HOMEMADE PUMPKIN SPICE MIX & PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE
Here in Australia pumpkin spice isn’t really popular or even really heard of, or at least where I live it isn’t. As the season has changed I have been noticing a great deal of pumpkin spice recipes on Pinterest and on the blogs I follow. Everything from pumpkin spice pies to cupcakes has been seen popping up everywhere. I was intrigued. What is pumpkin spice? What is it made of? How do you use it? After a bit of research I learned that pumpkin spice is basically a combination of ground herbs and spices that is often used alongside pureed pumpkin in baked foods and desserts. Wanting to give this culinary fad a go, I got creative in the kitchen and after a lot of trial and error created some recipes for my own recipes for Pumpkin spice blend as well as a pumpkin spice latte. Tinned pumpkin puree or pumpkin spice mix isn’t available here in Australia or at the very least I was unable to find it anywhere so I had to make everything from scratch. I plan on using pumpkin puree in some recipes in the near future so to save time I boiled up a few kilos of pumpkin flesh, pureed it and froze it in a ice cube tray for future use to save time. Have fun trying these out and be sure to let me know what you think.
Pumpkin Spice Mix
I played around with the ratios a fair bit and this combination was my favourite. The flavour reminded me a bit of chai tea minus the tea of course.
Combine together;
- 8 Parts of ground cinnamon
- 4 Parts ground ginger
- 1 Part ground nutmeg
- 1 Part teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 Part teaspoon ground cardamon
Pumpkin Spice Latte
2 cups of freshly brewed coffee
2.5 cups of milk
1/4 cup thickened cream
1/2 cup cooked butternut pumpkin, pureed
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 Tablespoons Pumpkin Spice (See above recipe)
1 Teaspoon vanilla
Whipped cream for serving
Brew 2 cups of coffee to your liking. Instant or expresso kinds both work fine.
In a saucepan on a medium heat, warm the milk and cream/
All the pumpkin spice, vanilla and sugar.
Once heated whisk in the pumpkin puree.
Pour in the coffee and whisk until light and fluffy while on a low heat.
Alternatively if you are using an expresso machine use the milk frothier to froth the mixture.
Serve with some whipped cream and a sprinkle of pumpkin spice.
Serves 4
Tags: drinks, festive, latte, pumpkin, pumpkin spice, spice
For those of you unaware a hot toddy is an alcoholic drink traditionally made using whiskey and served hot. The original recipe requires lemon juice and cinnamon but I decided to mix it up a bit and use orange juice and mint leaves. The result was a refreshingly unusual drink that sure is tasty! Here’s what to do if you wish to make your own; Combine together 2 shots (~60ml) of Whiskey (I used Jack Daniels) with 2 shots of orange juice, 1 cup of boiling water and a teaspoon of honey. Stir until the honey have disolved. Serve with an orange slice (or 2) and a small bunch of mint leaves. This recipe makes 2 drinks. Enjoy!
