Caramel White Russian Coffee
I love coffee.
I like to think I love the flavor, but, at this point, it is the feeling of drinking coffee that makes me happy, though the flavor rarely disappoints.
Like my Croatian relatives, I can’t drink coffee from a tall paper cup while walking city streets. Though I don’t smoke while sipping coffee like some of my cousins do, I need to sit down, in the morning, or for afternoon coffee, or for coffee after dinner with dessert.
This sounds like I drink a lot of coffee, but I don’t drink more than two cups a day. I like to choose if I’ll enjoy in the morning etc. Time of day, the weather, the sunlight, the food or sweet I’m enjoying coffee with, where I’ll drink it, it all plays a part in my coffee ritual.
Like a lot of booze, I love adding coffee to dessert. I love using instant espresso to bump up chocolate in a recipe, or bloom the flavors of my Guinness cake, or make a creamy and rich mocha or coffee buttercream to go with a soft, buttery walnut cake. If it wasn’t almost bedtime, I’d be getting some right now.
I take mine without sugar, unless enjoying a sweet & black Turkish coffee, which I love the ritual of, since it involves my Turkish guy making it for me in the colorful metallic Turkish coffee pot he got me for my first birthday in his life. I like half and half, or a little heavy cream, or milk. Occasionally, I pep things up with some nice homemade whipped cream in a cup of Joe (I loved Twin Peaks and still do. For very caffeinated reasons.)
I tend to make coffee drinks or cocktails under Beverages, but, this time, I am combining the two. Any dude (in quotes) will tell you that a White Russian is damn good. Something that creamy deserves a strong coffee base. While you’re at it, add some whipped cream. While we’re doing that, I had homemade caramel sauce leftover from some Irish Hobnob cookies, so….are we doing this thing?
Let’s do this thing.
This recipe makes two small drinks or one big one. Let’s just say, after I photographed this Caramel White Russian Coffee with Whipped Cream, I had a very delightful morning in bed watching horror films. May it shepherd you into your day, your quiet, lazy time, your comfort, your pause.
Let the ritual begin–
Caramel White Russian Coffee
Ingredients
- 2 oz Vodka
- 1.5-2 oz Kahlua
- 1/2 cup milk or coconut/almond milk
- 1 cup Strong (double) coffee
- 1/2 cup Heavy whipping cream
- Caramel sauce (see recipe here: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/caramel-hard-sauce ) or use store bought — amount up to you:)
- ice*
*This recipe is for an iced coffee drink, but you can easily make the drink in the same way for a hot beverage–just brew the coffee at a normal level and not a “double.”
Instructions
- Brew some coffee (I don’t like to use instant coffee as others do; I just double the coffee I would normally make.) If you have time to refrigerate the black coffee, do, so you don’t have to dilute it in order to cool it off.
- Prepare a White Russian: Combine 2 oz of vodka with 1.5-2 oz of Kahlua, and ½ cup of milk (any percent, or non dairy milk if preferred).
- Once the black coffee is cold, add 1 cup of black coffee to 1 cup of the White Russian and stir.
- Whip ½ cup of heavy cream (no need for sugar unless you like it extra sweet…additionally you can leave out if leaving dairy out and using non dairy milk) and dollop onto the beverage. I like to serve these in mason jars.
- On top, drizzle some caramel sauce onto the whipped cream and voila — you have a decadent and dangerous iced coffee for the White Russian fans!
Notes
- You can always put the black coffee into the freezer for up to 30 minutes if you want to cool it down quickly.
- You can shake your White Russian in a shaker with ice, but I prefer to pour it into the black coffee with a new fresh set of ice cubes (again, to not dilute too much!)
- As said, this recipe is for an iced coffee drink, but you can easily make the drink in the same way for a hot beverage–just brew the coffee at a normal level and not a “double.”