Tiramisu Iced Coffee

Happy National Coffee Day! A few days ago, I was having trouble thinking of what kind of recipe I should post this weekend so when I heard that September 29th is National Coffee Day, I instantly knew what my post would be about.

Coffee is one of my favorite drinks – specifically iced coffee. It was a slow growing love for me. As a kid, my mom would let me sip her coffee and even let me get my own small size once or twice. In high school, I began drinking raspberry or cinnamon iced coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts. In college I fell in love with dark roast coffee and have been mildly obsessed with coffee ever since then.

I have my go-to orders at my favorite coffee places (Iced French vanilla dark roast at Dunkin and Iced vanilla latte or iced hazelnut at Starbucks), but sometimes homemade iced coffee is just as good. Last summer I discovered the cold brew method of making iced coffee which has become increasingly popular and doesn’t even require a coffee maker. Since moving into my new apartment, I began enjoying espresso at home too. My roommate Jill has a mini Bialetti Moka Pot, which is basically a manual stove-top espresso maker, so I’ve been having fun playing around with that.

Not only does coffee help me get through the day, but I just love the flavor of a good coffee and it always seems to put me in a good mood. I was reading last year that sipping on a cup of caffeinated coffee actually released endorphins – one of the many reasons to drink it!

Last night my family went out for my sister’s birthday, and we ate at Macaroni Grill. I had never been there before and got a delicious blood orange Italian soda and some awesome appetizers. But the part of the meal that stood out the most to me was the tiramisu for dessert. I’ve never been a huge fan of tiramisu, but this stuff was good. It wasn’t too sweet and had just the right amount of coffee flavor – delicious! After browsing some recipes online , I had the idea to make a tiramisu-inspired iced coffee. It has a bold coffee flavor with a hint of vanilla and cocoa. It’s probably hot coffee season for most people by now but I’m gonna keep sippin’ my iced coffee as long as I can. 🙂

Tiramisu Iced Coffee
makes 1 coffee

Ingredients:

1 cup strong-brewed coffee, chilled (I used espresso roast)
3/4 – 1 cup milk
1 – 2 Tbsp coffee creamer (I recommend vanilla or amaretto) or other sweetener of choice
1 tsp coffee liqueur or extract (Kahlua would work here!)
whipped cream or cool whip to top
cocoa powder to sprinkle

Directions:

In a tall glass, combine coffee, milk, sweetener, and coffee liqueur (and iced cubes if desired – I did mine without) and stir to combine. Top off with whipped cream and cocoa powder and enjoy 🙂