Oh, the long summer days of July. We’ve had a lot of wildfires this summer, and not much rain, which means a lot of smoke. It’s hard to stay inside, especially if you’re a toddler and really don’t understand why Mommy won’t let you go out just because the sun looks red through a grayish haze. Also, the house gets really hot if the windows have to stay closed. This is the time of year when I don’t feel like cooking or eating heavy meals, but cold drinks are always refreshing—and most welcome to throats scratchy from smoke, if we have been outside.
This iced tea is quickly becoming my drink of choice this summer. I’ve played around with the recipe, using different kinds of tea, flavorings, and sweeteners. It’s pretty flexible, which suits me. I like to mix things up!
The inspiration for this recipe came from an iced tea recipe in Let’s Have Tea Together, a Holly Pond Hill book by Susan Wheeler. It is a delightful little book full of stories, recipes, and lovely illustrations. It is written in the spirit of a gentler era when life was not too busy for teatime.
Before coming across this recipe, I had never considered putting a creamy or milky liquid in iced tea. I like black tea with milk, so it appealed to me.
This recipe called for sweetened condensed milk, and I happened to have some on hand, so I thought I’d give it a go. Several batches later, I’m glad I did! My husband is also a big fan, and he doesn’t usually drink iced tea.
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Teatime Treats
If you’re looking for a treat to accompany your tea, try my banana bread recipe. I love quick breads with tea as an afternoon snack. They are satisfying and flavorful without overpowering sweetness.
Scones are another perfect accompaniment to tea parties! Call up a friend and mix up a batch of cranberry scones or lemon ginger scones!
The basic formula for this drink is strong tea + sweetener + flavoring (optional) + creamy liquid + ice cubes. As I said, the customization options are endless.
Tea
I have used regular black tea as well as flavored black teas. My favorite tea to use in this recipe is Butterscotch Blondie from Tazo Tea. It’s one of their dessert teas, which have lower caffeine than, say, an English or Irish Breakfast blend.
You do want to stick with black tea, if you will be adding condensed milk. Green, white, oolong, and herbal teas don’t stand up well to milk. The one exception I can think of is rooibos. If they use that to make a caffeine-free chai tea, it might work here.
Do brew your tea double-strength, if you will be serving it over ice, because the ice cubes will dilute the beverage as they melt. I have found that I can get away with using about 1 ½ times as much tea as I normally would, but letting it steep for 15-30 minutes instead of the normal 3-5. For this recipe, I used 6 bags of black tea for 4 cups of water. If you like stronger tea (or actually let the ice cubes melt before drinking it!) then I would recommend 8 bags (or teaspoons of loose tea).
Sweetener
Okay, so this isn’t strictly necessary, especially if you’re using a flavored tea like butterscotch or vanilla. However, if you do like your iced tea a bit sweeter, make sure you use a liquid form, or else stir in the sugar while the tea is still pretty hot!
Also, remember that different sweeteners have different strengths. You might want to start out with just a little, and then add more if it’s not sweet enough. A little maple syrup goes a long way!
Honey is another good option, and sugar works if you add it to the tea while it’s still hot. I have not personally tried stevia or other sweeteners, but go ahead and experiment!
Flavoring
The original recipe I tried called for both vanilla and maple extracts. In subsequent attempts, I have left the flavoring out when I used flavored teas or sweeteners. This is totally up to you! Vanilla extract + honey is a nice combination if you are using plain black tea.
Creamy Liquid
So far, sweetened condensed milk is the best option I’ve tried. Sweetened condensed coconut milk should work the same way, and you could certainly experiment with other canned or fresh creamy liquids. I have tried whole milk when serving the tea immediately (not storing for later). This doesn’t add as much creaminess–or sweetness, so you may want to increase the sweetener! Also, it takes a lot more fresh milk than condensed, and this can dilute the tea too much by the time the ice cubes melt.
Ice Cubes
I use regular ol’ water for my ice cubes. You could, however, make ice cubes out of tea, and then you wouldn’t have to make the tea so strong to begin with.
There you have it: a simple, customizable recipe for delicious, creamy iced tea. Infinitely variable, to suit whatever taste you might be craving, all summer long. Let me know what flavor variations you come up with!
Print Recipe
Butterscotch Creme Iced Tea
Ingredients
- 4 cups Butterscotch flavored black tea
- 3 tbsp Pure maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp Pure vanilla extract optional
- Sweetened condensed milk to taste
Instructions
- While the tea is warm, but not hot, stir in maple syrup and vanilla extract. Chill
flavored tea. When ready to serve, stir in sweetened condensed milk to taste or
until the blend is sweet and cloudy. Pour over ice and enjoy!
[…] If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also like my Butterscotch Creme Iced Tea! […]