I’m baaaaaaaack!
Miss me? Better yet…did you miss my tempting recipes popping into your feed each week? I sure have missed you all and this blog. Thankfully, it’s finally time to kick up my heels and celebrate because I handed in my second cookbook manuscript yesterday. All 250 pages of it including 100+ recipes (most are new!), headnotes, chapter openers, introductory chapters, etc. I seriously can’t believe I did it. Can someone pour me a drink…or 10?! I’m so excited to get my life back in order! And I’m so excited to start sharing recipes on here again at regular intervals. I have SO many ideas/goals/hopes/dreams for this space.
It’s funny how different the first book writing process went compared to the second. When I submitted my first book’s manuscript, I don’t think I had ever felt so much doubt in my life. I had all this anxiety near the very end and concluded that a bunch of finalized recipes had to be re-worked at the last minute. All of a sudden, none of them were good enough. Eric was like, did you fall on your head…they taste amazing! Yes, writing recipes for print brought the cray cray out in me. I turned into a full-fledged RECIPE-ZILLA.
I kept coming back to the age old question – Is this book enough? – which I think deep down means, Am I enough? Am I good enough? Yea, I’m getting deep today. It’s a question I’ve struggled with my entire life so I shouldn’t have been surprised when this crippling doubt reared its ugly head. In the end, the first process taught me how to make peace with my work, the creativity I put out into the world, and with whatever the response to the book would be. That’s a big one. I just had to let it all go.
I’m not saying I haven’t had moments of doubt during the second book’s creation because I surely have, but this time around I’ve felt much more focused, organized, and best of all, confident in my ability. It was something only experience could teach me, I think. Even Eric mentioned how calm I was this last week as I put the final touches on everything. (Ok, ok, I handed it in 4 days late, but when your editor gives you an extra weekend you take it!) Even though I know there is a lot of work ahead (many rounds of edits, design collaboration, press, etc), at least I (kinda, maybe) know what’s to come.
But I’m totally not thinking about that right now. Now is the time to drink all the espresso! Can you tell I’m hyper? Just a bit. Yes, I’m getting festive with homemade pumpkin spice lattes, and I hope you’ll join me. I’d say these are a serious upgrade from my 2010 attempt (cue nostalgia from a blog post 5 years ago!), but how could it not be with a homemade pumpkin spice syrup?! I am obsessed with this homemade latte recipe. Can’t stop. This syrup is a game changer, and you’ll find yourself dreaming up many ways to use it. Always a good detective, I bought a legit Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks so I could compare them side by side. Guess which latte won?
Pumpkin Spice Latte
Yield
3/4 cup syrup + 1 latte
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
I don't have an espresso machine, so I find the easiest way to make an authentic-tasting latte at home is to simply buy a few shots of espresso at the local coffee shop. I've tried using strong coffee as a substitute for espresso and I find it misses that incredibly rich, deep, and flavorful espresso flavour which I think is key for a latte. That said, feel free to experiment with strong coffee, too (you may want to increase the amount of coffee to at least a half cup or more). Lastly, I discovered that you can create super creamy and frothy almond milk by adding the heated milk into a small French press and pumping the plunger vigorously for 30 to 60 seconds . (Note: Be very careful as it can explode!) This may be an option if you don’t have a milk frother. The Salted Pumpkin Spice Syrup is lightly adapted from Paleo'ish On A Dime.
Ingredients
For the Salted Pumpkin Spice Syrup:
- 1/2 cup (80 g) coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) pure maple syrup
- 1/3 cup (80 mL) unsweetened pumpkin purée*
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla bean powder or 1 vanilla bean, seeded or 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
For the Pumpkin Spice Latte:
- 2 tablespoons (1 shot/1 ounce) espresso
- 1 cup (250 mL) unsweetened almond milk
- 3 to 4 teaspoons (15 to 20 mL) Salted Pumpkin Spice Syrup
- Coconut Whipped Cream, for garnish (optional—I usually skip it)
- Dash cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice, for garnish
Directions
- For the Pumpkin Spice Syrup: Whisk together all syrup ingredients in a medium pot over medium heat. Simmer for about 5 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until smooth and slightly thickened. Remove from heat. Once cool, pour leftovers into a jar and secure lid.
- Prepare the espresso or pick some up from a local coffee shop.
- Add milk into a small pot. Heat over medium and bring to a simmer. Immediately remove from heat. Froth the milk using a milk frother or a French press. Tip: I use my French press to froth the milk. Simply add the heated milk into the press and secure lid (make sure it’s closed and not vented). Pump the plunger vigorously for about 30 to 60 seconds. Be careful, as the hot milk can shoot out.
- Pour hot espresso into a mug. Top with all of the frothy milk. Add 3 to 4 teaspoons of the syrup, to taste, and gently stir to combine. Top with a dash of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice, and Coconut Whipped Cream, if desired. Serve immediately. The syrup will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for at least 2 weeks, most likely longer. You can use it in regular coffee, too, or try stirring it into a bowl of hot oatmeal for a seasonal twist!
Tip:
*If your pumpkin puree is on the grainy side (some brands are more than others), it might benefit from a quick blend or puree in the blender or food processor before using.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
Photography credit: Ashley McLaughlin Photography
I am sooooooo unbelievably glad you’re back! A ginormous congratulations on handing in your manuscript! I hope you have a beautiful autumn celebrating and lots of relaxation to come!
Funny thing, as I was reading this post I was thinking “she kinda changed up her photography game, these look different” then I saw the photo credit note :-) This sense of “knowing” you like a friend (thanks to your incredible personality and for making your blog so relateable) is surreal sometimes.
Anyway, I’ve been a long-time reader and have never commented before, but thought I’d take the time to tell you how excited I am to hear from you more regularly again and congratulations on your 2nd book! Cheers!
Aw thank you Rebecca! That means the world to me. And how cool that you recognize my photography style vs. someone else’s. I do for my fav. bloggers too…it’s pretty cool! Ashley is pretty darn amazing, isn’t she?
This is EXACTLY what I was looking for!! I am a pumpkin nut and can’t wait to get my hands on any vegan pumpkin recipes :) I already tried it and it’s delicious!! I will definitely make this regularly. I love that you can add as much or as little sweetener as you prefer since its a syrup. As I poor college student I tried it with coffee and no milk frother and it was still great!!
Wow that was fast!!! Love that you already made it. And yes coffee creates a tasty drink too! You can experiment with using different ratios too. I have yet to meet one combo I didn’t drink. ;) Thanks for your review!
Congrats!! What an exciting day!! I would certainly be celebrating too!! So glad you are back and I can’t wait to see where you take this space!! And this syrup sounds perfect!! You can make each drink customizable. I love the taste of pumpkin spice but can’t stand how overly sweet things are when I go out. This is perfect for that
Glad you are back. It’s been too long. Don’t you know we depend on you for tasty recipes??? We’ve been starving to death!
hah oh no!! You should have moved in here while I was creating the recipes for the book. We ate our pants off! lol.
I am SO excited to see this new blog post! I have to admit my heart skipped a beat. I miss your frequent posts and fall just seems to scream OSG! All week I have made your pumpkin gingerbread overnight oats and pumpkin smoothie. I am beyond excited for a new pumpkin recipe!
Congrats on the second manuscript being turned in. I cant wait for the final copy to be in my hands. 2016 priduction date??
So proud of you, Ange. I know it can be challenging, but don’t ever doubt yourself. You are amazing.
Thank you Tammy – couldn’t have done it without you!
Looks and sounds super amazing!! I wanna jump into a pile of leaves with one of these in my hand…maybe with a lid so it doesn’t go everywhere/burn me! But, I thought that the ‘Bucks had dairy in their PSL syrup?? At any rate, so glad to see more homemade versions with more real pumpkin, and less scary ingredients! Can’t wait for the new book :) :)
YUM! Just made this. Super easy and SO yummy. Can’t wait to jazz up my coffee tomorrow AM.
Oh dear…I am *that* person who comments again! I have tried a lot of different ways to froth milk. I seriously blame my time living in Italy for this. Here, I learned that you can froth milk (pretty darn well!) by simply placing it into a sauce pan, and whisking rapidly as it heats! The foam isn’t as fine as the bubbles are a bit bigger, so be sure to enjoy milk frothed like this ASAP! Also, I love using a travel/small plastic french press for frothing milk (link at end of this ranting comment!), purely because I don’t like rapidly moving a metal plunger along the glass in a traditional french press/I am prone to breaking ALL the things.
Thanks Annaliese! haha, The more tips and tricks the better. So I tried the whisking method today (I whisked for about 60 seconds rapidly with a stainless steel whisk!) as I was so curious to compare it to the French press method. The thing I noticed the most is that the almond milk (whisk method) did not get nearly as creamy as the french press method – just more bubbly – and like you said larger bubbles! Also, great point about the glass french press – I use a plastic one so will incorporate this note into my recipe! Thanks!
Makes sense! Glad you gave the whisking method a go!! :) Tried the pumpkin syrup this morning and it was super tasty! Next time I make it, I may try blending the mixture right at the end with an immersion blender, since I found that my pumpkin puree had a slightly grainy texture, but this probably varies from brand to brand. Thanks for the great inspiration and recipe!!
So happy you tried it and liked it! Thank you. And great tip about the varying consistencies with canned pumpkin – I’ve definitely had grainy cans before! I’ll make a note of that in the recipe. :) Enjoy! I’m going to swirl some into some oatmeal tomorrow.
I used fresh pumpkin and didn’t process it enough after i roasted it, so I used my immersion blender this evening and it worked like a charm! So so so so tasty, this syrup. :)
So glad that you are back and I can’t wait to see the new book.
This looks sooooo good. I am sure I will crave this for the rest of the day now.
xoxoBella | http://xoxobella.com
I just have to say that when my confirmed meat eating hunter husband decided to go vegan I wasn’t quite sure if it would all work out. But then he got your first book and everything we have tried (at least half the recipes in the book!) have been so awesome. He says it has been so easy mostly due to your awesome recipes. He feels so much better now and loves being able to eat a large variety of different foods now without having to worry he will get an upset stomach or heartburn. Chana Masala and vegetable curry are our current favorites oh and the immunity tomato sauce is the best one I have ever made… I was a fan before but seeing the positive changes in my husband have now made me a super fan! Eric is right the recipes taste amazing. Just wanted to share this in case the self doubt starts creeping in!
Thank you so much Ruth! I’m so happy to hear this.
This looks fantastic! Anything with the word “salted” in the title, and I’m in love.
As for handing in your manuscript, I am SOOO excited! That’s one step closer to it being published and in stores! I’m dying to have my copy in hand!
So dangerous! I do have an espresso machine so I can make these beauty lattes easily! Yum!
ahh lucky duck!!! I am hoping for one some day heh
Oh this looks lovely! As I live in the UK all of this stuff is going to be extremely hard to find, a look on Amazon is in order!! Thanks! :P
www.vihsee.blogspot.co.uk
I am so glad your back! I missed you and your recipes! I can’t wait to cuddle up with this pumpkin spice latte! It looks so cozy! & congratulations on handing in your book! I just can’t wait till it comes out next fall. Until then I’ll enjoy your first cookbook! :)
looks super cozy and delish :D
https://aspoonfulofnature.wordpress.com/
I’m so glad you’re back! You have DEFINITELY been missed! This looks amazing, I love PSLs :) I’m weirdly excited to try the pumpkin oatmeal idea too :p
This looks SO comforting! I am going to need a Venti sized mug of this deliciousness all through Fall! Pinning! :)
Good morning,
Having received a news letter with a recipe for pumpkin spice latte has me again looking for an answer to my common question. What can be used as a substitute for coconut, be it milk or sugar. I am severely allergic to coconut, as well as dairy, soy, eggs, lentils, gluten, and more.
I can have almond milk and almond butter, cashew milk and cashew products.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Joanne
Joanne,
I made the syrup with agave instead of maple (just what I had on hand) and organic cane sugar instead of coconut sugar. It seemed to work fine!
So I don’t drink coffee (don’t hate me!) but I’m in love with this syrup recipe. Do you think it would go well in tea? Or bourbon? :)