Spice Up Your Home-Brewed Coffee with Warm Winter Flavors
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My husband knows better than to talk to me before my first cup of coffee in the morning. Or my second cup.
He knows…and yet he does it anyway.
Silly man. I guess he’s a risk-taker that way.
Most mornings I dive into at least two pots of French Press coffee and usually it’s black. You know, to match my soul.
But there are days when I want something that doesn’t just do the job it’s intended to do—which is making me tolerable to talk to in the morning.
Some days I want fancy coffee. But I don’t want to spend $5+ a cup. Nor do I want to leave my house where I work to get that fancy coffee.
Enter three simple, unique, and soul-warming coffee recipes to shake up your mornings. Or afternoons. Or whenever you need your coffee.
Note: You can make any or all of these with decaf coffee if you’d prefer not to crawl out of your skin from the caffeine.
Spiced Coffee Drink with Maple Cream
Thai Iced Coffee
Home-Made Pumpkin Spice Latte Syrup/
Pumpkin Spice Latte
Simple to Make−Spiced Coffee Drink with Maple Cream
Get the recipe from: My Happy Simple Living
We’ve been adding cinnamon and nutmeg to our brewed coffee for years, but for some reason, it never dawned on me to expand on the spices we included. Wow, we were missing out.
The simple addition of clove and ginger and a game-changing dollop of maple cream delivers a curl-up-by-the-fire-with-a-book good coffee option.
Four things to know about the Spiced Coffee Drink with Maple Cream recipe:
- This drink really does come together in the time it takes to brew your coffee. I use this French Press and Illy coffee to make my coffee every day, but you can get the maple cream made in the time it takes a drip coffee maker to brew.
- Don’t skimp and think you can get by with half and half instead of the heavy cream because it won’t whip into the stiff peaks you need. Half and half doesn’t contain the fat content of heavy (whipping) cream and it will deflate fairly quickly. With heavy cream, you can whip it and store any unused whipped cream in your fridge for a day or so without it losing the stiff peaks.
- The maple cream melts and melds with all the warm flavors you added to the brewed coffee. There is something inherently soothing about these flavor combinations.
- Forget about the calories! You’re worth it!
Now go find a book or a movie, settle in and enjoy!
Easy to Elevate−Thai Iced Coffee
Get the recipe from: Steamy Kitchen
I love the idea of pairing cardamom, a classic Thai cooking spice, with almond and my beloved coffee.
The cardamom warms up the heavy cream and the almond plays on that warmth with its own mellow, nutty flavor.
Five things to know about the Thai Iced Coffee recipe:
- This recipe is scalable! Go to the recipe print page on Steamy Kitchen and enter the number of servings you would like to make. Presto! Change-o! You have a scalable recipe!
- I used ground cardamom rather than whole cardamom pods. I always have ground cardamom on hand and rarely have the pods. The infusion still works wonderfully.
- Allow the full 15 minutes for the cardamom to infuse into the heavy cream. This is time well spent, letting the warm flavor of the cardamom fully incorporate into the cream.
- This coffee comes together quickly—just don’t leave the heavy cream unattended while you bring it to a simmer. You don’t want to boil the cream or it will curdle! Seriously, don’t leave the stove!
- This is super simple and super delicious. If you have a few extra minutes to steep the heavy cream and you’re looking for a great iced coffee, this is your recipe!
I’ll be honest about this recipe.
I did not share.
I am not sorry.
I could drink this every day.
You really need to try this.
Made to Impress−Home-Made Pumpkin Spice Latte Syrup/Pumpkin Spice Latte
Get the recipe from: The Baking ChocolaTess
Well before you feel that first fall chill in the air, the pro-pumpkin spice and the anti-pumpkin spice camps generally face off for battle. It’s one of those flavors you either love or hate.
This recipe is for all the pumpkin spice-loving warriors.
If you’re pro pumpkin spice, ask yourself this—does your favorite coffee shop make their pumpkin spice latte with pumpkin puree? Most likely not.
So, if you’re willing to put in a little effort, you can save yourself a trip to the coffee shop and enjoy a fuller-flavored jolt from your pumpkin spice latte.
Five things to know about the Home-Made Pumpkin Spice Latte Syrup & Pumpkin Spice Latte:
- You’re going to need heavy (whipping) cream and caramel sauce. If you’re like me neither of these are staples in your house. I buy them as needed. Let me tell you. You need them.
- I used Ghiradelli Premium Select Caramel Sauce. Pick your favorite. Or grab a locally-made sauce.
- Watch your syrup mixture carefully, continually test, and remove it from the heat once it coats your spoon. My syrup took about 13 minutes to reach the stage where it coated the spoon.
- I hand whipped the cream and syrup until they were incorporated. If you’re making more than one drink, you will likely need to re-whip the cream and syrup between drinks as they will start to separate, with the syrup settling on the bottom.
- The syrup can be stored in the fridge for up to a week in a sealed container. After pouring two lattes, my remaining syrup filled a 12-oz mason jar.
This syrup and latte definitely fall into the Treat Yourself category. It delivered in a big way on the pumpkin pie flavors we all know and love–cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves.
In fact, my daughter said it tasted almost identical to the pumpkin spice latte she frequently pays more than $5 for. That’s a win in my book.
