PUMPKIN sPICE creamer

Written By Genesis Acosta
 

There’s just something so cozy and wholesome about a warm coffee in the cold weather. My favorite part about the fall is having warm drinks with the perfect amount of spices. This year, my family and I were determined to make the most out of the fall from creating homemade pumpkin pie, to pumpkin banana bread, to pumpkin spice muffins, to pumpkin spice creamer. I have to say that I don’t think the perfect creamer exists but I should share that the Nutpod and Chobani brands are probably some of my favorites right now. Although buying creamer is easier than making your own, Im not too fond of the syrupy after taste some creamer brands leave. I thought to myself, I drink coffee almost every day, I might as well make my own creamer with fresh pumpkins that I picked at the farm. And here we are. What I love most about this recipe is you can customize it to your taste- not “pumpkiny” enough? Add more puree. Not sweet enough? Add more maple syrup, sugar or sweetened condensed milk. Here’s everything you’ll need to create the season of fall in one warm cup .

 

What you’ll need

  • 1 small/medium sized pumpkin

  • Olive Oil

  • 1/2 tsp. Salt

  • 2 tbsp. ground cinnamon

  • 1 cinnamon stick

  • 1 cup heavy cream

  • 1 1/2 cup of whole milk

  • 2 tbsp. sweetened condensed milk

  • 1 tsp of vanilla extract

  • 1 tbsp. of maple syrup

  • 1 tbsp. of pumpkin spice

  • 1/2 tsp of ground cloves

  • 1/8 tsp of ground ginger

  • 1/2 tsp of nutmeg

        SERVING LASTS

         UP TO A WEEK

 

RECIPE

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

  2. Take your pumpkin and cut in half.

  3. Drizzle the inside of the pumpkin with some olive oil, add 1/2 tsp of salt, 1 tbsp of cinnamon.

  4. Place pumpkin in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour.

  5. Once your pumpkin is ready - brown crisp edges and moist/soft flesh (look above for a detailed gallery on the recipe), remove from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes.

  6. As you wait, grab your ingredients for the creamer , the spices, milk , cream etc, and take out your food processor.

  7. Scrape out all the flesh from your roasted pumpkin and place in the food processor.

  8. Once you place all your pumpkin in the processor, add 1 tbsp. of maple syrup (I really enjoy the taste of this one.)

  9. Now you can add a portion of your spices - Nutmeg, ground ginger, cinnamon sugar, ground cloves and pumpkin spice.

  10. Once you have a a smooth texture - (take a good sniff of the puree- the smell is beautiful!) Place your puree in a 16 0z glass jar for storage. Put aside 1 cup of pumpkin puree for your creamer. - If you were not able to roast your own pumpkin this recipe works well with 1 cup of pumpkin puree from the can too.

  11. Take out a small sauce pan and add your heavy cream and whole milk. Add the cinnamon stick so that it can brew with the creamer as you make it. Let that simmer for 2 minutes on low-medium heat.

  12. Keep the stovetop on low-med heat. Add your condensed milk, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, and the remainder of your spices (2 tsp of pumpkin spice, 1 tsp of cinnamon, 1/2 tsp of ground cloves, 1/8 tsp of ground ginger, 1/2 tsp of nutmeg.) Gently whisk repeatedly for the best taste.

  13. This part is optional depending on how sweet you like your creamer, but I added 1 tbsp. of coconut sugar. If you haven’t tried coconut sugar, try it, it gave my creamer a light nutty taste to it.

  14. Whisk, mix & whisk some more until it lightly bubbles and you're satisfied with the smell. This should take about 5-7 minutes.

  15. At this point, you can give it a taste test and depending on your preference of flavor, add more puree or sugar.

  16. Let the creamer cool off for 10 minutes once you turn off the stovetop. Add the creamer to a 16 oz jar and place in your fridge. This recipe will last about 7-10 days in your fridge for full freshness.

 
Genesis Acosta