One of my favorite breakfast treats is french toast. I had been planning on cooking it for breakfast this past weekend after months of not having it when it occurred to me: french toast latte! There is nothing about the combination of espresso, milk/soy milk, maple syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla that doesn’t go together. It tastes as good as it sounds!

The recipe isn’t difficult either – it still follows my basic simple syrup recipe for creating flavored lattes – this time we’ll just swap white sugar for brown sugar.

Serves 2

Ingredients

- 6 ounces brewed espresso

- 6-8 ounces steamed milk or soy milk, rice milk, etc.

- 1/2 cup water

- 1/2 cup brown sugar

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon OR two cinnamon sticks

- 1 tablespoon real maple syrup

Directions

Combine brown sugar and water in a small saucepan. When it reaches a boil, add vanilla extract. Allow to boil for one minute, then remove from heat. Quickly and cinnamon and maple syrup, and stir well. If you used cinnamon sticks, remove them when the syrup has cooled. Pour your finished syrup into two mugs – 1/8 to 1/4 cup, depending on how sweet you like your drinks.

When espresso or dark coffee is brewed, add to the mug. Stir coffee and syrup well, and add steamed milk, spooning any foam on top. Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon, and enjoy!

Out to find ways to make life simpler, Ashley is tackling life one DIY project at a time. Learning as she goes, she also spends her days writing Indie Pretty Projects and creating for her Etsy shop.

wrap up: {ashley pahl} {breakfast} {coffee} {drink} {french toast} {latte}

wrap up: {coffee} {latte} {mocha} {raspberry} {recipe} {valentine's day}

wrap up: {ashley pahl} {coffee} {drink} {ginger} {latte} {vanilla} {winter}

This white chocolate peppermint latte is little like Christmas in a mug! Quite similar to my peppermint mochoa latte recipe, this recipe is perfect for those who don’t like cocoa or just want to try something different. The white chocolate is smooth and creamy, while the peppermint is cool and refreshing. This recipe is just for one latte, but it can easily be doubled for two at a time.

Ingredients

1/2 cup milk or soy milk
1/4 cup white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate bar
1 tsp peppermint extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 ounces espresso or strongly brewed coffee

Directions

Begin by combining the milk and white chocolate in a double boiler or a glass bowl atop a pot of boiling water (which is what I did). It is possible to just combine them in a pot, but you risk scorching the milk.

Whisk the mixture until the white chocolate is completely melted. This could take ten minutes or so. While white chocolate is melting on the stove, prepare your strong coffee or espresso.

When the white chocolate has melted into the milk, add the vanilla and peppermint extracts. Continue to whisk periodically until coffee has brewed.

Pour your white chocolate syrup into a mug, and then add coffee. Top with whipped cream and crushed candy canes if you wish!

Out to find ways to make life simpler, Ashley is tackling life one DIY project at a time. Learning as she goes, she also spends her days writing Indie Pretty Projects and creating for her Etsy shop.

wrap up: {ashley pahl} {christmas} {latte} {peppermint} {white chocolate}

As with the autumn spice latte, the pumpkin spice latte is one of my favorite seasonal drinks. I could put pumpkin in just about everything in the autumn – it’s just so naturally delicious. This drink is no exception! To make this latte, you will need pumpkin spice simple syrup (recipe below), espresso or strongly-brewed coffee, and steamed or frothed milk. Makes 2 servings.

ingredients

 
- 1/2 cup sugar

- 1/2 cup water

- 2 tablespoons canned or fresh pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling!)

- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice OR a combination of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves – what ever is available in your cupboard

- 2 tsp vanilla extract

- 2 shots of espresso OR 6 ounces of strongly brewed coffee

- 6 ounces of nonfat milk (or soymilk, or other dairy substitute)

directions

Start with the pumpkin spice syrup. Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat, stirring often. Once it reaches a boil, add the vanilla extract; continue to boil for one minute.

Remove from heat, add pumpkin puree and spices; stir. Let it sit in the saucepan while you brew the espresso or strong coffee.

Brew espresso as according to your machine, or use a very strongly brewed dark roast coffee. Steam and froth your milk or milk substitute. If you would like more information on brewing coffee and steaming milk for specialty drinks, see this previous post on Going Home to Roost.

Pour the espresso into two mugs.

Add 1/4 cup (or more or less, depending on your taste) of pumpkin spice simple syrup to your espresso. Add steamed milk, and top with foam from the frothing process.

My steam wand is currently broken, so I can steam, but not get the foam (otherwise this drink would be topped with a pillowing layer of foamy goodness). You can also top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon for a real treat!

Out to find ways to make life simpler, Ashley is tackling life one DIY project at a time. Learning as she goes, she also spends her days writing Indie Pretty Projects and creating for her Etsy shop.

wrap up: {ashely pahl} {autumn} {coffee} {drink} {espresso} {fall} {latte} {Pumpkin Spice}

know your coffees

guess what, it’s national coffee day! while i sit here sipping some of my own, i thought i would pull up some of my favorite coffee posts:

- cinnamon almond coffee recipe

- my favorite type of coffee

- coffee cans to catch all canisters

- diy coffee cup wrappers

- a whole latte love

- favorite kitchen gadgets

- i love coffee and honey

- frozen coffee cubes

wrap up: {coffee} {latte} {national coffee day} {recipes}

Seasonal drinks are hitting the menu at coffee shops everywhere, but you can make a latte that smells like Autumn quite easily in your own home! I call this latte recipe Autumn Spice because it combines three of my favorite bold flavors – cinnamon, ginger, and cloves – and softens them with a touch of vanilla. Even better, making the flavored syrup for this espresso treat will scent your home better than seasonal potpourri.

This recipe will serve 2 – 4 people, depending on how sweet you like your drinks.

ingredients

brewed espresso

steamed milk, soy milk, or other substitute

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 sticks of cinnamon, or 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon whole cloves

directions

Start by preparing your flavored syrup. Bring water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan. Once mixture starts to boil, add vanilla. Allow alcohol in vanilla to burn off in boiling mixture – about 1 minute. Reduce heat and add cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Allow spiced syrup to simmer for at least 5 minutes.

While syrup simmers, brew espresso. I make about 3 ounces of espresso for each drink. For each ounce of espresso to be served, steam an ounce of milk. For more information on brewing espresso or steaming milk without an espresso machine, see my first latte tutorial on Going Home to Roost.

Before adding syrup to latte, skim out any cloves or cinnamon sticks with a slotted spoon.

To assemble the drink, I pour 3 ounces espresso, 1 – 2 ounces of spiced syrup, and 3 ounces of steamed milk into a mug, topped with the milk foam from the steaming process. Top with whipped cream or a sprinkle of cinnamon if you wish!

Out to find ways to make life simpler, Ashley is tackling life one DIY project at a time. Learning as she goes, she also spends her days writing Indie Pretty Projects and creating for her Etsy shop.

wrap up: {Autumn Spice} {Cloves} {drink} {espresso} {fall} {latte} {recipe}

 
This recipe is similar to the vanilla latte, but features an extra special, homemade caramel syrup. Other recipes that I found during research required first making a vanilla latte, and then making a separate caramel sauce and whipped cream for the topping – lots of sugar, and lots of time. So, to cut back on ingredients and steps involved, I developed this double-duty caramel syrup for the traditional latte:

ingredients

 
1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup water

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup heavy cream

4 shots brewed espresso

6 ounces steamed milk

serves two

directions

Place sugar and water together in a small saucepan. With pan on medium heat, allow sugar to dissolve. Bring to a boil. Let syrup continue to boil until the sugar caramelizes and turns a light brown.

Do not allow the syrup to turn too dark or boil for too long: my first attempt at this syrup went downhill fast when I allowed it to caramelize for too long. It burned and was too bitter for use.

 
After syrup turns an amber color, or after about 5 minutes of boiling, remove from heat. Sprinkle with sea salt, and slowly pour in heavy cream. Stir.

Pour 2 shots of espresso into two cups, followed by three ounces of steamed milk into each cup. Top off with freshly made caramel syrup, and any left over milk foam from steaming. Enjoy!

Ashley has been coffee-crazy since college when her husband bought her an espresso machine for Christmas. Armed with a pot of dark roast, she spends her days writing Indie Pretty Projects and creating for her self-titledEtsy shop.

wrap up: {ashley pahl} {caramel} {coffee} {espresso} {latte} {salted} {winter drinks}