It’s September 1st. How did that HAPPEN?! I guess having a baby in late spring kind of adds to the swiftness of summer, but seriously. I’ll miss it, but y’all know how this girl adores autumn. In case you don’t know, it’s a lot. To celebrate, I thought I’d kick off the month with my new favorite recipe + why I needed it.
Recently an article on what’s actually in a Starbuck’s Pumpkin Spice latte (spoiler alert: it’s nothing good) went kind of viral. Our family has begun putting things back on the grocery shelf if they contain things we don’t want to ingest, rather than excusing the offending ingredient. We were doing awesome at this before baby girl came, and then the newborn fog arrived and caring – even shopping at all! – went right out the window. But we’re back at it, and just in time to read that article and avoid my beloved PSL at Starbucks.
While I’ll miss it terribly, I’m just not willing to ingest yucky things, and that includes my cherished Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte. But I have to get my PSL fix somehow! That’s why this Pumpkin Spice Latte was the first thing I made from the new Gooseberry Patch cookbook, Slow-Cooker Fall Favorites. I’ve made homemade PSL’s before, but they’ve been a LOT more work than this one. My plan for this season is to keep a batch of this mixture in the fridge, pour it back into the teeny slow-cooker, and enjoy =)
You can adjust the levels of anything – more or less spice, coffee, type of milk, etc. – it’s totally customizable. As it simmers away in the slow-cooker, your house will smell like a coffee shop! It’s a fraction of the cost of a latte, there is nothing yucky in it, and you don’t have to leave home to buy one! WIN.
Pumpkin Spice Latte
original recipe by Marsha Baker, OH
in Slow-Cooker Fall Favorites, from Gooseberry Patch
2 c. milk
1/2 c. brewed espresso or 3/4 c. strong brewed coffee {I would add more coffee – I like the flavor!}
2 T. canned pumpkin
2 T. sugar
2 T. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice {This makes for a pretty ‘spiced’ flavor – adjust to your tastes}
Garnish: whipped cream & cinnamon {The garnish absolutely makes the whole drink. Don’t skip it!}
Combine milk and espresso or coffe in a mini slow-cooker. Whisk in pumpkin, sugar, vanilla and spice until combined. Cover and cook on high setting for 2 hours, or until warmed through {mine took about 90 minutes to warm}. Whisk again before serving. Top mugs with a dollop of whipped cream {I make my own whipped cream. Heavy whipping cream, vanilla, powdered sugar. Whip. Done.} and sprinkle with cinnamon. Serves 2-3.
There you have it! Autumn in a mug. =) If you haven’t already, pop over and enter to win a copy of Slow-Cooker Fall Favorites for yourself! (giveaway now closed) And be sure to let me know if you try this version of a PSL – would love to hear how you make it your own!
So excited to try this!! Thanks Anna!
Chicken curry with veggies is a big family favorite over here! For as much as it makes it the slow cooker, I’m lucky to have leftovers!
Just pulled some pumpkin out of the freezer from last year’s stash. Will be making this afternoon!
You should make this for our fall get together! It would be perfect for the occasion!
Rebecca that’s a great idea!! Problem is that I won’t be in town and can’t come to the cookoff =( But I will definitely bring a BIG batch to our first meeting!
Making this today! Tried one last night and didn’t love how it turned out (my tastebuds weren’t ready for how SUPER healthy it was!)
Made this today and love it! Will definately make a bigger batch tomorrow. I too like the coffee taste so will add more coffee to the next batch. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you – I will have to try this! Love Pumpkin Spice Latte!
I tried this yesterday 🙂 Thanks for sharing it. I even did decaf and no sugar and thought it was great.
Thanks. This was great. I served a big crockpot of it last night for my “Auntie’s Evening Retreat/Girls’ Night Out” that I started up in my home to encourage young women on a regular basis. It was a hit. They enjoyed adding the whipped cream and cinnamon also.
Cathy, I love that you have that kind of gathering! That is so fantastic and I wish I had a similar one to attend. Keep it up – that is awesome!
FYI, this is also delicious when made with 2T maple syrup instead of sugar!
So glad I found this!! Plan to try immediately and serve at our Life Group on Sunday afternoon ~ as well as my neighborhood monthly Girlfriends’ Coffee. Love finding new things, and anything Pumpkin Spice is sure to be a winner! 🙂
Oh Jaimee I love that! I sure hope you like it!
Has anyone tried this with a rice cooker? Technically a small one is a mini slow cooker, but if someone’s done this and knows which setting to set it to that’d be helpful.