I had to laugh when I found out that Calphalon was sponsoring this month’s Kitchen Play event and wanted me to make a drink recipe using their 12 cup quick-brew coffeepot. As I’ve discussed on this blog before, I’m a pretty serious coffee fanatic – if there’s one kitchen appliance that I’m familiar with, its a coffeemaker. (Looking around my kitchen, I can count at least 6 different ways to make a cup of coffee!)
Once the laughter subsided, I turned to panic. They wanted me to make a drink. With coffee. How on earth was I going to turn that into a recipe worth posting here?
It only took one trip through the Starbucks drive though to find my answer. Despite the fact that the holiday season is right around the corner and it’s already too cold to leave the house without a coat, they still aren’t selling gingerbread lattes! Gingerbread Lattes are my favorite but, for some reason, Pumpkin Spice gets all the love. I don’t get it.
I began by making a spicy gingerbread syrup by infusing simple syrup with fresh ginger, cinnamon, and spices. Since I don’t generally sweeten my coffee, the syrup in my recipe isn’t as sweet as you’ll find at the local coffee shop. This allows each person to have greater control over the sweetness of his or her beverage (and makes it a little more appropriate for breakfast).
Then, I used the brew strength control on the coffeemaker to ensure I had a nice, strong cup of coffee that would stand up to the syrup and milk without losing its flavor. Top it all off with a blanket of freshly whipped cream and you’ll never have to wait for the coffee shop to declare it “gingerbread season” again.
Gingerbread Café au Lait
Ingredients
Instructions
In exchange for participating in the November 2011 edition of Kitchen Play and writing this post, I received a Calphalon coffee pot and a waffle iron. I did not receive any monetary compensation. All opinions are my own and all recipes are original.
Mama B says
09/06 at 12:56 pmI was going through my beverage board on Pinterest and came across this recipe again. I love that it has less sugar than most syrups. I’m thinking of making a larger batch and keeping it on hand in my fridge. Thanks for sharing.
Janna M says
11/15 at 8:36 amThis looks so good. I like the flavored coffees and teas at Starbucks but I always find that they are too sweet. I like that I can control the amount of sugar here. I can’t wait to try out this recipe on my own. Plus anything with ginger is right up my alley.
Alison says
11/06 at 9:50 amI just made the gingerbread syrup for my morning coffees. It is absolutely DELICIOUS!!!!! Oh my goodness. I can’t even imagine how fabulous the coffee would be all decked out with the other accessories, but the syrup in and of itself is a winner. Thank you!
Lauren says
11/06 at 9:26 pmI’m so glad that you liked it!
Baking Serendipity says
11/04 at 11:37 pmI’m fairly stuck on pumpkin spice lattes still…I think it’s a fall thing. I’m trying seriously hard not to rush Christmas this year, but am bookmarking this and definitely making it after Thanksgiving! (Let’s be realistic…once it’s bookmarked it will probably happen before.)
Lauren says
11/06 at 9:25 pmI like the pumpkin ones too, but the gingerbread is my favorite. I think they’re appropriate for fall too – not just the holidays! 😉
heather says
11/04 at 2:57 pmoh my, that looks fantastic…
Sunny Hernandez (@foryourpiesonly) says
11/03 at 6:57 pmI love pumpkin spice coffee…but gingerbread lattes totally win out at Starbucks for me! These look so delicious Lauren 🙂
brandi says
11/02 at 1:20 pmi love that you used REAL ginger. it has such a great kick!
Lauren says
11/06 at 9:24 pmI couldn’t imagine not using fresh ginger in this – its such an important part of the flavor!
Laur says
11/02 at 12:43 pmI imagine gingerbread would be a tricky flavor to make, but these look great!
Rachel @ Bakerita says
11/02 at 12:13 amSounds amazing! I love making my own syrups for coffee and I’ve also been known to make my own chai tea concentrate, so I can’t wait to try this! It’ll definitely be in my kitchen soon.
Kelsey @ Snacking Squirrel says
11/01 at 11:42 pmi so want to make this for Christmas, for my whole family. mmmm <3
Joanne says
11/01 at 8:36 pmWell, if it makes you feel any better, I’ve actually never had a pumpkin spice latte from starbucks…though I have tried (and loved!) a gingerbread one! I just feel like if I try the pumpkin spice now that I REALLY love pumpkin…my credit card bill will be done for.
Your version of a gingerbread latte sounds wonderful!
Ms Elaineous says
11/01 at 4:39 pmBrilliant! Small bottles of this + little bow = awesome Christmas gifts for co-workers. Thanks.
bellini says
11/01 at 8:06 amPerfect for these nippy days. Good choice Lauren.