'Tis the season for warm drinks in a mug after coming in from the cold! One of my favorite drinks is the famous Pumpkin Spice Latte. But, I think the coffee shops start to phase them out in favor for holiday drinks (like peppermint mocha) this time of year, but even if not - they can get kinda expensive and hard to control what really goes in them! So, my mom passed along this homemade recipe and I gave it a go - and LOVED IT!
I like that you can control how sweet it is (how much brown sugar you put in), and how pumpkin-y it is, or how much vanilla you want, and on and on! You can make it just how YOU like it, when you make it for yourself. :)
So, I'll share with you how I made mine, and you can feel free to play with the amounts of each ingredient to suit your own taste buds, ok? ;)
The utensils/gadgets you will need:
A rubber spatula, a whist and a blender (I used the Blendtec - and love how quick/efficient it is - but any blender should do for this).
The ingredients you will need:
1 Cup of Milk (cows, almond, coconut, soy - unsweetened though!)
1 Cup of Hot Coffee
2 TBSP of Canned Pumpkin Puree (I used a bit more b/c I love pumpkin!)
2-3 TBSP of Brown Sugar (I used 2)
2 TBSP of Pure Vanilla Extract (I used a bit more here, too)
1 tsp of Pumpkin Pie Spice
A couple dashes of Black Pepper (yes, really - don't skip this!)
1. Make your flavor base:
Add the pumpkin, brown sugar and spices to a small saucepan. Cook over Med-Low heat stirring frequently with a spatula until sugar is completely dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. It'll look kind of gross.
2. Add your milk in:
Slowly pour your 1 cup of milk choice into the saucepan to your flavor goop. Whisk constantly to smooth out mixture. Continue to cook over Med-Low heat until milk barely reaches a simmer. Remove from heat.
3. Transfer to your blender:
Pour your 1 cup of hot coffee into your blender. Then transfer your flavor mixture from the saucepan to the blender. Add in the vanilla (if you haven't already done that).
4. Blend
Then blend!! I used the "soup" button on my Blendtec, which made a really creamy and frothy drink! Pour in a mug, garnish with more pumpkin spice on top if you'd like and enjoy!
Cheers to never having to leave your house this winter/holiday season.
Not even for good coffee drinks.
