Feelin' FALL: Pumpkin Spice Latte (Hot or Blended!)

I confess...

I had never tasted a pumpkin spice latte until 2 weeks ago.

For Real!

I am a mocha girl through and through,

but I just had to do it...

that chalkboard at Starbucks was calling my name

and I was "Feelin' Fall."

I LOVE pumpkin and loved my first Pumpkin Spice Latte experience.

But alas, we are jobless in this house, so buying coffee out is a pure treat right now,

so no heading to the local coffee house for coffee any time I want...

and then I saw this recipe for Homemade Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Savvy Sassy Me. 

(and you can google pumpkin Spice Latte and find a million recipes too)

I made a Latte right away, and thought that it tasted great.

My hubby liked it too, but to satisfy our taste buds we wanted to make a few changes. I wanted something a little less sweet - or that I or whoever I was serving it to could sweeten to their liking and also something a bit less pumpkin-y.

So, I experimented and experimented - all of the concoctions were delicious, but I finally found a "formula" that made us all happy and a few taste testers happy too! I also used my DIY Pumpkin Pie Spice too!

Ingredients

3 Cups (Plain) Coconut Milk (you can also use nonfat/lowfat/regular milk)

1 1/2 cups strong brewed coffee (or espresso)

1 Tablespoon organic pumpkin puree (freeze the rest or put it in the frig so you can make lattes any time...or try another pumpkin recipe!)

1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup or Honey (or sweetener of choice)

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

2 Tablespoon homemade vanilla syrup (or store bought syrup)

1-2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon cinnamon, optional - depends on the flavor you want!

Make It HOT!

You can make this one of two ways.

You can cook it on low on the stove top or as

Savvy Sassy Me did, use the crockpot/slowcooker.

1. Brew coffee. Make it extra strong...I ran mine through The Scoop two times.

2.  Place the coconut milk and coffee in the crockpot.

3.  Turn crockpot onto low.

4.  Add the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, vanilla, vanilla syrup, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon*.

5.  Whisk to blend.

6.  Cook for about 2 hours in the crockpot or 30-45 minutes on the stovetop. 

*Note: You can taste test as you cook to adjust sugar/sweetness and spices. I suggest going easy on both until you find a combination that pleases your palate.

To store, let cool and store in the frig. I used a 1/2 gallon mason jar for storage.

Make It Blended!

 I love a blended coffee beverage...so I took a shot at blending this Pumpkin Spice Latte. I do realize it is kind of contradictory - Fall makes you think warm and cozy and here I am adding ice to it!

Anyway, all I did was add about 1 cup of ice cubes to my Vitamix and and 1 cup of the Pumpkin Spice Latte Mixture and blend away!

 

Now, add a little Whipped Cream and a sprinkle

of Pumpkin pie spice make it complete!

ENJOY!

  

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This post is written and created at 504 Main by Holly Lefevre