My good friend Emily and I have Wednesday morning coffee dates. We ship our older kids off to school then get together, pre-showers and makeup, to let the younger kids play while we sip on coffee.
The last few weeks Emily has gone to Starbucks and grabbed us my beloved Pumpkin Spice Latte for our dates. But I'm sure that is getting a bit pricey for her.
This week Emily had a doctor's appointment today so I took it upon myself (since I desperately missed my Wednesday latte) to find a cheaper alternative that was just as tasty as the expensive original.
I began with this recipe, but found it entirely too milky. I love the strong coffee taste that I get in that paper cup I cherish. As a comparison, I turned to one of my favorite blogs of all time because I knew Monica had a pumpkin spice latte recipe as well.
When I read Monica's recipe I was immediately thrilled with the use of turbinado sugar instead of granulated. I considered switching the sugars in the first recipe I made but left it as stated. I also loved the use of a full cup of coffee with a splash of milk. However, Monica calls for half and half in her latte but I enjoy fat free milk in mine so I made the change and whipped up the latte. It was amazing!
I loved the strong espresso flavor in this latte. I did feel as though a more pronounced pumpkin flavor wouldn't hurt so I made yet another cuppa with more pumpkin. That, to me, was perfection! When making yours, start with the lesser amount of pumpkin, taste, and add more if needed. You can always add but you can never take away.
This recipe was so incredibly simple that I didn't take any pictures of the process. You pour your milk, coffee, sugar, pumpkin, and pumpkin pie spice into a small saucepan and heat it until almost boiling over medium high heat. Remove it from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour the mixture into a blender (or use a whisk) and beat until frothy.
A word of warning! Apparently when you pour a steaming hot mixture into a blender, the pressure from the steam forces the lid off the blender. Maybe leave the mixture in the blender to cool a bit before capping and turning it on?? Oops.
Pour into a mug, serve, and enjoy!!
PS. If you are enjoying this tasty beverage with a friend, make sure you double the recipe below, it only makes on mug full.
Pumpkin Spice Latte
Adapted from Lick the Bowl Good
Makes 1 serving
Ingredients:
- 1 cup double strength brewed coffee
- 1/3 cup milk or half and half (I used fat free milk)
- 2-3 Tablespoons pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 2 Tablespoons turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw)
- 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice plus more for garnish
- 1/4 teaspooon pure vanilla extract
Directions:
- Heat coffee, milk, pumpkin, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice in a small saucepan over medium high heat, stirring occasionally until simmering, almost to a boil.
- Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Place mixture into a blender and blend until frothy (or whisk until frothy).
- Pour into a mug, top with extra pumpkin pie spice if desired.
- Serve and enjoy!
