How To Make Your Own Sweet Cream At Home
With the increased popularity of cold brew coffee, many people are looking for a way to get their cafe favorites at home. While coffee and ice are easy enough to achieve, what about the sweet cream?
Sweet cream gives you a wonderful creamy taste that you can’t get with half and half, and store-bought creamers just aren’t the same. This is why it is fortunate that sweet cream is so easy to make.
All you need is a minimum of 3 ingredients and a couple of minutes spare. The best part is, that owning homemade sweet cream means that you can use it for a variety of different things.
Below we have our favorite recipe for sweet cream, and some delicious variations you can try.
Uses
There are many different types of sweet cream, but it is common to refer to the cream foam in coffee as sweet cream. Another common sweet cream product is sweet cream butter. This type of butter is made from pasteurized fresh cream and can come in salted and unsalted varieties.
It can be used in baking, you just need to know how sweet cream butter vs butter affects the taste and texture. It can also be spread straight onto toast for an easy and delicious breakfast.
Aside from butter, homemade sweet cream can be used to make delicious desserts like cheesecakes or to top warm brownies and cake. Sweet cream can be added to an assortment of drinks, like green tea and hot chocolate. While it works best with cold drinks, sweet cream will enhance a number of hot drinks.
Here’s how to make it.
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole or 2% milk
- ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Method
- In a large bowl slowly mix the condensed milk into your milk of choice.
- Add the vanilla to the mixture.
- Whisk everything together until it is thick and smooth.
- Enjoy poured over the top of a delicious cut of cold brew.
Another recipe
While this recipe makes a fantastic sweet cream, sometimes you want to use what you already have in your cupboard. So, using the same method above you can make a similar sweet cream with heavy cream instead of sweetened condensed milk and vanilla syrup instead of vanilla extract.
Dairy Free
For those of you who are lactose intolerant, there is a dairy-free alternative to this recipe. Simply swap the sweetened condensed milk with coconut cream and then use your favorite dairy-free substitute for the milk.
You will need to chill the coconut cream overnight beforehand so that way it separates. You just want the thick part of the coconut cream for this recipe.
This dairy-free version can last about 3 days in the fridge and goes great with a bit of maple syrup mixed in for sweetness.
Variations
When it comes to a simple recipe like sweet cream, experimenting with ingredients is encouraged.
By swapping out the vanilla extract for real vanilla bean you get a bold, fresh flavor, and aesthetically pleasing black specks throughout.
You can add honey, cinnamon, or confectioners sugar in order to change the flavor or sweetness of your cream.
If you aren’t a fan of vanilla then you can swap out the extracts for different flavors such as almond or hazelnut.
The benefit of making your cold brew at home is that you can add as much or as little cream as you like.
If you want a coffee that tastes like it was made by a chain restaurant then add a little bit of vanilla syrup to your cup before adding to your coffee. Then foam up your sweet cream with a milk foamer or a french press to get the different textures that the cream provides.
Storage
Homemade sweet cream needs to be stored in an airtight jar in the fridge. It can stay fresh for up to 5 days, but it’s doubtful it will last that long. Before each use, it is important to shake the jar beforehand to ensure everything is well combined.
Conclusion
As a warning, you may become obsessed with this recipe. It is so easy and quick to make that it will become a staple in your fridge. Homemade sweet cream will also help your wallet as it is a budget-friendly alternative to spending money every day on coffee.
If you are a caffeine addict then we recommend doubling this recipe so that you don’t have to make a new batch every other day.
