In the novel The Solid Grounds Coffee Company, book three in the Supper Club series by RITA Award–winning author Carla Laureano, Bryan Shaw and Analyn Sanchez manage a coffee roasting company in Denver. If you’re a fellow coffee lover and are looking for a delicious seasonal drink to try this fall, check out the recipes below provided by Carla for a latte to savor while reading a good book on a chilly autumn day.
Love it or hate it, there is an annual measure for the coming of autumn . . . and that’s the availability of pumpkin-spiced drinks everywhere! In honor of the polarizing coffee drink, Ana and Bryan of The Solid Grounds Coffee Company are sharing their version of the well-known recipe. Try it and see—it just might convert you!
Ana and Bryan’s Pumpkin Pie Spice Latte
2 ounces strong coffee or espresso
4-5 ounces steamed milk or non-dairy milk
1 ½ tablespoons pumpkin pie spice syrup (recipe below)
Make the coffee by your favorite method. If you don’t have an espresso machine, a stovetop moka pot makes an excellent espresso alternative.
Next, heat and froth your milk. You may use a steam wand to do both if you have one; otherwise you can heat the milk separately and froth it by hand or with a battery-operated coffee whisk.
Add the syrup to the bottom of the cup, followed by the coffee, then milk. Stir gently and serve.
Pumpkin Pie Spice Syrup
1 ½ cups filtered water
1 cup white sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 ½ tablespoons vanilla
Combine water and sugars in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until the sugar is fully dissolved. Add the pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. (Do not boil in order to avoid burning the pumpkin puree.) Strain the mixture through a wire sieve lined with a cheesecloth into a small bowl. Stir in the vanilla.
Cool the syrup and then transfer to a tightly sealed container. The syrup will keep up to a month in the refrigerator (but we don’t think it will last that long . . . This stuff is seriously tasty!)
Note: Be sure to exercise caution when making the recipes. Remember you’re trying it out for the first time and preparing it and consuming the ingredients at your own risk. Ingredients may contain allergens.
