- Pumpkin Spice Latte
Day 7 of 31 days of pumpkin brings us into the drinks category. I have a confession. Before today, I had never had a latte. But people go nuts over the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte, so I knew that I would be including a pumpkin latte recipe in my 31 days of pumpkin extravaganza. I’m so glad I did. This drink was dreamy and I plan to make it again and again and again.
There are other Pumpkin Spice lattes out there on the internet, like the one from TheKitchn, but my version jacks up the pumpkin content and is generous with the sugar too. Also, technically, one might not be able to call the drink I’ve made a latte, because in place of espresso, I’ve used a generous shot of strongly brewed, French pressed coffee. The flavor is so perfectly to my liking that I hesitate to monkey with it at all.
- 2 cups whole milk
- 5 Tbsp canned pure pumpkin
- 5 Tbsp granulated sugar
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp freshly ground nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 shot of strong coffee
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream (optional)
- Start boiling water to make the French press coffee. Meanwhile, gently heat the milk in a small saucepan. Be careful not to scald the milk or bring it to a boil. Whisk in pumpkin and mix thoroughly. Stir in sugar and blend until dissolved. Add spices and blend. Add vanilla and stir. Keep milk on the heat as long as it is not starting to boil or scald.
- Make the coffee in the French press, stronger than usual.
- Use a hand-held egg beater (or an immersion blender if you have one) to froth up the warm milk mixture.
- Use a whisk, or an egg beater, or a hand held mixer to whip the cream.
- Pour about ¼ cup of coffee into a tall mug. Pour the milk mixture on top until the cup is nearly full. Add a large dollop of whipped cream and grate a little bit of nutmeg on top. This recipe makes two tall cups.
