Browsed by
Author: Susan | Bring Your Wonder

The Best Iced Coffee Recipe Ever!

The Best Iced Coffee Recipe Ever!

Yeah, I said it: This is the best iced coffee recipe ever.

Iced coffee is delicious. You probably agree with me on that, or you wouldn’t be reading this. It can also be pretty unhealthy – high in sugar and/or fat depending on how you make it. AND it can be expensive if you’re buying it out.

With my delicious, best iced coffee recipe ever, you can easily customize the strength, flavorings, calorie content, and fat content, and do it for less than 50¢ per 16 ounce serving!

Here’s the basic recipe. If you want all the details, & ideas for customization, they’re down below, along with my per serving cost breakdown.

THE BEST ICED COFFEE RECIPE EVER!

Ingredients:

  • 1-2 tsp instant coffee crystals
  • Sweetener of choice (optional)
  • 2/3 cup hot water
  • Ice
  • Milk or creamer of choice (optional)

Directions:

  1. Fill a 16 oz – 20 oz glass with ice.
  2. In a small cup or jar, stir or shake coffee crystals & hot water, + sweetener (optional).
  3. Pour over ice.
  4. Stir briskly until the ice has melted enough to nearly fill the glass.  Add more ice if needed.
  5. Top off with milk and/or creamer of choice (optional).
  6. ENJOY!!

Variations

COFFEE: I use whatever instant coffee is cheapest when I buy it. I’ve tried premium brands, and couldn’t tell a difference in the finished product. You can buy flavored instant coffee, too, which is nice if you want the flavor but no creamer. Also available in decaf.

SWEETENER (Optional): I sometimes add a little sugar, sometimes none, because the creamers I use are all sweetened. You can also use whatever sugar substitute you prefer, and/or use sugar-free creamer.

MILK OR CREAMER (Optional. Well, not for me, but maybe for you.): I use flavored liquid creamer, sugar + fat included. “It’s my one weakness.” (BONUS POINTS if you know what that line is from.) You can add milk, and just a splash of creamer. You can substitute half/half, skim or lowfat milk, or soy, almond, rice, cashew, hemp, coconut, or other milk. Yum! You can also substitute powdered creamer if that’s what you have/use/like. It comes in a lot of flavors, too. NOTE: if you do use powdered creamer, be sure add it to the coffee + hot water before you shake/stir.

SHAKE VS STIR: I have a 12 oz Mason jar like this (affiliate link; see full disclosure here) that I almost always make my coffee mixture in before I pour it over ice. I screw the lid on tight & shake hard for about 10 seconds, then pour it over the ice in my glass. The best thing about the shake method is the FOAM…When you shake the mixture in a jar, you get lovely billowy piles of coffee foam to pile on top of your drink!…

SOMETIMES, though, when I’m in a big hurry or feeling extra lazy, I’ll make the coffee mixture directly in the glass (I actually use a tumbler like these; affiliate link, see full disclosure here), then pile in the ice, stir & stir with the straw from the tumbler, add my creamer, and go. It tastes the same either way. Shaking = foam. Stirring = faster, + one less dirty dish.

ADDITIONS:

  • I always add a shake of cinnamon to the coffee crystals & hot water before shaking/stirring. You can’t really taste the cinnamon, it just adds an extra layer of richness & flavor.
  • Add a spoonful or so of instant hot chocolate powder to the coffee crystals & hot water before you shake/stir.
  • Add whipped cream, chocolate or caramel drizzle, sprinkles.
  • Flavored creamers are where you can really change it up. Creme Brulee iced coffee today, Vanilla Caramel iced coffee tomorrow, Pumpkin Spice iced coffee in September, Peppermint Mocha iced coffee in December…the possibilities are truly endless! And all for less than 50¢ per extra-large serving!

Cost per serving

Here’s the cost breakdown for me. Yours will vary, depending on food prices where you live, which brands you choose, etc. Still, it’s going to be VERY inexpensive, especially compared to a coffee shop, or even a fast food version, and it tastes even better!

  • Kroger Instant Coffee 8 oz (120 servings) – $3.99 = .03/serving
  • Sugar 4 lbs (200 servings) – $1.59 = < .01/serving
  • Kroger Flavored Creamer 32 oz (64 servings) – $1.99 = .32/serving
  • TOTAL per 16 oz serving: .35/serving

And there you have it: the best iced coffee recipe ever! Let me know in the comments if you try it! Do you have a favorite iced coffee recipe? I’d love to hear about it!

White Moon Gardens

White Moon Gardens

“The moon was up, painting the world silver, making things look just a little more alive.”

― N.D. Wilson

White gardens, sometimes known as “moon gardens”, are gardens showcasing mostly white flowers, and plants with white variegated or silvery/gray foliage. Their monochromatic color scheme is serene, calming and refreshing in a way that the multi-hued blooms we’re accustomed to seeing can’t match.

White gardens glow day and night

White Gardens

Viewed by moonlight, white gardens can be downright magical, especially when you add plants with silvery gray foliage, and those made-for-nighttime plants that bloom and/or release their fragrance after the sun sets.

Night-blooming flowers

  • Datura
  • Nicotiana
  • Night Blooming Jasmine blooms are tiny, but at night their perfume can spread 20 feet!
  • Moonflower
  • Tuberose | photo Olaf Remeney
  • Brugmansia blooms for an entire week at the time of the full moon!
  • Gardenia blooms day & night, but its heady fragrance gets stronger after dark

Foliage for your white garden

  • Dusty Miller
  • Licorice Plant
  • Snow in Summer
  • Curry Plant
  • Sea Holly
  • ilvermound Artemesia
  • Silver Shimmers Lungwort
  • Lamb’s Ear

Planning your white moon garden

When planning a white garden, the most important thing to keep in mind is the same as for any garden: choose the right plant for the conditions. There are white-blooming flowers, and plants with white or silvery/gray foliage suited to all hardiness zones, soil types, water requirements, and light requirements from full shade to full sun. If your goal is a garden that glows in the moonlight, be sure to plant it where the moonbeams fall.

White gardens for small spaces

Short on space? Many of these plants will thrive in containers! Think of window boxes, and pots on a deck, patio or windowsill, outdoors or in.

  • thegardenbuzz.com

And don’t think a white/moon garden is an exotic undertaking. Many “common” flowers are white, or come in a white variety. Lily of the Valley, daisies, and snowdrop are common white flowers. Lilies, petunias, peonies, bleeding heart, impatiens, cosmos, cleome, roses, carnations, tulips, daffodils, hydrangeas, lilacs, even lavender all have white varieties as well. Look for them wherever you buy your seeds, bulbs, flowers, and plants, or order online (affiliate link; see full disclosure here).

  • Petunia
  • Lily of the Valley
  • Hydrangea
  • Cleome
  • Cosmos
  • Asiatic Lily
  • Lilac
  • Lavender
  • Peony
  • Rose
  • Bleeding Heart

Inspiration and Information:

Do you have plans for a white garden? Did I forget to mention any of your favorite plants? Let me know in the comments!

Pinnables:

Pastel Yellow: A Moment In The Sun

Pastel Yellow: A Moment In The Sun

Pastel yellow is having a moment this summer, and why not? Yellow is a warm, sunny color that invokes the very idea of summertime: lemonade, daisies, corn on the cob, mustard on a hot dog, sunshine! The more intense shades of yellow can be too much, though, seeming to make us feel hotter – the very opposite of what many of us want in the sticky, sweltering heat.

solarsystem.nasa.gov

Instead, whether we’re wearing it or decorating our homes with it, we’re reaching for shades of yellow without the heat: butter, maize, cream, vanilla, flax, blonde, straw, jasmine.

One of the great things about yellow is that it plays well with others. It looks good with blues, greens, browns, black, white, gray, and every other color. I’ve had & loved yellow kitchens, yellow living rooms, and a yellow bedroom.

A little yellow goes a long way, so if you’re not into a whole yellow room, or the commitment of a yellow sofa, try small pops of this summery shade to bring your home and wardrobe up to speed: a pair of yellow earrings, a yellow main/pedi, or a soft yellow throw for your (not yellow) sofa. (Affiliate links; see full disclosure here.)

With a can of paint and a couple of hours, you can update a tired old nightstand, chair, or mantel. If you don’t have a piece to make over, check thrift stores and yard sales. ALSO: Paint is not a commitment.

Look at these yellow home decor and accessories I spotted at a local thrift store one recent afternoon…

Target has loads of this sunny shade, in everything from home decor, office supplies, and kitchen appliances, to clothing and accessories. (Affiliate link. See full disclosure here.)

For even more ideas and inspiration, check out this gorgeous ideas board. I scoured Amazon for all the prettiest pastel yellow everythings you can have delivered right to your door, most with free shipping if you’re a Prime Member. If you’re not a prime member, you can try it free for 30 days! (Affiliate links. See full disclosure here.)

I may switch up my bathroom with some yellow towels & accessories; I probably already have everything I need. Maybe you do, too! So, what do you think? Are you ready to give pastel yellow a try? Do you already have some yellow in your life? Leave a comment, I’d love to hear from you!

pastel yellow decor
Pin me!