IT’S POPSICLE SEASON! I’ve waited all year for this!
The sun has been shining, the skies have been blue, the days have been long and hot. I love summer here in the North West… It’s brief, but it makes up for it by being so, so beautiful. Today marks the first long weekend of summer here in Canada, and you can bet there will be BBQs a-flamin’, sprinklers a-sprinklin’, and sunscreen flying off the shelves. I may or may not already have a bit of a sunburn from enjoying some sunny lunchtime patios!
My summer weakness – aside from a good, sunny patio – is iced coffee. There’s just something so gotdam satisfying about sipping an iced cold coffee on a hot summer day. I don’t even like hot coffee, but cold? Any time, any place.
If you’re new to Port and Fin, let me just say – I love popsicles. A quick search through our site brings up 8 different popsicles that I posted last year alone!
- Avocado, Lime & Coconut
- Raspberry Cheesecake
- Ginger Mango Lassi
- Cucumber Gin & Tonic
- Banoffee Pie
- Healthy Creamsicle
- Throat-Soothing Chamomile & Lemon
- Chocolate Fudge
Is it obvious that I’m a little obsessed? I mean, who doesn’t love a good popsicle? The flavour possibilities are endless. Actually, thinking up popsicle recipes might just be my favourite thing to do for the blog. It seems weird, because popsicles seem so simple, but they’re just so fun to make, eat, and photograph.
The one thing missing in that list of popsicles is a refreshing iced coffee one!
Cold-brew coffee seems to be a trendy new food group here in Vancouver. There’s a pretty big coffee scene here, so naturally, cold-brew coffee is popping up all over the place. Confused about the difference between iced coffee and cold-brew coffee? I have a write up about it here that you could check out.
To sum up, while iced coffee is made by pouring regular coffee over ice (duh), cold-brew coffee is made by, well, brewing it cold. The coffee grounds sit in water overnight in the refrigerator. By letting the beans slowly steep, rather than pouring hot water over top and scalding the beans, it yields a smoother, less bitter coffee that is absolutely divine.
Although WARNING: Cold-brew coffee is potent stuff! When you make a batch, think of it as a coffee concentrate. Because the beans sit in the water for so long, it is very strong and is meant to be diluted with more water or milk, to taste. So, just be warned, if you make a big batch of cold-brew coffee, don’t forget to dilute it!
These popsicles combine cold-brew coffee with milk and a bit of sweetened condensed milk. My preferred ratio is in the recipe below, but feel free to adjust it to your taste. Some like a stronger coffee flavour, some like a weaker one, and everyone has different opinions on sweetener! Using sweetened condensed milk sweetens it without being too strong, and also helps thicken the popsicles.
Happy Summer, everyone! Now go enjoy some sunshine (with cold-brew coffee popsicle)! 😉
| Cold Brew Coffee Popsicles | Print |
- Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate*:
- 1 cups coarsely ground coffee beans
- 4 cups cold water
- .
- Popsicles:
- 1 cups cold brew coffee
- 3 Tbsp sweetened condensed milk
- 1½ cups milk
- In a large jar or bowl, add coffee beans, then pour the water over top. Stir gently. Cover and refrigerate for about 12 hours. Strain twice through a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth.
- In a large bowl, mix together the cold brew coffee, sweetened condensed milk, and milk. Taste test the mixture, adding more coffee, milk, or sweetener, to your liking.
- Fill popsicle moulds and freeze until completely solid.
Even though it is winter, I am really excited to try this recipe. Just a question about the coffee: are you using the full strength concentrate in the popsicle or are you diluting it to the strength where you could drink it?
THANKS!!