I've been seeing pumpkin recipes on Pinterest for over a month now. I'm not sure why, but I've chosen to resist it. "It's too dang early!" But not anymore...
See also: - Iced Coffee All Day, Every Day - Thanks to Pinterest - Whipping Up that Bourbon Chocolate Milkshake from Pinterest - Ward Off Halloween Candy with These Vegan, No-Bake Almond Butter Bars
Nothing says fall like a pumpkin latte -- but just a few days in, and you're feeling the pinch of too many stops at the drive-thru Starbucks.
Pin-up Girl is here to the rescue.
In my usual manner of failing to plan ahead I set out to make my first pumpkin latte without having read the recipe thoroughly. Naturally, the recipe calls for pumpkin pie spice and I didn't have it. Luckily, I had previously pinned a DIY homemade pumpkin pie spice recipe to one of my boards. I've said it once and I'll say it again - Pinterest always knows what you're looking for before you're even looking for it.
Turns out, I had all of the things to make the DIY homemade pumpkin pie spice recipe.
Ingredients: 2 teaspoons ground ginger 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Measure all spices into a jar. Seal with the lid and shake to combine. Measures 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice.
Now for the good stuff - Pumpkin Spice Latte by Averie Cooks.
Ingredients: 1. Coffee (a pot, a cup, in whatever fashion and however you prefer making your coffee. The stronger the better) I used 4 tablespoons of coffee to 1 cup of water brewed in a french press.
2 . Pumpkin Milk 1 c milk (I used almond milk but use any kind you want -- from half and half to rice milk) 1/4 heaping cup pumpkin puree (more if you really love pumpkin) 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice blend, or to taste 1 tsp cinnamon, or to taste 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 tbsp brown sugar, or to taste
Combine the pumpkin milk ingredients in a blender (what I used) or by hand.
3. Pour 1 cup of brewed coffee into a mug and pour half of the pumpkin milk mixture over the top of the coffee and enjoy.
Results: I liked this recipe because the spices really come through, but if you're not accustomed to it, it may take some getting used to. The original author says, "The spices will not "blend" or entirely dissolve. This is to be expected and normal. If this bothers you, this may not the recipe for you and you may want to experiment with other recipes or techniques."
The only downside I found to this recipe is that it only makes enough for two drinks. While I love making things fresh, I don't always have the time. So I decided to explore another recipe that would make enough for more than just two.
This pumpkin spice latte recipe comes from a blog called Portuguese Girl Cooks. The recipe makes enough for 12 drinks! That's what I'm talkin' about.
Ingredients:
2/3 cup agave 1 cup water 6 tablespoon pure pumpkin puree 2 cinnamon sticks 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ginger 1/4 teaspoon cloves
Instructions:
*Because of my experience with the previous recipe, I chose to combine the ingredients in a blender first because it breaks up the pumpkin much faster than a whisk.
In a small saucepan, combine the agave, water, pumpkin puree, and spices, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and heat the syrup for about 5 additional minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and allow to sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes.
The recipe says to line a jar with cheesecloth, and pour the syrup through but I didn't find that necessary after having blended it. You will probably end up with some pumpkin that doesn't go through the cloth, and that's okay. Just give it a little squeeze to get out the rest of the syrup and then discard.
Store the syrup in the fridge up to 1 month. (We'll finish it waaaay before the month is up, right?)
For the latte:
Again, make coffee in whatever manner you prefer. I used 4 tablespoons to 1 cup water in a french press.
Add 2 tablespoons syrup and desired amount of steamed or warmed milk to your prepared coffee.
I skipped the milk part and added the syrup to a cold-brewed iced coffee. It's not a latte, but it's darn good.
Happy pumpkin season!
