When the leaves start turning auburn, and a cool breeze entices you to throw on a cozy sweater, those are clear signs that Fall has arrived! The kind-hearted season is a great time for everyone to reflect on what they’re thankful for; the love of family, friends, and most of all, delicious treats! We all know how amazing mashed potatoes and turkey legs taste, but the best treat of all that brings endless joy to the autumnal months is a Pumpkin Spice Latte!

To help you get your barista skills on-point, we’ve reached out to Alice Hernandez, a barista from Santa Monica, CA, to help you create the very best Pumpkin Spice latte without having to leave your home.

 

“I never usually drink fancy lattes, but this is pretty darn good.”

 Alice loves the Pumpkin Spice Latte from Groundwork Coffee Co. “You know how pumpkin pie is made?” She asks. “They put sugar cane in with the pie filling to make a paste, and they mix that with raw pieces of pumpkin, which gets blended underneath the coffee; giving it flavor.” Now we all know that going to a gourmet coffee shop can be expensive, but Alice tells us that she’s come up with her own recipe for a Pumpkin Spice Latte that’s inspired by her favorite location. “I never usually drink fancy lattes, but this is pretty darn good,” she boasts.

 

Here’s What You’ll Need

 Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons of canned pumpkin
    •
  • 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
    •
  • Black pepper
    •
  • 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract
    •
  • 2 tablespoons of sugar
    •
  • 2 cups of whole milk
    •
  • 1/4 cup of espresso
    •
  • 1/4 cup of whipped cream
    •

     

    Utensils:

    • Whisk, mixer, or blender (to whip cream if necessary)
    • Saucepan
    • Wooden spoon
    • Espresso or coffee maker

     

    Throughout this entire time, it’s a good idea to have your coffee brewing on the side so that you can jump right into mixing your frothy creation! One of our absolute favorite brands of coffee beans are the Land of A Thousand Hills Coffee Co. This aromatic blend of hand-picked Arabica beans creates a bright and creamy flavor that pairs incredibly well with Pumpkin, although Alice confirms that “any kind of coffee will taste amazing with pumpkin in it.”

     

    “It’s a fun process, and you can have it all year-round!”

     Alice instructs that the first thing to do is to “get your pumpkin mix into the pan and spice it up!” Over a medium heat, you’ll want to cook the pumpkin along with the pumpkin pie spice, all while adding plenty of black pepper in between stirring. This process usually takes about 2 minutes, and you can cook the contents until it’s nice and hot. “Next, you’ll want to throw in some sugar until the pan bubbles into a thick consistency,” Alice says. Once the contents form into a kind of syrup, then you can go ahead and start whisking in the vanilla extract and milk. “Although you have to be careful,” Alice cautions. “When you start adding in all the ingredients, things can boil over, so make sure you don’t burn yourself like I do!” After you’ve added in the milk, you will now take the mixture and put it into a blender to make it frothy.

     

    The only thing left to do once your coffee or espresso is ready is to add your frothed milk, and then top it off with a dollop of whipped cream. Make sure to also sprinkle some more pumpkin spice on top, or you can “add a cinnamon stick to really make the taste POP,” Alice shouts. “It’s a fun process, and you can have it all year-round.”