Make your own homemade pumpkin spice blend at home for coffee, pies, cakes and more.
Two things that I always hear people talking about in the early Fall: BTS (back to school) and PSL (pumpkin spice lattes).
I love coffee so last year I decided to try the infamous Pumpkin Spice Latte. It. Was. Sweet. Super sweet, too sweet for me, I-can't-drink-this sweet. And no wonder, one version contains 38 grams of sugar in a 12 oz cup and another contains 34 grams of sugar in a 12 oz cup. That's far too much for one beverage! To put it into perspective, a 42 gram Aero bar contains 24 grams of sugar. Why can sugar be a problem? It may be addictive, can lead to the accumulation of body fat, and can affect hormones. That's not to say that you can't have a sweet treat from time to time, but you may not want to have one of these beverages every single day. If you really want to delve into the sugar issue check out Chris Kresser's article Is Refined Sugar Really Toxic?.
There have been many criticisms about this beverage from the long list of artificial ingredients to the fact that it does not contain pumpkin. Every time I hear that I can't help but roll my eyes - no kidding, it's a pumpkin spice latte. Spice. Not a pumpkin latte….. Regardless of the amount of sugar or the artificial ingredients, people are really excited about the PSL.
This morning I woke up and decided that I would try to make my own version of this popular coffee beverage at home. So I grabbed some spices, put the moka on the stove and got to work making a less sweet, simple version of the PSL. Spices, coffee, coconut cream and coconut sugar. Nothing fancy but delicious, and I didn't even have to change out of my pyjamas! I made enough of the spice mixture to last a few days so I can continue to enjoy my version of the PSL all week. Give it a try - it's easy, delicious, you have full control over all of the ingredients and it's sure to save you some money (those drinks are expensive!).
You can use this spice blend for more than just coffee! Try it in pumpkin pie, muffins, a spice loaf, chia pudding and so much more.
Pumpkin Spice Blend
Ingredients
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp allspice
- ¼ tsp nutmeg (freshly ground)
- ¼ tsp ground cloves (optional)
Instructions
- Measure all spices into a small jar with a tight fitting lid.
- Store this spice blend covered and use as desired.
Quick question. Was the coconut cream warm or refrigerated? I'm new to all this & I know it gets thick once you put it in the fridge, but I'm not sure if that helps or not since you're putting it in a hot beverage.
Hi Jamie:
You can use the coconut cream or milk warm or cold, but keep in mind that using cold coconut cream will decrease the temperature of your coffee. It needs to be stored in the fridge once the can has been opened and I generally just use it straight from the fridge - in the morning I try to keep things simple and pulling out a pan to heat it up is just too much effort!
I hope you enjoy your home made pumpkin spice coffee.
Thank you so much, Hema.