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Permalink Reply by Marie Cullinan on October 10, 2012 at 5:48pm

We do a pumpkin pie latte using our own house made pumpkin sauce. Folks love it. I'm looking for a good spicy hot chocolate recipe if any one is willing to share. I need a dry mix that I can steam into milk.

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Permalink Reply by Lori O on October 12, 2012 at 9:14pm

Sorry I don't have any ideas for you on the dry mix hot chocolate, but I was wondering if you'd be willing to share your pumpkin sauce recipe. 

I also did a Maple Bacon Latte last year. It had mixed reviews, but with all the hoopla with bacon this year, I'm sure it will be better.  We made maple whipped cream and put real bacon bits on top. 

Marie Cullinan said:

We do a pumpkin pie latte using our own house made pumpkin sauce. Folks love it. I'm looking for a good spicy hot chocolate recipe if any one is willing to share. I need a dry mix that I can steam into milk.

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Permalink Reply by Marie Cullinan on October 14, 2012 at 8:39am

Lori - here you go. I can't take full credit for this recipe.



Ingredients


1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg
3 Tbsp canned pumpkin (we use Libby's)
Instructions

Make a simple syrup by cooking sugar and water. Make sure the sugar is completely dissolved.
Stir in the remaining ingredients and continue to cook for about 5 minutes, stir often. Do not allow mixture to come to a boil.
Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.
Keep syrup in the fridge.

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Permalink Reply by Theresa Szentendrei on October 19, 2012 at 1:44pm

did you use maple in the drink itself? i have heard that using fenugreek enhances the maple flavor but never tried it..

as far as spiced hot chocolate, when i make it for myself i like cayenne and a pinch of good cinnamon and  a dash of sea salt. i like spicy things so i go a little heavy on cayenne. i would like to expiriment with chinese 5 spice or garam masala too

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Permalink Reply by Courtney Heim on October 19, 2012 at 6:10pm

Perhaps a cinnamon latte or cinnamon mocha? You could potentially make your own cinnamon syrup for this (which could also be added to the hot apple cider). Caramel is another one of those flavors that I attribute with fall. If you could find a great caramel sauce you could make caramel lattes and salted caramel mochas for fall coffee drinks or you could make caramel apple cider.

If you're willing to change your mind about the pumpkin spice, it is possible to make your own homemade pumpkin spice syrup so to make your own unique drink. Or you could check out the Oregon Chai website and read up on their recipe for a pumpkin spice latte (using their chai latte mix).

If your boss really wants you to have a pumpkin spice something-or-other, just remember you'll only have to put up with it for a month or two at most.

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Permalink Reply by Jen lewis on November 8, 2012 at 2:46pm

Eggnog....make it home made if you dont want to purchase it from a local dairy. But Honestly Pumpkin and Eggnog, Chai, and Peppermint are HUGE sellers during the season! Take some credit for increasing the sales in your store and get seasonal items. Your Boss will be stoked with your enthusiasm and your ability to help pay your paycheck :)

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Permalink Reply by Jen lewis on November 8, 2012 at 2:46pm

Idont know why my picture is crooked....HA! No time to change it now, but I will :)

Jen lewis said:

Eggnog....make it home made if you dont want to purchase it from a local dairy. But Honestly Pumpkin and Eggnog, Chai, and Peppermint are HUGE sellers during the season! Take some credit for increasing the sales in your store and get seasonal items. Your Boss will be stoked with your enthusiasm and your ability to help pay your paycheck :)

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Permalink Reply by Theresa Szentendrei on November 23, 2012 at 9:38am

Thanks for the feedback! We tried a few variations of a spice drink, either adding ground spices right into the drink or making syrups, and we are most fond of a syrup made with cardamom, black pepper, ginger, and star anise...I want to try adding orange peel but maybe that's too much! It's sorta inspired by Chinese five spice. We really wanted to do something a little different from baking spices, especially as we have so many pastries using those spices...I also think spices like cinnamon and nutmeg are sort of bitter and overpowering. I really like the subtle heat from the black pepper and ginger root, and the anise sweetly complements the coffee and milk. 

fwiw, we experiment with syrups all the time and I'm stoked to share recipes! We have a housemade vanilla that is in my opinion off the chain...we use our simple syrup, vanilla beans, and housemade vanilla extract. It's delicious!

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Permalink Reply by Mackenzie Lars Chrisman on May 23, 2013 at 9:58am

In my experience, shaving dark chocolate and adding a small amount of finely ground cayenne to it works very well when added to the milk before steamed. Make sure that it is put in first so that it does not float to the top of the pitcher during the steaming process. Once finished, stir vigorously so that the consistency becomes the same throughout the beverage. Unfortunately this recipe does not allow for easy latte art, which is why you can have fun by filling cup3/4 full and topping it with steamed breve so you can accomplish at least a basic Rosetta.

12 ounces requires 8 ounces milk and 3/4 cup of shaved chocolate/Cayenne Pepper mixture (estimate, results are based on how fine the shaved chic is)

The same can be accomplished with dry peanut butter or cinnimon

Marie Cullinan said:

We do a pumpkin pie latte using our own house made pumpkin sauce. Folks love it. I'm looking for a good spicy hot chocolate recipe if any one is willing to share. I need a dry mix that I can steam into milk.

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Permalink Reply by Beth Hobson on September 19, 2013 at 10:22pm

At my bakery we make our own homemade caramel. Mostly to top off our caramel apple rolls but it works very well on our macchiatos. And we also have a customer who swears it's the best thing in the world to add cinnamon and nutmeg in the milk as you steam it and she usually has a shot of hazelnut along with that.

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