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Starbucks Copycat: Skinny Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew
Raise your hand if you are personally victimized by the addiction that is the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew from Starbucks this fall.
ME.
I’m right there with you. Significantly better than the traditional PSL (aka pumpkin sugar bomb!) and the cold brew obsession is real. But whew, the budget does not allow for a daily PCCB fix. So I headed to the kitchen and decided to whip up a copycat version.
The trick is balance. Starbucks adds vanilla syrup to their cold brew, which is totally optional. For this recipe, I stayed true and added vanilla. When I order at Starbucks, I get it without syrup (*grande pumpkin cream cold brew with no syrup, please!*). There are a lot of versions of this drink that includes pumpkin puree in the cream, as well as the pumpkin pie spices. Perhaps I'll try the foam with pumpkin puree one day, but that sounds a little too heavy and dense for me.
I went a little less traditional and a little more healthy and skinny. That is the perk of making it at home. Make it as healthy (or not!) as you want. I love the way Almond milk froths, so I used it in this recipe. I think oat milk would also make a great substitute. The Almond Milk also lends a more “nutty” flavor to this drink - or maybe it’s all in my head #placeboeffect HA!
You’ll need a few things:
Cold Brew coffee (find an easy recipe here)
Milk Frother
Nutmeg
Cinnamon
Ground Cloves
Choice of milk
Pumpkin Spice Syrup
This is a pretty straight-forward drink, just takes a little time to assemble everything. You can use pre-mixed pumpkin pie spice, but I like to mix it myself so I get the proportions I prefer! Also, the key to not using pumpkin puree is a tiny splash of Pumpkin Spice syrup. This is a zero-calorie, no sugar syrup that I absolutely love. A little goes a long way, so no heavy pours here!
The milk frother I use can make hot or cold foam. For this, make cold foam. I find that cold foam holds its airiness and texture much better than hot foam.
Recipe
Fill glass with ice and fill 3/4 with cold brew
In your milk frother, pour about 1/4 cup Almond milk, and a small splash of the Pumpkin Spice Syrup *hint* too much will prevent the milk from frothing, so just a little! Finish by sprinkling in the spices - a pinch of each will do!
Once the milk is frothed, carefully pour over the cold brew
Enjoy!
Although it seems simple enough, it might take a few times to get the spices right or to find the right combination of milk, pumpkin spice syrup, or just your own recipe altogether!
If you try this - I want to hear how it goes!!!
