Another Favorite Autumn Recipe

Last fall, at the instigation of several bloggers whose taste I trust, I ventured away from my ever-favorite morning mocha and tried Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice latte. I didn't think anything could take the place of coffee and chocolate in my life, but, for this time of year at least, the cozy combination of hot milk and pumpkin spices (with a splash of coffee) is ambrosia. I was instantly hooked. But, at $4 a cup, I couldn't afford to be reeled in by Starbucks.

So, in the spirit of frugality and knowing that homemade is usually better anyway, we went on a hunt for a reasonable facsimile to make at home. (What did we ever do before Google, I wonder?)

After trying several, this recipe we found at Baking and Books (which, incidentally is an awesome blog for recipes of all kinds!)won the taste test award. Not only is it lip smackingly yummy, we think it's actually better than Starbucks!

Here's what we do. Make a batch of these muffins, which take only a cup of pumpkin puree, leaving enough pumpkin in the bottom of a 14.5 oz can for a couple batches of Pumpkin Spice Latte ~ which we can enjoy while eating the muffins!

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Ingredients:

(Makes 2 servings)

1 level tablespoon pumpkin puree
1 cup milk (whole if you dare!)
1/2 tablespoon light brown sugar (packed and leveled)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg (+ a pinch for dusting later)
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups strong coffee (brewed using 2 tbs per 1 cup of water)You can also use a shot or two of espresso instead of coffee.
4 tablespoons Coffeemate creamer
4 to 8 teaspoons of granulated sugar
Whipped cream

Directions:

Begin brewing coffee.
In a blender puree the milk, pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, brown sugar and vanilla. Pour into a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the milk is warm and begins to froth slightly. (About 4-5 minutes.) Remove from heat.

For each serving: Pour 1/2 cup of the pumpkin mixture into your coffee mug. Add 2 generous tablespoons of Coffeemate creamer. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds, then add 1 cup of brewed coffee. Add 2 to 4 teaspoons of sugar (depending on how sweet you like your drink, I added 3 tsps.) Top off with a touch more ‘pumpkin milk’ then cover with whipped cream and sprinkle with nutmeg.

Serve immediately.

(The lowfat version, which is also very good, can be found here.)

If you get the chance to try this, let us know how you like it!