My Addiction

Behold an allllll too familiar image of my desk for the past month…

I like Starbucks, don’t get me wrong, but I’m not CRAZY about it. I drink it on occasion when I need a pick me up to get through the rest of the day. Although most times, I’m fine with a plain ‘ol cup of joe that can easily be found in my office building.

Holy moly, does that change when Fall comes around.

Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes are my second favorite thing about Fall, second only to College Football, of course. I’ve found myself craving them – sometimes even having two a day (hmm, and I wonder why I’ve had trouble sleeping…). While my love affair for them has only intensified, the close to $5 price tag for my coffee crush is not cool.

This past weekend I was determined to find a less expensive, at-home option, so I scoured the internet and found a few recipes and on Sunday morning I put them to the test. I’ll save you the nitty gritty of my latte trial and error and just give you want: the best tasting (non-fat) recipe.

Just-Like-Starbucks Skinny Pumpkin Spice Latte (Adapted from The Kitchn)

makes 1 serving

Ingredients:
1 cup non-fat dairy creamer OR skim milk
1 tablespoon canned pumpkin
1 1/2 tablespoons Splenda
1/4ish teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
3/4 cup of strong brewed coffee OR 1-2 shots of espresso

Directions:
In a saucepan combine milk, pumpkin and sugar and cook on medium heat, stirring, until steaming. Remove from heat, stir in spice, and transfer to a blender and process for 15-20 seconds until foamy. If no blender is around – just whisk until foamy.

Pour into a large mug and add the coffee on top.

Optional: Top with whipped cream and sprinkle pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, or cinnamon on top.

It’s much simpler than I thought it would be, and if you’re a pumpkin fan like me you’ll probably have all the ingredients already lying around your house. Also, you can double or triple the cream recipe and just heat it up when you want some Pumpkin Spice in your life (it stays for a 3-4 days in the fridge). Enjoy!