Autumn cannot officially arrive soon enough.I love fall. Without question, my favorite season of all. The crisp, cool, air, the warm sweaters, the fallen leaves, gorgeous orange pumpkins and warm, steamy cups of lattes and hot chocolates. What isn't to love?
One of my most adored fall treats is Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte. It is liquid dessert ! My least favorite feature of the drink? The price. So why not make it at home? I did some searching and found a few copycat recipes but this one on the family kitchen beats them all. Rich, creamy, and perfectly spiced with pumpkin and vanilla. I didn't bother topping mine with whipped cream as this was rich enough for me but a dollop of whipped cream definitely wouldn't hurt either!
You will need to have some pure canned pumpkin handy - not pumpkin pie filling - and some pumpkin pie spice too. The rest of the ingredients you probably have already. I used my Keurig to brew up 1/2 a cup of espresso coffee (a Timothy's K-Cup) but feel free to brew up your espresso any way you prefer. You can add up to 4 shots if you like a stronger coffee taste or just one for a hint of that nutty flavor.
To get it all nice and foamy, I used my immersion blender but if you have a small milk frother then definitely go with that option.
Give this a try and please let me know what you think! I loved it and can see myself making many more as the season progresses.
Let's get percolating !
RECIPE:
*source recipe: Pumpkin Spice Latte, the family kitchen
WHAT YOU NEED
2 cups half and half, whole milk reduced fat or skim milk (I prefer the cream option!)
2 tablespoons canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
1 – 2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1-4 shots espresso or very strong coffee (I double the amount of grounds I use per cup to get my strong coffee)
MAKE IT
BREW your espresso or strong coffee. If brewing strong coffee, use double the amount of grounds you would in your regular coffee.
COMBINE half and half or milk, pumpkin, sugar, and pumpkin pie spices in a small saucepan. Heat until very hot, but do not boil. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Transfer to a blender or a milk frother and blend until frothy.
POUR 1 cup warm pumpkin milk mixture into coffee mug and add 1-4 coffee shots. Dust with more pumpkin pie spice if desired.
Makes about 2 servings. Simply cut the ingredients in half for a single serving but taste as you go along to find the blend that works for you
