Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte

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There are lots of recipes out there for the famous Pumpkin Spice Latte. I know, because I've looked it up. The closest Starbucks is 40 minutes from my house, so if I want one of these treats, I gotta make it myself. The only problem with the recipes I've found is that most of them require a lot more effort than I’m willing to put in for my morning cup of coffee. I only drink coffee in the morning, so it goes without saying that I usually don’t have 15 minutes to devote to making this creation, nor do I want to use a coffee maker, saucepan, whisk, blender, etc. and have to clean it all up. All this BEFORE coffee? Can’t do it. Here’s MY take on a homemade PSL... quick and easy.

Yes, it’s quick, easy, and most definitely healthier than one you buy at a coffeeshop, which is usually LOADED with sugar. Think I'm exaggerating? I looked it up and for a Grande cup (that's the medium size), a Pumpkin Spice Latte typically has 48 grams of sugar. WHAT?! For better referece, consider that there are roughly 4 grams of sugar in one teaspoon. So the quick math reveals that there is approximately 12 teaspoons of sugar in ONE medium cup of fancy coffee shop Pumpkin Spice Latte. Therefore as long as you don't load your homemade version down with sugar, this is much healthier. The one piece of equipment you need for this (other than your coffee maker of choice) is a simple milk frother. I got mine (linked here) for Christmas a few years ago and I use it almost every day. It’s easy and dishwasher safe, and makes my morning a little cozier every time I use it.

The last tip I'll give you is this: don't use junky coffee and expect this to come out tasting like Starbucks. Starbucks and other coffee shops are good because of their coffee quality. It makes a HUGE difference.

Recipe
*For 2 Servings• Coffee prepared as usual (drip machine, french press, espresso, etc).
• 1 Cup Milk (I use whole milk)
• ½ tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 1.5 tsp Vanilla Extract
• Sweetener of your choice (I use honey)

• Make your coffee as usual
• Heat 1 cup milk
• Pour the milk in the frother and froth with the pumpkin pie spice. Froth until the milk is whipped.
• Pour coffee in 2 mugs and add the vanilla extract (3/4 tsp per mug), sweetener of your choice and stir well.
• Pour in the frothed milk
• Optional: top with a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice
• DRINK!