Pumpkin Spice Creamer

      The Pumpkin Spice Latte is a quintessential flavor of Fall.  But if you, like me, live way too far from the nearest Starbucks, or if you just don’t like to dish out $4.25 every time you want that quintessential flavor, perhaps you should try out my simple, but utterly delicious Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer recipe.

      Fall is in the air.  At least, I suspect Fall is in the air back in Michigan where I grew up – to whence I am trying to return.  Here in the South, it’s just not quite as oppressively hot as it has been for the last 5 months.  But Fall even down here there are still signs of Fall popping up in some places.  Like Starbucks.  Imagine my thrill when I found out that the Pumpkin Spice Latte is back! 

      Part of the reason I love Fall so much is because of the flavors.  Hot, spicy drinks.  Pumpkin, squashes, and other roasted Fall veggies.  Cinnamon and nutmeg and ginger!  Wonderful.  And, thankfully, all things I can use to get my Fall fix even when there are no beautiful Fall colors, crisp breezes, or hayrides and when the only sweaters I’m wearing have short sleeves.

      Even though I am a complete coffee house addict, I’m still not the type to be spitting up almost $5 a pop on a regular basis for fancy coffee drinks.  MacGyver and I hit up coffee houses as a treat.  One of our favorite impromptu dates is always to grab coffee down by the waterfront then go for a long walk.  Those rare treats don’t even come close to filling my Pumpkin Spice coffee requirements for the season, though.

       Enter, Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamers.  My absolute thrill at discovering these fancy holiday creamers in the grocery store was short lived.  Most grocery store coffee creamers are full of all sorts of yucky stuff: hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, and worst of all (in my opinion) factory farmed milk.  The way those cows are treated is enough to make me retch.  And I can’t even bear to think about what they do to all those little baby calves.

       Any way you slice it, whether it’s health concerns, sugar issues, fat issues, lactose issues, ethical, or humane issues, I just couldn’t continue buying those creamers.  You purchases say something!  Not just about you, but about where you stand on various issues.  I try very hard to keep my money where my mouth is, so to speak.

       So, while I was sitting around pouting that the nearest Starbucks, where I could get a soy Pumpkin Spice Latte, was 40 minutes away, it occurred to me that there really isn’t all that much to coffee creamers.  I mean, really, it’s just sweetened, flavored milk, right?  So why not try to make my very own Urban Earthworm Ethical, Vegan, Healthier Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer?  And, last night, that is just what I did.

      I kept the recipe simple (mostly because I was trying to do this before making dinner ;-)), and was surprised by what a breeze this was to make.  And, like most of my recipes, it’s pretty easily customized based on what you have on hand.

 Ingredients
Makes about 2 cups of creamer
2 cups Almond Milk*
2 tbsp mashed pumpkin (canned is fine, but make sure it’s just pumpkin and not pumpkin pie)
2 tbsp maple syrup**
1 tsp cinnamon***
¼ – ½ tsp nutmeg***
¼ – ½ tsp ground cloves***
¼ – ½ tsp ground ginger***
½ tsp vanilla extract*

* If you use Vanilla Almond Milk, you may not need to add any additional vanilla.  You can also use Soy Milk, Rice Milk, Flax Milk, or Hemp Milk.  Do not use animal milk.

** Adjust to taste and desired sweetness.  If you use sweetened Almond Milk, you won’t need as much sweetener.  Fair Trade/Equal Exchange brown or white sugar or agave nectar can be substituted for the maple syrup.  The Maple just Falls up the flavor that much more. 

*** Adjust spices to taste.  You can also substitute pre-mixed “pumpkin pie spice.”

Directions

1.  Whisk all the ingredients, except vanilla if you’re planning to add some, together in a sauce pan over medium-high heat.

2.  Heat until steaming, but not boiling.

3.  Whisk in vanilla.

4.  Pour into a jar for storage. 

It’s that easy!

Shake before using, as the spices may settle.

This stuff makes my morning! 

I think I’m going to experiment with other flavors when I’m through with the Pumpkin Spice.  Any requests?

What do you put in your coffee?