Crock Pot Pumpkin Spice Latte
There is something so refreshing to me about fall. I know, usually people say that about Spring. And don’t get me wrong, I love Spring, -because by the end of Winter I have had enough – but not as much as I love Fall. Maybe it is because of the cooling temps after a hot summer, or because it is my wedding anniversary, or maybe it is the pumpkin spice everything. – FYI I have actually loved pumpkin spice, since before it became “the cool thing to do” –
Although the calendar told me weeks ago that it was fall, it is only in the last week that the temps have really cooled down – to MY fall standards anyway – and leaves have started to trickle off of the trees. My yard is still a perfect mixture of fall and spring colors. That is when my heart knows it is fall. Maybe I am weird, but this is my happy place! Not that I am depressed in other seasons, ha. But, the feeling of absolute joy just overwhelms me when the temps drop from 95 to 70, and the leaves start falling. Or that hilarious moment when my son comes running through the house yelling and clapping like a toddler “MOM it is so cold and I LOVE IT,” while searching for his favorite hoodie – I swear, he does it every year. It is like tradition. Maybe you can’t imagine the hilarious – but he is over 6ft tall, so it is pretty funny. Cold obviously being a relative term, since it was only 60 degrees.
Fall Colors In Our Front Yard
Our lives are SO incredibly busy. August through October, we are pretty much gone from the house every night of the week for football games, volleyball games, weeknight church groups, etc… So when October finally rolls around, and we know the busy season is coming to a close, that fuels our excitement of the fall season. We LOVE the kids playing sports and I love volunteering to do All the things, but it is also wonderful to just spend some time together as a family, catch up on housework, and homework.
Open windows, football, bonfires and smore’s – that is how we kick off fall around here. For us, well my son and I at least, fall season is something we look forward to every year. Like seriously, countdown style! My husband on the other hand, does not like any form of cold. BAH-HUMBUG! I mean, how does it get any more beautiful than colorful leaves, football and hoodies? Especially when you are in Arkansas.
Bon Fire
One of the things I look forward to the MOST, without a doubt, is our family game nights. And I love that my teenagers actually still look forward to these nights too. With the windows open, a cool chill in the air and our hoodies and fleece PJ’s on, we sit down for a competitive game of Monopoly and Pumpkin Spice Latte’s. I always start the Latte’s in the afternoon, so the whole house smells amazing by the time we are ready to sit and play.
Why not just run down to Starbucks, you ask?
Well first – I love the experience of making these in my kitchen and the smell filling up the house. Second, I do not love the insane amount of sugar that they put in their concoctions, nor do I love paying $7 for what I can make for pennies.
I have been making these for several years and I change them up a bit each time, depending on what I actually have in the kitchen. But they are always very yummy! My kids like to top them off with a bit of cool whip. – My husband prefers hot chocolate, he is anti-pumpkin, and banana; what is wrong with that dude? – You can also make these on the stovetop, but I think crock-pot tastes much better.
This recipe is very versatile. If you do not have something on hand, think of something else that might go well instead. You could try a flavored coffee too! This can be split in half to make a smaller batch or doubled for a festive party drink. To make this very rich and creamy, you can use half and half or heavy cream in place of all or part of the milk.
Ingredients
- 4-6 cups of strongly brewed coffee or ¾ cup espresso (You can cut this down to taste, if you want less coffee flavor – we have also used Decaf when kids are drinking)
- 6 cups of Unsweetened Almond Milk (Or canned coconut milk, Unsweetened Coconut Milk, or regular milk, or whatever you have on hand really)
- ½ cup canned pumpkin
- 2 tablespoons of natural vanilla extract
- 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice (or ½ tsp cinnamon and a sprinkle of cloves and nutmeg)
- ¼ - ½ cup of Sucanat or other organic sugar (optional, I prefer without it, but kids like it pretty sweet, so you could even sweeten more. I have also used honey)
- 3 cinnamon sticks (We love doing this, but if you do not have them on hand, you can skip)
- Heavy cream for whipping (optional)
Directions
- Pour milk and coffee into the crockpot and mix well.
- Use immersion blender or whisk to whip together the pumpkin, vanilla, sugar (or whatever sweetner), and cinnamon. (I have put into Vitamix or Stand Mixer to mix before putting in crock-pot)
- Pour into the crockpot and mix well.
- Toss in cinnamon sticks if you are using them.
- Turn crock pot on low for 2 hours until hot and flavors are incorporated.
- Use whipped cream or if you are making your own, whip cream in blender/mixer or by hand with a dash of vanilla and top lattes. You could also top with Cinnamon (optional).
- Makes about 20 servings (Could be more/less depending on cup size)