My parents are huge coffee drinkers. They drink a pot of coffee between the 2 of them at every meal. My grandparents were also huge coffee drinkers. They always had a pot of coffee brewing on the stove. But neither myself nor my 2 sisters are coffee drinkers. I always thought it was kind of odd that with all the coffee influences in the family, my siblings & I don’t drink it!

I was recently on a business trip with Eric. I spent the days with the other wives who were there with their husbands. While the men had meetings, the wives met for breakfast or lunch, shopped & walked the beach.  A few of the women were drinking Pumpkin Spice Lattes from the Dunkin’ Donuts in the hotel each morning. Not being a coffee drinker, I didn’t try one. Back at home, it seemed like I couldn’t get away from Pumpkin Spice Lattes. They were everywhere! All the coffee shops were running TV ads for them & all the food websites were posting recipes for them. In reading over some of the recipes, it turns out that there’s not a lot of coffee in them & some of them used actual pumpkin puree not just spices, so I decided to give them a try. There’s quite a few versions out there but this is the one that does it for me!

(There’s no need to buy pumpkin pie spice from the store if you already have cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice and cloves. Proportions to make your own pumpkin pie spice are after the latte recipe.)

Pumpkin Spice Latte  (from the Food Network Kitchen)
Total Time:  10 minutes    Makes 1 latte

Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons pure pumpkin puree
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, plus more for sprinkling
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup hot espresso or strong brewed coffee
• whipped cream for serving

Directions:
Combine the milk, pumpkin puree, sugar, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla in a medium microwave safe bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and vent it with a small hole. Microwave until the milk is hot, about 1-2 minutes.

Mix the milk with everything but the coffee & heat it up.

Whisk vigorously until the milk mixture is foamy, about 30 seconds.

It doesn’t take much to make the milk foamy by hand.

Pour the espresso or coffee into a large mug and add the foamed milk. Top with whipped cream and an additional sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

This is my new fall hot beverage!  ~Linda

Pumpkin Pie Spice  (adapted from mybakingaddiction.com)

Makes about 2 1/2 tablespoons

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3/4 teaspoons ground allspice
• 3/4 teaspoons ground cloves

Directions:

Combine the spices in a small bow, mixing well to combine. Store the mixture in a small jar or spice container.

No need to buy pumpkin pie spice if you already have these five spices in your cabinet!

Pumpkin Spice Latte  (from the Food Network Kitchen)

Total Time:  10 minutes    Makes 1 latte

Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons pure pumpkin puree
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, plus more for sprinkling
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup hot espresso or strong brewed coffee
• whipped cream for serving

Directions:
Combine the milk, pumpkin puree, sugar, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla in a medium microwave safe bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and vent with a small hole. Microwave until the milk is hot, about 1-2 minutes. Whisk vigorously until the milk mixture is foamy, about 30 seconds.

Pour the espresso or coffee into a large mug and add the foamed milk. Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.

Pumpkin Pie Spice  (adapted from mybakingaddiction.com)

Makes about 2 1/2 tablespoons

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3/4 teaspoons ground allspice
• 3/4 teaspoons ground cloves

Directions:

Combine the spices in a small bow, mixing well to combine. Store in a small jar or spice container.