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 
(Yield: 1 glass)

Ice or coffee ice cubes
1 cup cold-brewed iced coffee
2 tablespoons vanilla syrup (recipe below)
Half-and-half

Instructions

Fill a glass with ice cubes. Add cold-brewed coffee, 2 tablespoons of vanilla syrup (use less for a less sweet coffee), and half and half to desired point of creaminess. Serve. (Thank you to Kare at Kitchen Treaty for allowing us post this and the recipe above. Check out some of the fabulous recipes at www.kitchentreaty.com.)

Vanilla Syrup

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

Add sugar, water, and vanilla bean to a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil a full boil, then remove from heat. Let sit for at least ½ 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. (Thank you to Jenna Sherman who alerted us to this, and the recipe below, from Kitchen Treaty. Check out some of the fabulous recipes at www.kitchentreaty.com. Used with permission.)