans that I need to use up (the remnants of a vanilla-extract making spree) and I have visions of vanilla syrup as a spread on pancakes, french toast….
i think it should last two weeks or so if sealed tightly – throw those vanilla beans in the fridge! that’s where i store mine when i have extras.
Hi Jess! Once you ground the coffee beans, how many cups of ground coffee to water is the cold brew recipe? I buy my coffee from the coffee shop and have them grind it for me (yes, I am lazy) and wanted to know the right proportions! Thanks!
gah, i wish i knew an exact answer to this – when i make more later this week i will measure! i will say it usually fills up a standard mason jar (the grounds) so i’d say a little more than a cup??
I too would like to know the answer to this if you ever get a chance to measure! =)
Totally bookmarked this page :) I’m not a fan of cold coffee but once the weather gets cooler, I drink lots of it hot – totally a fan of all of these syrups – you’re a genius!
These syrups looks awesome! I’ve been looking for homemade coffee syrups since there’s just so many unknown ingredients in the store bought versions. I can’t wait to try these!
Every picture in here is slaying me… especially the first one. And I don’t even like coffee that much! I’m definitely going to have to try all your variations though :)
These are SO cool! I love the idea of making your own coffee syrups and that they are so customizable! I can’t wait to make them! And by the way, for the 4th of July I made your white pizza pull-apart bread and was a total hero ;)
so glad it was a hit!
I need up to my syrup game! Will probably make vanilla or cinnamon brown sugar this weekend. Thanks for the ideas :)
I make my syrups directly in the jar because I don’t want to wash a pot (yeah it’s as lazy as it sounds). I boil water in a kettle and add it to the jar with sugar and shake! You need to make sure the lid is on tight and be careful not to splash it all over the place.