Pumpkin Spice Latte

I am so excited about today’s recipe. Probably the most excited I’ve been so far. And that’s really saying something given last week’s post on Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies are an all-time favourite.

The first day of fall was on Sunday which means…. It’s PUMPKIN SPICE SEASON! I’m not going to lie, I do dabble in a little bit of PSL during the fall season but I refuse to touch anything pumpkin until it’s actually fall. I make myself suffer through September, purely out of principle. It isn’t fall yet, I whisper to myself in a panic as I walk past all the lovely coffee shops in Toronto displaying their tempting seasonal menus. I’m being ridiculous, I know. But I wait it out. Thankfully the wait is now over. 

I love my version of a pumpkin spice latte for a few reasons. First, it actually tastes like pumpkin (because there is real pumpkin in it). Second, you can make it as sweet, or not sweet, as you like. I prefer a less sweet beverage with coffee as the star and pumpkin spice in more of a supporting role. Therefore I use Aloof - Signature Blend or Mellow - Decaf Blend as these coffees are robust enough to stand up to the strong flavours of the pumpkin spice sauce.

Lastly, my secret to getting flavourful notes of pumpkin are two things. I use pure amber maple syrup instead of sugar because I love the deep earthy notes it lends to the flavour. If you’re not a fan of maple syrup or don’t want to splurge on it (I get it) then a great alternative is dark brown sugar. When I use brown sugar, I caramelize it first which makes it taste more like fall! Skip the white sugar for this recipe, you’ll thank me later.

The second thing I do is, I add the pumpkin and let it cook with the maple syrup/caramel for a bit. It deepens in colour and flavour and takes this recipe over the top. Here is my recipe – if you try it, let me know what you think!

Yield: About ¾ cup (4-6 servings)

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup maple syrup (or ¼ cup dark brown sugar)
• ½ cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• Dash of sea salt
• ½-1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, adjusted to your taste
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• A shot of double espresso using  Aloof or  Mellow
• ½ cup whole milk (or milk of choice)
• Dash of cinnamon, optional

Preparation 

For the pumpkin spice sauce:

1. Heat maple syrup in pot over medium heat until bubbling. If using dark brown sugar, heat sugar in pot over medium heat until dissolved and bubbling and starting to turn into caramel. Do not stir often as you want to avoid creating too many sugar crystals. This should take a few minutes.
2. Add pumpkin puree and sea salt and cook for 4-5 mins until darker in colour. It won’t be orange anymore!
3. Turn the heat off and add the pumpkin pie spice and vanilla extract. Taste the sauce and add more pumpkin pie spice if you prefer more flavour.
4. Transfer to an airtight container. You can refrigerate the sauce for up to a week or freeze for up to one month.

For the pumpkin spice latte:

1. Add two tablespoons of pumpkin pie sauce to your favourite mug.
2. Pull a shot of double espresso and add to your mug. Mix the espresso and pumpkin pie sauce with a spoon until well incorporated.
3. Steam milk to a velvety texture (latte art texture).
4. Add steamed milk to mug and top with a dash of cinnamon and enjoy!