I love my local coffee house. It’s quaint, cozy, close by and a great place to meet up with an old friend, have a quick business meeting, or even just relax and read a book.
The problem with them? At three to four bucks a pop for a cup of coffee, in addition to any sweets I might want to go along with it, this can add up. The sweets are another story all together; while not as expensive as the drinks, they are high in calories and fat, although these to can be easily recreated at home (and they’ll taste much better!)
So a while back, I began making my own versions of my coffee house favorites at home. Since then, I still go to the coffee shop occasionally, but since I know I can make the expensive drinks at home, I can just order a cup of coffee for less than two bucks and still be satisfied.
You can do it to.
Here’s how:
You probably have at least on think in your kitchen you can use to make creamy and foamy steamed milk, and another is as easy as spending twenty bucks or so at any kitchen store.
The first? A blender. Put some milk in a glass measuring cup and heat in the microwave for about 30 seconds. You want it hot, but not boiling. Then pour it in the blender and blend on high until it’s nice and frothy. Simple huh?
If you don’t want the hassle of getting out and cleaning a blender everyday, you can find a handheld milk foamer at any kitchen store for about twenty dollars. It’s basically a small contraption (you can store it in your silverware drawer) that is just a vibrating whisk. Use the same microwave “steaming” method mentioned above then pour the milk in your cup, froth with the foamer and in under a minute, you’ve got perfectly steamed, foamed milk.
Add whatever flavorings you like to the milk; extracts, such as vanilla work well, and you can even buy those fancy flavored syrups at the grocery store. Brew some really strong coffee or espresso (you don’t need a super expensive espresso machine; you’ll never know the difference, trust me), pour your milk overtop and there you have it: A delicious, creamy, four dollar coffee drink for pennies.
Add whatever syrups (Hershey’s chocolate sauce makes a great mocha), extracts or flavorings you want. Ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and cocoa powder make great garnishes. The possibilities are pretty much endless, easy, and inexpensive.
