Tag Archives: easy

Pumpkin Spice Latte Syrup

I love coffee, and I’d always wondered about making my own creamers or syrups. But I never felt quite motivated enough to spring into action until I saw Tracy’s post about this pumpkin spice syrup. It looked ridiculously easy. Why not give it a whirl? I asked myself.

So I tossed everything in a pot and simmered it for a bit. Once the syrup had cooled down, I brewed a fresh cup of coffee. I foamed some half and half, added the syrup, and took a few pictures–then I took a sip.

“OH!” I exlcaimed loudly.

“What’s wrong!?” piped up my husaband, rushing to my side.

“Nothing’s wrong! THIS IS JUST SO GOOD!”

I make a lot of things that are delicious. But this one made me shout. The amount of deliciousness just caught me offguard–I wasn’t expecting it to be so incredible. But it was. Please make this. You can start readying your soul immediately.

I doubled the recipe and used whole spices as much as possible to eliminate the need for straining the liquid and to get rid of any grittiness. And it’s perfect.

I do have to add that the deliciousness of the cup of pumpkin java is directly related to the quality of the java itself. I brewed a meanly delicious cup on that first day, and the syrup just made it sing. But in subsequent tastings of the syrup, when paired with weak and blah-hey coffee, of course the syrup did not cause me to shout. So do a good deed and make sure the coffee is strong and wonderful on its own. Then you may just be moved to shout as well.

Ingredients

2 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 TBS pumpkin puree
3 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
10 whole cloves

Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan.

I love waterfalls of sugar.

Simmer over medium-low to low heat for 15 minutes and stir occasionally. Don’t let it boil!

Let the syrup cool (until it’s lukewarm) and discard the cinnamon sticks and whole cloves. Pour the syrup into a bottle or jar . . .

. . . and store it in the fridge for up to 1 month.

You may have to shake it up before using it, because with time the heavier elements sink to the bottom.

And that’s it!

Unbelievably easy, eh?

When you’re ready to make your coffee, brew up a fresh cup. You can do an American-style drip coffee or make an espresso–but make it strong. In fact, if you can make it strizzong, even better.

Just add your usual amount of coffee and half and half to a mug, and pour in a little syrup.

Give it a little taste–since the syrup has sugar, you probably won’t need to add any more sweetness. And if you want to pile on foam or whipped cream, well, that will just be the icing on the cake. I also sprinkled on a little extra nutmeg, as you can see.

It’s fabulous. And I didn’t miss the pumpkin season window, did I? Well, maybe I did. But anyway. One more pumpkin recipe will be up on Thursday regardless! Over and out.

Click here for printer-friendly version: Pumpkin Spice Latte Syrup

Puff Pastry Apple Tart

Looking for a quick dessert that looks elegant but takes very little effort? Look no further. This apple tart (thanks, P-Dub) is a winner! It’s another treat I made for our Community Group, and slightly healthier than the Chile con Queso. I mean, it has to be . . . right?

Anyway! Slice up some apples, mix ’em with a little sugar and stuff, slap ’em on some puff pastry and voilà, ma chérie!

If you’re unconcerned about the health factor, slather on some caramel sauce or whipped cream. Even spiked whipped cream, with a little Amarula and a sprinkle of cinnamon! Now that would be heavenly.

Ingredients

(Serves 6-8)

2 sheets puff pastry (1 package)
3-4 apples
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
Optional: powdered sugar, ice cream, whipped cream, or caramel sauce

Thaw the sheets of puff pastry for the amount of time specified on the package (usually 15-20 minutes).

Preheat the oven to 415 F. Halve and core the apples, and slice them as thinly as possible into half-moons . . .

. . . and try not to break your melon baller while you’re at it.

Hunh.

You can peel the apples if you want beforehand, but I like them with the peel on. Plus, less work for me.

And please try to get them just a little thinner than I did–though they’ll taste great either way.

Toss the apple slices with the lemon juice, sugar, and salt.

Let them sit for a few minutes, stirring the juicy sugar around a few times so that the apples are evenly coated.

Spray a large baking sheet with baking or cooking spray . . .

. . . cut the sheets of puff pastry in half, and place the 4 rectangles on the baking sheet. Leaving about an inch margin on all sides, arrange the apple slices in an overlapping row down the middle of each puff pastry rectangle.

I also experimented with cutting the sheet of puff pastry into thirds, like so:

However, I prefer a lot of puff in my puff pastry. I mean, what’s the point of puff pastry without the puff? Right? So the halved sheets were the clear winners.

Bake the tarts for 18-20 minutes, until the puff pastry is puffed and golden brown. Here’s the not-so-puffy version (still great, mind you):

And here’s the puffity-puff-puff-puffatron!

Can you tell that I love the word “puff”? I think I just used it a record amount of times. Call up Mr. Guinness!

Remove the tarts from the baking sheet and place on a serving dish (I like to use my cutting board). Serve sprinkled with powdered sugar, with ice cream, whipped cream, or caramel sauce. Mmmm.

 If you have leftover apple slices that didn’t fit on the puff pastry, dice them, store them in a little baggy in the fridge, and use them for a delicious oatmeal topping the next morning. Or force your husband to use them as a delicious oatmeal topping the next morning! Or stir them into your yoghurt, along with some wheat germ! The possibilities are countless.

Click here for printer-friendly version: Puff Pastry Apple Tart