The Best Iced Coffee You'll Ever Make

I don't know about you, but there is something about serving coffee over ice that brings out the flavors much more strongly than if it's hot.  Maybe I just prefer cold drinks in general.

In any case, I've been experimenting over the months (I didn't start drinking coffee 'til a couple years ago!) in an attempt to concoct the perfect chilled drink.

I'm pretty picky about what I drink.  I don't want it to be full of sugar, but at the same flavor cannot be sacrificed.  And most importantly, it should not be watery.  I underlined, bolded, and italicized that to let you guys know I'm not playing around.  Watery iced coffee is such a disappointment, no?

After having a few trusty taste testers to confirm the results (including Mama E and Katie), I am now confident to reveal what may very well be the best iced coffee you'll ever gulp down.

You'll want a few things for this recipe.  First, I highly recommend a Keurig.  These bad boys have totally transformed my opinion on home-brewed coffee, and they are definitely worth the investment.  Plus, it's so easy to stick in a K-cup early in the morning and not have to worry about scooping out a whole pots' worth of coffee grounds.

Once you have a Keurig, the hardest thing to do is decide what flavor K-cups to purchase!  I've sampled my fair share and have found that the absolute tastiest to use for iced coffee is Green Mountain Coffee brand Mocha Nut Fudge.

Sounds decadent, right?  It is.

The trick to this recipe isn't really a trick, but still very important: brew the coffee at least a few hours in advance, enough time for it to chill.  If it's still warm and you try pouring it over ice, you're asking for a watery disappointment.  Sad face.

Once your coffee is sufficiently cold, pour it into your ice-filled tumbler of choice!

Then, if you're like me, you'll want something to sweeten it up a little.  I love Torani syrups- you can find 'em in the coffee aisle at your grocery store, and they come in loads of flavors.  I use sugar free vanilla, but if you're not a fan of artificial sweeteners they have regular varieties as well.

A tablespoon does the trick just fine.

The last component of a well-rounded iced coffee is creamer.  I like to lighten it up a little by using 1/2 part low-cal chocolate milk and 1/2 part creamer.

Calorie Countdown is by far the richest most delicious chocolate milk, and it's only 80 calories for a cup! Once again for the anti-artificial-sweetener proponents, it has a little bit of Splenda in it, but since you're only using a splash of it in the coffee I don't think it's doing any harm.

Yes, it's real.  Salted caramel mocha.  Have I inspired you to drop what you're doing and head to the dairy aisle yet?!  

When you've added all your ingredients, grab a colorful straw and stir it on up.  Now take a long sip.

Delicious.

I usually pair it with my morning breakfast of Special K and banana-topped toast, but it's also terribly good with donuts.... just sayin'.

Courtney