Homemade PSL!

Continuing my pumpkin theme (because there's only so many months you can bake and post pumpkin), I attempted another easy recipe that fit perfectly with this year's transition into fall--and wasn't even any baking involved.

For those coffee addicts among us (I am one of them), the season of PSL (pumpkin spice latte) is a reason in itself to rejoice. However, not everyone spends this time of year celebrating. Recent reports of unhealthy ingredients in the Starbucks PSL and a comparison by John Oliver equating the taste to a candle can make even the most die-hard PSL fans a little disheartened. I won't go into a rant defending the taste of pumpkin (my bias is clear) or breakdown the unhealthy ingredients and excessive sweetening pumped into most Starbucks beverages (like the 79 grams of sugar for a non-seasonal Venti Mocha Frappuccino...). Instead I'll just point out that if you're a coffee addict and a pumpkin addict you probably enjoy the PSL. If you're also a bit health conscious/lactose intolerant like me, you might try ordering the PSL in a size small (tall) with soymilk, no whip, and maybe one pump of syrup. Or, to save money, confusion, and a potential waxy aftertaste, you might try making your own.

Recipes for PSL knockoffs can be found all over the Internet, but my mom recently presented me with one from Averie Cooks, who offers a vegan, gluten-free option that is also as easy as pumpkin pie. I tested it with my mom after inviting her over for afternoon tea and have since had three more cups and then made a second batch to last me through the weekend. It does, admittedly, taste a bit different from the Starbucks version, but it also tastes more natural, more fall-like, with the flexibility to doctor it up as sweet or less sweet as you like and the added health benefits of actual superfood: pumpkin.

Ingredients:

1 cup of your favorite brewed coffee
1/4 cup (heaping) canned pumpkin (I used Libby's, as usual)
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (Averie's recipe recommended this kind of milk, and it also happens to be what I use every day for cereal!)
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons brown sugar or sweetener of choice
a pinch of your favorite fall spices to taste (I did a sprinkling of cloves and a sprinkling of nutmeg)

Directions:

1.) In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the canned pumpkin and almond milk, whisking or stirring well to blend (I just used a fork). Add in the spices, vanilla, and sugar, continuing to stir.

2.) Heat the concoction in the microwave for about 1 minute or until warm (you can also heat the ingredients together in a small pot of the stove). Brew your coffee as normal and pour into a mug about one half to two thirds full.

3.) Add 1-2 ladles of the pumpkin milk to your cup of coffee and stir well (the pumpkin may separate out by the time you finish drinking and get a little thick, but it still tastes delicious).

You can top with whipped cream and sprinkles of spices if you desire, and experiment with the amount of sweetener to get it just right for your taste.

So easy! And such a nice treat to really make you feel like fall is finally here. It certainly jump started my season as I continued on that week to make pumpkin pancakes (to go with my second batch of pumpkin spice lattes), and enjoy pumpkin pie flavored Italian ice (which my boyfriend surprised me with this weekend before taking me to the local Pumpkin Patch). Trust me, I'm getting in all the pumpkin, and all the autumn, while I can.