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Author:
Franco Salzillo
Vanilla is originally from Mexico and Central America, and it’s the pulp and seeds of a tropical, rare orchid. It was the French chefs, though, who really took this sweet-scented ingredient to the next level.
There’s no doubt the French have mastered the use of vanilla, and you can taste it in custards, pastries and coffee too. Inspired by this idea, here’s a French vanilla iced coffee that is as tasty as it is refreshing.
Iced coffee is the perfect warm-weather drink, and to make it right, today, we’re using vanilla ice cream. How cool is that?
For this iced coffee recipe, we’re using vanilla ice cream. It will add that awesome vanilla flavor, but also an unbeatable creaminess and a subtle sweetness. It comes without saying, the better the ice cream, the better the coffee.
I use Häagen-Dazs when possible, but there are many other excellent brands. Obviously, the supermarket ice cream gallons are not at the same level, and although you can totally use cheaper ice cream for your iced coffee, quality matters. Choose wisely!
We also need coffee, and since this is a French-inspired drink, I like to brew a couple of espresso shots with a medium ‘city’ roast Arabica blend.
Medium roasts are more caramelly and not as robust, so they pair better with vanilla. Again, use whatever coffee you have in hand. By the way, light roasts are super trendy right now, and they work beautifully, too.
Our recipe calls for milk as well, which will balance the ice cream’s creaminess; we want iced coffee, after all, not a milkshake! And a dollop of whipped cream will be our final touch. Just a nice, classic topping.
Play around with your iced coffee. I’m sure you’ve figured out that swapping the vanilla ice cream for any other flavor will render different results, and they can be fantastic.
Cookies & cream iced coffee sounds delicious, and so does a rocky road iced coffee. The sky’s the limit here.
The ultimate drink comes together when you use coffee ice cream to make iced coffee — that’s the real deal!
Brew your espresso and let it cool at room temperature or in an ice bath.
In a blender, add the milk, vanilla ice cream and cooled down espresso. Blend until smooth.
Fill two glasses with fresh ice and pour the vanilla iced coffee.
Top with whipped cream.
