Made-From-Scratch Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe

Want to spice up your fall? Ditch the hot chocolate and keep warm with the delicious Pumpkin Spice Latte. Created by Fell Stone Manor executive chef, Becky Geisel, a tasty, organic, and healthy fall treat is just what we’ve been waiting for. Made with a mixture of fresh and homemade ingredients, topped off with a sweet dollop of whipped cream and nutmeg.

** This is a guest post recipe feature.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe
(makes 2 cups)

2 cups of 2% milk or homemade Almond Milk*
3T of fresh Pumpkin Puree*
2T maple syrup
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 vanilla bean
1 1” ginger knob cut in half
2 whole cloves
1/4 tsp of fresh nutmeg
2 shots of espresso (or strong coffee)

Add milk (your choice 2% or almond), homemade pumpkin puree, maple syrup, cinnamon stick, ginger, 1/2 vanilla bean, cloves + nutmeg to sauce pan. Bring to a simmer. DO NOT BOIL. Allow the milk and other ingredients to simmer for 20-30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend together.

Remove from heat and strain into another sauce pan. Discard solids. Bring milk back up to a simmer. Again do not boil or the milk will burn. Now with a balloon whisk, froth the milk on the stove. It usually takes me about 1-2 minutes of whisking to triple the volume of milk. It should triple in volume. Remove from heat.

Make your espresso shot.

Add your espresso to your favorite mug. Top with your frothed spiced pumpkin deliciousness. Spoon the froth carefully into your mug and then top with a pinch of fresh nutmeg. Or if you would like to indulge add a dollop of whip cream.

Homemade Almond Milk Recipe

1 cup raw almonds, soaked overnight in cool water (or 1-2 hours in very hot water)
5 cups filtered water (less to thicken it, more to thin out)
1/4 tsp natural sea salt
Optional: to sweeten it add 2 dates pitted

Add your soaked almonds, water, salt and dates (if desired) to a high-speed blender (such as a Vita-Mixer). Blend until creamy and smooth, then run an extra 2 minutes to be sure it is well blended.

Strain using a thin clean dish towel over a mixing bowl. Lay the towel over the mixing bowl, pour over the almond milk, carefully gather the corners and lift up. Then squeeze until all of the liquid is extracted. Compost pulp (or save for baking).

Transfer milk to a jar and refrigerate. It will keep for a few days. Shake well before drinking or using, as it tends to separate.

Homemade Pumpkin Puree Recipe

2-3 small sugar, cheese or baking pumpkins (about 2-3 lbs each)

Pre-heat oven to 350? F. Slice stem off the top of the pumpkin. Be sure to have good sharp knives. The pumpkin skin can be tough. Then cut pumpkin in half. Remove the seeds and guts with a spoon.

Place pumpkins onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Do not use oil. It will change the flavor of the pumpkin. Roast pumpkins for 45-50 minutes. You may remove them from the oven if they are fork tender. Meaning you can put a fork through the skin into the flesh of the pumpkin easily. Allow to cool.

Remove the skin. Now you will have just the flesh of the pumpkin left. Place the cooled pumpkin flesh into a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth about 1-2 minutes. Rule of thumb, one two pound pumpkin yields about a 15oz can of puree. I like to roast off a few pumpkins and make extra puree that can be frozen. Just place in small quart size freezer bags, label + date and lay flat in freezer. They will last up to 6-8 months in the freezer. That way when you want a spiced pumpkin latte or pumpkin cookies the puree is ready for you.

Bio: Becky Geisel is a self-taught passionate chef who has developed and honed her techniques for over 25 years. Her culinary passion is rooted in development of learning the macrobiotic diet in the early 1990’s when her mother developed an aggressive breast cancer and quickly succumbed to the disease. You can learn more about her HERE.