Pumpkin Spice Latte

I don't know about you all but I take my coffee strong and black. No cream, no sugar just good ol' plain black coffee. However, I have a dirty little secret. Every autumn I get really excited when Starbucks comes out with their pumpkin spice lattes. Gasp! I know, they're full of horrible ingredients, they are WAY too sweet but for some reason I can't get enough of them. They're so bad that they're good! Anyhow, since we don't live very close to a Starbucks I don't get my pumpkin spice latte fix very often. Thank god our sugar pumpkin harvest is in full force and we are rich with hundreds of pounds of these lovely beauties. Since it is finally fall (one more day to go!) I thought this would be an appropriate recipe to share. If I don't say so myself these are 100 times better than Starbucks's version and full of real farm fresh ingredients. Taylor who also takes his coffee black has turned into a pumpkin spice latte guy every couple of mornings when I decided to whip these up. The recipe is simple and I lightly adapted it from The Kitchn. I hope you all enjoy this morning treat as much as we do. Tis the season for pumpkins, warm drinks, and new morning rituals. Cheers.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Serves: 2 large lattes

Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoons cooked fresh pumpkin puree (from the can is fine too)
  • 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice blend
  • tiny pinch of freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 2 Tablespoons pure vanilla extract (seems like a lot but is necessary!)
  • 1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk (homemade preferred)
  • 1/2-1 cup strong coffee

Preparation

  1. Heat the pumpkin, almond milk, pumpkin pie spice, and ground black pepper in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer-don't boil! Stir until the pumpkin and spices have blended well with the milk.
  2. Stir in the maple syrup and pure vanilla extract. Remove from heat.
  3. Carefully pour the milk mixture into a high speed blender and whirl away until frothy and blended.
  4. Make the coffee and divide among two mugs. Depending on how strong you like add 1/2 cup of coffee to each mug and top with the frothed milk. If you want it stronger add more coffee. Enjoy!

Notes

*Use this recipe as a guide. *Adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary. *Taste test as you go and always use your own personal judgment with the ingredients.

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