Ahh, nothing like a refreshing pumpkin drink in October! I went with a different recipe (thank you, Food Network) but still changed it to be more of what I like. Especially since the discovery of my tastebuds being anti-pumpkin pie spice. By the way, this recipe makes two servings.
You will need:
1/4 - 1/2 c strong coffee or espresso
1 c milk
1 tbls sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon}---> or 1/4 tsp
1/8 tsp nutmeg }---> Pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbls pumpkin purée (I used heaping tbls, so probably closer to 1/4 c lol)
Mix all your ingredients except the coffee in a microwave safe container - you can see I used my largest measuring cup which gave me plenty of space for mixing. Heat in the microwave for 1 minute and stir. Continue heating in 30-60 second intervals until the milk mixture is warm to your liking. (In my microwave it took 2-2.5 mins total.) Once hot, whisk briskly until foamy or, if you're like me, use an immersible blender. ;-) (If you don't have one, you should seriously think about getting one. I love mine and use it for many different things, including my famous homemade guacamole.)
This is the tricky part: for a latte, the coffee and milk sides are supposed to be mixed, not layered. I added the coffee into my milk mixture and used my immersible blender again for about 30-60 seconds.
I cannot stress this enough:
These ingredients are HOTTTT and you can burn yourself easily if you aren't careful!!!
This is especially true in the case of using an immersible blender, which has automatic speeds that aren't adjustable like when whisking by hand. Hot liquids will splash when mixed at high speeds and those droplets go wherever they want...clothes...bare skin....hair...you name it.
Hey. I get into my cooking. Don't judge me.
So just be careful, me hearties. No burns or scalds, 'kay?
Pros:
Compared to my last attempt, this was much tastier. Even with the extra pumpkin the flavor doesn't overwhelm (and I'll probably play with the amount some more since I'd like it to have a little stronger pumpkin flavor). I used closer to the 1/2 c strong coffee so I'm sure the heavier coffee flavor impacted the pumpkin flavor.
Cons:
Spice!! Grr. The flavor of the spices was significantly better. The problem was gritty latte - ick. Next time I think I'll try mixing the spices into the pumpkin purée before putting it in the milk to see if that helps.
Feel free to give some feedback and suggestions. Play with the recipe and see what works for you.
Now, I think it's time to try this latte cold...
The Jolly Cook