I love a latté. I also have college bills and a hungry gas tank so stopping at Starbucks on the way to class at $4+ a pop isn’t in the budget. I also don’t like all the syrupy sweetness in the flavored lattés. So, with my garage-sale espresso machine find and a little imagination I’ve been creating my own lattés and saving big money and lotsa calories. I made a almond-joy inspired latté after lunch today, and just finished sipping on a pumpkin spice mid-afternoon pick-me-up.
If you don’t have an espresso machine, no worries. Brew some extra-extra strong coffee in place of the espresso, and just heat up the pumpkin and milk on the stove. You can throw it in the blender really quick to get a nice foamy consistency before adding it to the coffee. (I’m probably making all the baristas and coffee-snobs cringe right now…)
Pumpkin Spice Latté
Brew:
- 2 Shots Espresso
Add:
- 1/4 tsp Stevia (or other sweetener to taste)
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
Steam:
- 1/2 c. Lowfat Milk
- 2 TB Pumpkin Puree
- Cinnamon
- All Spice
- Nutmeg
- Ginger
Start with a little pinch of each spice, remember you can always add more!
The from-scratch pumpkin flavor is so much better than a syrup! I like making things myself, then I know exactly what is in them and can make them just the way I like them.
Those images look so beautiful! Good camera work, must say. When you have the time, do drop by to read my new post. I’d love to hear from you.
Quite possibly the most beautifully photographed latte in existence.
You had me a pumpkin spice latte.
Soon autumn, hurry to say goodbye to summer!).