We are in the full blown heat of summer at my house and that means that I am once again in the search for cold, refreshing hydration that is more interesting than just plain water. I have watched the cold brew coffee craze with envy over the past few years. It is no secret that coffee is one of the things that I miss most from my pre-AIP life, and iced coffee used to be one of my favorite warm weather treats.

I have tried a number of herbal “coffees” over the years and while they were passable the never had a strong enough flavor to taste good over ice. I knew that the benefits of actual cold brewed coffee were that it created a strong flavor that lacked some of the bitterness and acidity of hot coffee and it didn’t end up tasting as diluted as hot coffee poured over ice.

I decided to give the cold brew process a try with herbal coffee replacements just to see what would happen. The result was a pleasant surprise. The flavor was still not incredibly strong but it was strong enough to still taste like coffee when ice and coconut milk were added. There was no bitterness and I loved being able to have leftovers made and ready to drink in the fridge. It was definitely an improvement over trying to brew herbal coffee with a tea bag or on the stove and then trying to turn it into iced “coffee”.

Cold Brew Herbal “Coffee” (AIP/Paleo)

Ingredients: 

1 TBS roasted dandelion root

1 TBS roasted chicory root

1 TBS carob powder

½ tsp vanilla extract (optional)

3 cups of water

1 TBS coconut sugar

coconut milk (optional)

collagen powder (optional)

Directions:

Combine your dandelion root, chicory root, carob powder, vanilla, coconut sugar, and water in a large mason jar or covered container and let it sit at room temperature for 6-12 hours. Then strain your “coffee” into a separate container using a fine mesh strainer or a coffee filter. To drink, add ice, collagen powder, and coconut milk. Store the remaining “coffee” in the fridge for later use.