My “morning after” Thanksgiving breakfast consists of strong coffee and a slice of pumpkin pie topped with whipped cream. So, naturally, I assumed that's what a Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL) would be: dark, smoky, brightly acidic coffee cut with the richness of pumpkin; condensed milk and cream; the spiciness of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and ginger.
Perhaps you've heard of a certain PSL that invades the hearts and minds of hoards of coffee drinkers each fall. I find it to be woefully inadequate, a pale milky imitation of my favorite bold, smoky, spicy, pumpkin-y meal.
So, when I set out to create my own version of the real PSL, I decided to capture the essence of my post-Thanksgiving breakfast. If you love coffee and pumpkin pie, you are going to love the flavor of this latte. If you're expecting a Starbucks PSL hack, well, this isn’t it (but we don't think you'll have any trouble in finding one).
First, I pulled out my favorite tried-and-true pumpkin pie recipe and went to work. Pumpkin and coffee pair well together and, if it’s in the name, it needed to be in the drink. But I was also worried about texture and the heaviness of the PSL; no one wants to drink pie from a cup.
After some trial and error, I ultimately landed on a pretty concentrated purée of pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, maple syrup, and heavy cream, to be stirred into strong coffee. I tried a couple of versions with ground spices but the texture started to get gritty because of the volume of spice needed for a strong enough flavor. And then, there's also the issue of using last year’s cinnamon for your PSL… If you like eating dust with a hint of cinnamon, go right ahead.
The version I ultimately settled on used cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and fresh ginger to infuse the purée. The difference was night and day; the warmth of the cinnamon and cloves beautifully rounded out the floral, peppery ginger. I've even decided to switch to this method for my pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving.
The best thing about this purée, apart from its delicious flavor, is that it gives you control over which flavor gets the spotlight. If you want a coffee-forward drink, add less purée; if you want more pie flavor, spoon it in! The recipe makes enough for you to have a PSL every morning for a week. Happy fall!