3 Simple & Cozy Coffee Recipes for the Non-Barista!
Hello my lovely friends! A few days ago, I asked you what your favorite coffee drinks were on Instagram, and all of your responses were so appreciated! Today, I thought I would try out THREE of your favorites by making them from the comfort of my home! I also feel I picked the perfect day to release this blog post since it’s raining, and on most rainy days who doesn’t want to snuggle up on the couch with a nice warm cup of coffee?!
Now, I’m not a coffee connoisseur by ANY means, but my husband on the other hand, now he’s a different story! Not only will I be making some of your favorite coffees at home, and sharing the delicious recipes with you all...but HE will be approving them for flavor! (So, if you don’t like them, take it up with him, haha!)
I’d also like to disclaim that the following recipes WILL be made with DECAF french roast coffee since this mama wants her breastfed 9 month old to sleep at night, but you can make the same drinks more authentic with espresso, or you can use caffeinated if decaf is not your thing! I used a french press to make all of the coffee, and had a very kind Trader Joe’s employee help me grind my coffee in-store! All of the below recipes were modified to satisfy my taste buds, and I will link each original recipe below! Let's do this!
Cinnamon Dulce Latte
Okay, mamas…I’m SO excited about this recipe, especially because I’m currently curled up on my couch drinking it at this very moment feeling like I’m ready to head to the closest Starbucks, and pick up an application! Seriously, it’s that good! Today, we’ll be making a (decaf for me) Cinnamon Dulce Latte and that includes making the homemade syrup from scratch. (Getting fancy over here!)
Cinnamon Syrup Ingredients:
▪️1 cup of white sugar
▪️1/2 cup of brown sugar
▪️1 1/2 cups of water
▪️1 tbsp of vanilla extract
▪️3 cinnamon sticks
Directions for the Cinnamon Syrup:
Mix the white sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon sticks together in a saucepan, and bring to a boil while whisking occasionally.
Reduce the heat, and let it simmer for 10 minutes, or until about half of it has evaporated.
Remove it from the heat, and stir in the vanilla extract.
Set aside for cooling. Refrigerate when done using. (As you can see in my picture below I put it in a container and sealed it which will allow it to last all week for easy adding to coffee!)
Cinnamon Dulce Latte Ingredients: (for 1 serving)
2 Tbsp of the Cinnamon Dulce Syrup from above (If you want less sweetness, or more sweetness this may vary. 2 tbsp of the cinnamon syrup was PERFECT for me!)
1 cup of coffee (NOTE: I doubled the strength of my decaf french roast coffee to make it extra strong since the milk will be diluting the coffee!)
1 cup of almond milk
Whipped Cream
Cinnamon
Directions for the Cinnamon Dulce Latte:
Make coffee in a french press. (Boil water. Add 4 tbsp of coffee to the french press. Add one cup of boiling water into the french press and stir vigorously. Put the cover on, and let it steep for 4 minutes. After, you can gently push down on the french press.) (Note: When I poured my coffee into my cup, I noticed some bean grinds at the top of my drink, but I easily removed them with a strainer.)
Pour your milk in a saucepan over medium-high heat, and whisk it constantly to froth the milk if you don’t have a froth-er. (Using a whisker by hand worked great for me!)
Stir 2tbsp of cinnamon syrup into the frothy milk. Add the milk to the hot cup of coffee. Add whipped cream on top, and sprinkle some cinnamon over! Voila! This treat is absolutely delicious! *If you wish for an iced latte experience, add cold milk instead of the hot milk! Yum!
*For the source to this delicious recipe, you can click here!
Caramel Macchiato
Alright, mamas, I thought the Cinnamon Dulce Latte was going to be hard to beat, but this (decaf for me) Caramel Macchiato was not backing down! It was just delicious, and the coconut whipped cream on top blended with it so lovely!
Caramel Sauce Ingredients: (Makes enough for 4 drinks. Can also store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks!)
▪️2 Tbsp of unsalted butter (1 oz)
▪️1/4 cup of heavy cream
▪️1/4 cup (50g) packed brown sugar
▪️1/4 tsp of salt
▪️1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
Directions for Caramel Sauce:
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
Stir in the heavy cream, brown sugar, and salt. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for 4 minutes until thick, stirring constantly. (If you don’t keep an eye on it, it could burn. I stirred the whole 4 minutes, and it came out perfect!)
Remove from heat, and stir in the vanilla extract. Refrigerate when done using. (As you can see in my picture below I put it in a container and sealed it for easy adding to my next cup of coffee! Just reheat in the microwave.)
Caramel Machiatto Ingredients: (for 1 serving)
▪️1 cup of strong very hot black coffee (I used 2 cups of boiling water and 4 tbsp of coffee in my french press)
▪️1 tsp of sugar (the original recipe called for 1-3 tsp of sugar, but 1tsp was PERFECT for me!)
▪️1 tbsp of heavy cream
▪️Whipped coconut cream
Directions for Caramel Macchiato:
Make your coffee in a french press. (Boil water. Add 4 tbsp of coffee to the french press. Add two cups of the boiling water into the french press and stir vigorously. Put the cover on, and let it steep for 4 minutes. After, you can gently push down on the french press.)
Stir the coffee, 1 tbsp of the caramel sauce, sugar, and cream together.
Add whipped coconut cream with a drizzle of the caramel sauce on top! Just like that you have another magnificent coffee to cozy up on the couch with along with a good Hallmark movie!! You know exactly the kind of night I’m talking about!
*For the source to this delicious recipe, you can click here!
Pumpkin Spice Latte
Okay, I really hope you ladies enjoy this one because I probably made this (decaf to me) Pumpkin Spice Latte 4 or 5 times to perfect the two different recipes I was trying out! This one by far was the best of all the other PSL recipes I tried, and my husband agrees! This pumpkin spice latte can still transition you from Fall to Winter with it’s nostalgic holiday dessert of pumpkin pie, and delicious cinnamon and whipped cream topping. This drink is extra cozy, and it was the easiest of the three to make!
Pumpkin Spice Latte Ingredients: (for 1 serving)
▪️1 1/2 tbsp of sugar
▪️2 tbsp of pumpkin spice puree (No artificial sugary syrup!)
▪️1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice
▪️1 cup (8 oz) of almond milk
▪️1 cup (8 oz) of hot coffee (NOTE: I doubled the strength of my decaf french roast coffee to make it extra strong since the milk will be diluting the coffee!)
▪️Whipped cream
▪️Cinnamon
Directions for Pumpkin Spice Latte:
In a saucepan over medium-low heat, mix the sugar, pumpkin spice puree, and almond milk. Bring it to a simmer while whisking it to become “froth like.”
Make coffee in french press. (Boil water. Add 4 tbsp of coffee to the french press. Add one cup of boiling water into the french press and stir vigorously. Put the cover on, and let it steep for 4 minutes. After, you can gently push down on the french press.)
Add the coffee to your mug, and then pour in your mixture from the saucepan.
Top it with whipped cream and sprinkle some cinnamon! And, that’s it! Super quick to make, and I think it would impress any guest!
*For the source to this delicious recipe, you can click here!
Thank you all so much for checking out these 3 simple and cozy coffee drinks! I worked very hard, drank way too much coffee, and got a serious “whipped-cream-high!” If you try out these delicious at home recipes, be sure to share/tag me on Instagram (@coolmomandcollected), or in the comments below so I can check out how you did! I’d also love to know, which of the three was your favorite? If you think you could IMPROVE either of these recipes, spill it! (Pun intended!) I’m no barista, but as I said, I was pretty impressed with them all! Have a deliciously cozy, and decaffeinated/caffeinated day! See you back on Thursday for another blog post! XOXO
