Recipes for a happy caffeinated holiday

Happy holidays! If you are like me, you are enjoying Christmas or Hannukah with a huge cup of joe. All that running around, gift buying and cheesy smiling in Christmas PJs for the J.C. Penney photographer makes this mandatory.

My favorite eco-coffee brand is from my home state of California, nestled along the mighty Pacific in Santa Cruz. For Christmas, they have concocted a slew of recipes to go with their sustainable brand. You will not only enjoy top line coffee, but feel assured you are helping your carbon footprint. Steeped is certified as a "farm-to-cup" B Corp, meaning it has met standards for transparency, accountability and charitible giving. This is 100 percent ethically-sourced coffee, roasted in small batches. And it comes in cute compostable bags that mimic the tea experience.

The company is offering its holiday samplers of premium coffee, the "Seasonal Sampler Set", for 24.95. It comes in a holiday-themed box and boasts coffee strengths from light-to-dark, as well as French Roast. The Complete Coffee Collection is $115 and includes the Lineup (24 coffee sachets), a stovetop kettle and seasonally-designed mugs.

Now, to whip all this up you may want to forgo the boring half-n-half from Safeway and reimagine your coffee mornings. If you missed the last article on Steeped, please pour (purposeful misspelling!) through my blogs.

Here are the recipes:

Cinnamon Whiskey Coffee Cocktail

Ingredients:

1 oz cinnamon whiskey

6 oz cold brew STEEPED COFFEE

2 oz milk

INSTRUCTIONS

Add whiskey, cold brew coffee, and milk into a glass full of ice. Stir and Enjoy!

HOT WHITE RUSSIAN COCKTAIL

Steep yourself a cup of coffee, toss in a shot of Kahlua and a half shot of vodka. Drizzle in some warm cream, stir, sip and relax.

How to make the perfect Steeped Iced Coffee Concentrate:

For each serving, procure:

1 Steeped Coffee Pack

1 10 oz. mug

Filtered water

Directions

1. Heat filtered water to 205 degrees, or just below boiling

2. Place Steeped Bag at bottom of mug

3. Pour hot water over Steeped Bag until the mug is half full

4. Use string to dunk Steeped Bag 20 to 30 times over 1 minute

5. Leaving the Steeped Bag in, let the coffee steep for 5 to 7 minutes or more to taste

6. Remove Steeped Bag

Tips

 To serve a crowd, make multiple batches of Concentrate. Store leftover Concentrate in the fridge.

 Freeze Steeped coffee in ice cube trays. Use coffee cubes instead of regular ice cubes to avoid dilution.

 Everyone knows the best way to enjoy iced coffee is through a straw. Be kind to the environment – buy reusable, dishwasher-safe metal straws! Paper straws are preferable to disposable plastic straws, though, if you don't own a reusable one.

Here is delicious Steeped Iced Coffee in 5 decadent variations:

Steeped Iced Coffee

For each serving, you’ll need:

1 serving of Steeped Iced Coffee Concentrate (see above)

1 10-oz. glass

Ice

Optional: sugar and creamer or dairy substitute such as unsweetened almond milk

Directions

1. Fill the glass to the top with ice 

2. Slowly pour the Steeped Coffee Concentrate into the glass

3. Optional: top off with your favorite sweetener, creamer or dairy substitute to taste. Stir and enjoy.

Steeped Iced Latte

You’ll need Steeped Iced Coffee Concentrate (see above)

Milk

Cocktail shaker

Ice

Optional: sweetener or flavored coffee syrup to taste

Directions

1. Fill cocktail shaker with ice.

2. Add 1 part Steeped Ice Coffee Concentrate and 1 part milk.

3. Sweeten to taste, or replace sugar with flavored coffee syrup to make Vanilla Latte, Caramel Latte, etc.

4. Shake until foamy

5. Pour into a glass filled with ice

Steeped Blended (Frappuccino-Style) Coffee

You’ll need:

Steeped Iced Coffee Concentrate (see above)

Milk

Blender

Ice

Whipped cream

Optional: sweetener or flavored coffee syrup to taste (see above)

Directions

1. Prepare as for Latte, but whir in a blender instead of a cocktail shaker.

2. Top with whipped cream to taste.

Steeped Iced Mocha

You’ll need:

1 serving of Steeped Iced Coffee Concentrate (see above)

Superior-quality chocolate syrup

Ice

Milk or cream to taste

Whipped cream

Directions:

1. Prepare basic Steeped Iced Coffee as above

2. Pour over ice

3. Stir in chocolate syrup and milk or cream to taste

4. Top with whipped cream to taste

Steeped Vietnamese Iced Coffee

You’ll need:

1 serving of Steeped Iced Coffee Concentrate

Sweetened condensed milk

Ice

Directions:

1. Prepare basic Steeped Iced Coffee as above, omitting sugar and creamer.

2. Stir in sweetened condensed milk to taste.

3. Pour into tall glass over ice.

Steeped Coffee is good for the environment, comes in multiple varieties and is part of a charitable brand.Its Seasonal Sampler sells for $24.95 and comes in Light, Medium, Dark and French Roast.

The writer received free samples of coffee from Steeped, but never writes favorably about products she does not like. Happy holidays!