Homemade Horchata

1 cup long grain white rice, rinsed
4 cups water
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, plus more for garnish
1 cup skim milk
1/3 cup brown sugar, plus 2-3 Tbsp to taste
1 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
Ice

1.Wash and drain rice. Combine rice with cinnamon sticks in water and soak overnight in the refrigerator.
2.After the rice has soaked for at least 8-10 hours, preferably overnight, discard the cinnamon sticks and pour rice and water into a blender. Add 1/2 tsp cinnamon and blend on low for 2-3 minutes until well blended. Pour blended rice mixture through fine mesh sieve two times and then through cheesecloth one more time to remove all gritty bits of rice.

3.Pour strained mixture into a pitcher, add skim milk, brown sugar and vanilla and stir well to combine. Add more sugar if needed, to taste.

  4.Best served with ice & a dash of ground cinnamon

* I got this recipe from dessertnowdinnerlater this recipe does have a lot of steps and takes a while to make but it turned out really good. I have made horchata before and I think that this one was much better the other recipes that I have tried.