Monday, October 19, 2009

Pumpkin Latte





I will be the first to admit that I've got a slight ummm make that a major addiction. My drug of choice?? Coffee. The idea of starting the day without a mug of steaming hot coffee makes me shudder. Most days, just the thought of that mug of coffee is what motivates me to rise from the warm nest of my bed. Waiting for the pot to brew is the longest ten minutes of my day, but ohhh it's so worth the wait! That first sip aaahhh, nothing like it. Bring on the day!
I love the smell, taste, pretty much everything, about coffee. No love isn't to the right word, I adore it. Really coffee holds a special place in my heart.Generally I'm not a fan of flavored coffee. I want it straight with a splash of milk/cream. No sugar or flavored creamers, just plain ole coffee for me. This is still true in the morning. DO NOT mess around with that first cup of the day.
A couple of years ago I discovered (along with millions of others) Starbuck's pumpkin latte....oh my... Wow! Pumpkin and coffee ingenious! This was a flavored coffee that I could get into. However at five bucks a pop and more calories than I want to know, I didn't indulge very often. I decided to try to duplicate the flavors of the pumpkin latte at home. While not this is not quite a coffee shop style coffee, it's a pretty good knock off that is easily made at home, with no special equipment required. Drink up!!


1 cup very strong coffee or espresso
2/3 cup evaporated milk(regular or fat free evaporated milk)
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 to 2 Tbl maple syrup (or use granulated sugar, if you prefer)
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon


Combine coffee, evaporated milk, pumpkin, sugar and pumpkin pie spice in a small saucepan. Heat until very hot over medium-low heat and stir occasionally. To make a foamy top to your latte. Carefully transfer hot mixture into blender container; cover with lid and then hold down lid with folded towel or potholder. Blend for 1 minute.Take care when blending hot liquids!  I used an immersion stick blender. It made a nice foamy top.Carefully pour into mugs and sprinkle with cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.



13 comments:

grace said...

well, this'll save this fellow coffee addict quite a bit of money down the road. eat that, starbucks! what a lovely re-creation--the maple syrup is totally unexpected, but i like it a lot!

Eliana said...

I'm not a coffee lover but I would give this a try. Sounds so comforting.

Elle said...

Can coffee with pumpkin in it be considered extra healthy? It actually sounds delicious and cozy!

Jennifer B said...

As a fellow coffee addict, I must try this! If only my try at making pumpkin puree yesterday worked! Do you think I could replace the pumpkin puree and the pumpkin spice with pumpkin pie filling, or would that be way off?

Half Baked said...

Jennifer B I think it would work fine. I used the pumpkin puree b/c that's what I had on hand.

Barbara said...

Yep- I guess I have to make one of those. And I don't even like coffee!

Anonymous said...

i love everything latte.
vanilla latte.. green tea latte.
though pumpkin latte is new to me.
i love pumpkin pie though.
sounds awesome :D
can imagine the sweetness of the pumpkin balancing out with the coffee.

Mimi@Life At Mimi's House said...

I just happened upon your blog. I am thrilled that I found you. The funny thing is that I had just sat down with my morning coffee and took my first sip when I started reading your blog, lol.

Pumpkin and coffee, yummy!

Mimi

Susan from Food Blogga said...

This post made me laugh. I was visiting my family last week in RI, and both my mom and dad are addicted to Starbuck's pumpkin latte. Truthfully, I think my mom has a serious problem. ;)

spacedlaw said...

This deserves an award...

Shaheen said...

This sounds truly scrumptuous. I must give it a go with my homegrown 'golden apple'squash. Now to decide do I make it at bedtime for comfort or first thing in the morning, for comfort... either way - I am sure it will taste delicious! Thanks for sharing.

PS I haven't yet come across Starbucks pumpkin latte here (I live in Scotland), nevertheless will give this a go.

Madame Sucre said...

delish!!! I never thought I would find any pumpkin latte ever cz when i was in UK and States you can find em everywhere this pumpkin spice coffee at starbucks.. here in Kuwait we dont have em .. and I was so jealous to read that some of my friends are having pumpkin spice lattes for breakfast.. now I can make my own!! yaaay!!thanks:)

Trishell said...

This is divine!!! i used regular milk i did not have evaporated milk. Does it matter in taste? My flavor is a little off but it might not be very sweet. But i do love and will play with it till i get it right! Thank you for sharing your wonderful coffee with us!!