Caramel Candied Double Iced Coffee

This one fixes that. The ice cubes are made of coffee, so every cube that melts makes the drink stronger instead of weaker. That’s the “double” in double iced coffee, and it’s the first drink in my home coffee challenge.

The challenge is simple. I’m starting with 30 days. If I make it, I’ll stretch to 60, then 90, taking it one month at a time. The goal is to recreate coffee-shop drinks at home, including Starbucks-inspired pumpkin spice, and it runs right alongside my pumpkin series. I’m skipping most lattes because they carry a lot of milk. I’m a cold brew and iced coffee girl, and I’ll happily drink one in the middle of winter, because I love winter. We’re heading into the middle of October and hot drinks are creeping in, but my iced coffee isn’t going anywhere. Naturally we’re starting with my signature Caramel Candied Double Iced Coffee (Since I made the caramel from scratch, why not make a drink out of it).

Now the honest part. I got impatient. The coffee only chilled in the freezer for about half an hour, because I wanted to taste it. I also used the old pod in the Keurig instead of a fresh one, so the coffee came out weaker than I wanted. And the cinnamon fell out of the jar in one big avalanche onto the foam. There was zero finesse. My impatience was saying “coffee, coffee, coffee!” and the video shows every second. It still tasted great, but brew yours strong, because the cream and condensed milk need a bold base to stand up to.

Why coffee ice cubes?

Regular ice is water, and water is the enemy of a good iced coffee. Six small cubes of frozen coffee keep the drink cold and keep the flavor all the way to the last sip. Skip them and you’re back to the watery problem I spent years working around.

What each ingredient is doing in there

Sweetened condensed milk sits at the bottom and gives the drink its silky body, a creaminess that stirs in more smoothly than plain sugar would. I only use a little, about 1½ to 2 tablespoons, because the caramel is already sweet and I don’t like things too sweet. Leave it out and the drink loses its creamy base and tastes thinner.

Homemade caramel sauce gets layered up the sides of the glass with a spoon, as much or as little as suits your sweetness level. It gives you a drizzled look and a deep, buttery sweetness in every sip. Making it at home means I can pronounce every ingredient, which is the heart of everything I do. Leave it out and you’re drinking sweet coffee with cream.

Cinnamon, just ½ teaspoon, brings warmth and makes the caramel taste deeper and less one-note. It’s also what makes this drink feel like fall. The sprinkle on top is purely for looks, so skip it if you like, but go lighter than I did.

Vanilla extract is only two drops. It rounds off the caramel and softens the bitter edges of the coffee. It’s a tiny amount, but you’d notice it missing.

Half and half, 2 tablespoons in the glass, gives the coffee a smoother, rounder finish. I like my coffee double double, and this is the cream half of that. Without it the coffee tastes sharper and thinner.

Frothed half and half is the cloud on top. I froth about ½ cup with a handheld frother and spoon the foam over the drink. It softens each sip and gives the candy and cinnamon somewhere pretty to land. You could leave it off, but then it’s just an iced coffee.

Caramel candy is the “candied” in the name. Before I added the cream to my homemade caramel, I set some aside to make candy, then chopped it and sprinkled about 1 teaspoon on top. It adds a little crunch against the soft foam. Add it right before serving, because it starts melting into the foam as it sits. Without it you still have a good drink, but you lose the crunch and the finish.

Back to basics

This drink is going into my Pantry cookbook as a duo with the homemade caramel sauce and caramel candy. That cookbook is about getting back to basics: if you’re spending too much money buying the sauces you use all the time, consider making them yourself. Yes, it takes ten minutes of your day, sometimes thirty. But you control what goes in, and you can pronounce every ingredient. That’s the goal of the cookbook and of this whole blog: take it all back to basics. Get into the Word, and leave the L out of the world.

A friendly warning

This drink is high on the calorie list, and I won’t pretend otherwise. Caramel is sugar and butter, and then I topped it with candy. If you’re keto or low carb, this one is not for you. But if you’re part of my Big Back community and you love an indulgent sweet treat here and there, this is going straight onto your favourites list. I’m a foodie, a faithful foodie, and I say that with love.

The cup

This one lives in my “Pray About It” glass tumbler, which matches the voiceover song I wrote for the video.

A Pinch of Scripture

Some days the best thing I can do with my coffee is pause, talk to Father, and keep talking to Him all day long.

Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. — 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I once heard Dr. Tony Evans preach on this verse, and it changed how I read it. He asked what “ceasing” means. We all know what “deceased” means, he said. If I told you to breathe without ceasing, you’d know that if you stop, you’re done. So when Paul says to pray without ceasing, he means all day, all through the day. Pray on it, pray on it, pray on it.

Ever since that sermon, it has stuck with me. No matter what I’m doing, I’m checking in with Father. Sometimes I even wonder whether He’ll be upset with me over something I’m about to do. I’m not perfect. Even when I know something isn’t righteous, I’m still human, and I still miss it, and I am thankful for His grace. But when I think of prayer, I think “without ceasing.” That’s why my cup says Pray About It. Brew it, pour it, and pray on it.

Stay faithful, stay seasoned, and stay loyal.
With love and fire,
V.S. Beals — Servant. Disciple. Woman of the Word.

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