Pumpkin Spice Syrup (for Pumpkin Spice Latte)

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I did not take a picture of the syrup because, honestly, I had no decent container to put it in. I can point you to the blog that I found the recipe on - she has a great photo of it: http://cooklikeachampion.blogspot.com/2010/09/pumpkin-spice-syrup-for-pumpkin-spice.html

In case you didn't know, I really love coffee. A lot. And I really love Starbucks. A lot. I count down the days until the pumpkin spice latte hits the stores and try to justify the $5 pricetag as many times as I can until it goes away for the year. This syrup may be the key to suddenly having a lot of extra money in the bank - it's so.good. And, since it's homemade, I know what's in it.

I made the syrup in about 10 minutes using stuff I already had in the house (I try to always have canned pumpkin on hand for the dogs - though I admit it's hard to find the stuff right now!). When it was done, I made myself a pumpkin spice latte. Well, as good as I could make without an espresso machine. I used one of my dark, bold KCups and brewed it on the 'iced coffee' setting, which is really concentrated. I poured that into a glass with warmed nonfat milk and about 2 tablespoons of the pumpkin spice syrup. It was very similar to the deliciousness that is the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte. So similar that I'm fighting the urge to drink 10 more tonight.

If you have an espresso machine, will you invite me over? I'll bring the syrup.

Pumpkin Spice Syrup
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons pumpkin purée

In a small pot over medium heat, dissolve the sugar in the water. Once the sugar is dissolved, add the remaining ingredients. Allow to cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring frequently. Do not boil. Strain mixture using cheesecloth or a tea towel. Pour into a small (8-10 ounce) bottle and store in the refrigerator.

To make a pumpkin spice latte, simply add about 1 1/2 tablespoons of syrup for each shot of espresso.

For an iced latte, stir together syrup and espresso before adding desired amount of cold milk.

For a hot latte, add frothed milk and stir to combine. Top with whipped cream, if desired.