Well, I've gone too far. I put cookies in my coffee. Sort of.
You know those seasonal lattes from Starbucks, the ones that people go crazy over? I'm not into them. They usually taste funny to me and are too sweet {which, whoa, that's crazy for me of all people to say.} And when it comes down to it, I'd rather spend my splurge calories on the treats they have in the glass cases and keep my coffee pretty boring.
I know, party pooper.
But, even though I don't personally care for those "handcrafted beverages", it doesn't mean that I don't get the hype. They make them sound really good. So good, in fact, that I forget all about my aversion at least once a year and I get suckered into spending five bucks of my holiday cash on a drink that I swear off again until the next year.
This year's pick was the "Toasted Graham Latte", which wasn't horrible, but didn't make me swoon by any means. It did pique my interests enough to make me want to come up with my own recipe at home.
In my first round of recipe testing, I created a cinnamon-brown sugar simple syrup to flavor and sweeten the coffee, which yielded a lightly spiced version that was pleasant, sure, but wasn't "grahamy" enough for me. It was missing that toasty cracker taste that can't really be reproduced with just sugar and spices.
But how do you extract that essence into a liquid? INFUSE THE MILK WITH GRAHAM CRACKERS.
In this case, I felt that the cinnamon-brown sugar simple syrup I created was infused with flavors that were too strong to let the "grahaminess" of the graham crackers shine through, so I did the next best thing: I made cookie milk.
Don't look at me like that. There are people making a fortune off of cereal milk treats, and that's basically the same idea. It's like, a thing.
So, instead of making my latte with plain milk, I infused my milk {well, almond milk actually, but you can use whatever type of milk you use} with the graham crackers.
The result? The "grahaminess" I was seeking and a roasty, toasty beverage that you can enjoy at home without having to wait for the 10 minute coffee order monologue of the person in front of you to end.
You're welcome!
Graham Cracker Latte
Ingredients
- 1-2 teaspoons Cinnamon-Brown Sugar Simple Syrup see below for recipe
- 1 Strong brewed espresso
- Equal amount of Graham Cracker Milk warmed
Instructions
- Add syrup to the bottom of your coffee mug/cup/bowl/vessel.
- Pour freshly brewed espresso over it.
- Pour in equal amount of milk.
Notes
Cinnamon-Brown Sugar Simple Syrup
Ingredients
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together brown sugar and water. Toss in cinnamon stick.
- Bring to a boil and allow to boil for a minute until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and allow cinnamon stick to steep in the syrup about 10 - 15 minutes. Stir in vanilla extract.
- Pour into a mason jar or container with an airtight lid and store in refrigerator.
Graham Cracker Milk
Ingredients
- 3 cups milk of your choice {I used almond milk} divided
- 4 graham cracker sheets {8 individual crackers} crumbled
Instructions
- Warm 1 ½ cups milk slightly in the microwave or a saucepan. Toss in graham crackers and stir until you have a soggy mess. Let it sit for about 10 minutes.
- Pour the mixture into a fine mesh strainer, and press down on the graham cracker solids with a spatula or spoon to strain the liquid part of the mixture into a bowl {or better yet, something with a spout like a liquid measuring cup}. You should get about 1 cup of milk -- discard the solids.
- Repeat if necessary {i.e. if the milk looks like it has too many little pieces floating around in it.} The milk will be slightly thickened.
- Pour the remaining 1 ½ cups milk into the graham cracker milk and stir to combine.
Jessica - The Novice Chef says
DYING. No seriously, I am. I am in love with the toasted graham latte at Starbucks. Can't wait to recreate it at home now! You rock Dianna! 😉
thekitchenprep says
@Jessica - I hope you'll love it! Seems like the perfect thing to snuggle up with on those "chilly" Florida nights. haha! 😉
Debbie- Cooks with Cocktails says
I had no idea starbucks had a toasted graham cracker latte. Thanks to your post I can try it at home. Your latte will be better at home curled up on the couch with a pair of thick warm socks, for our chilly nights in Vancouver 🙂
Marla Meridith says
This sounds sooooo great!
Megan says
I am so happy that you found a way to recreate this! I definitely go to Starbucks more than I should because I work in a mall and it's just all too convenient. When I tasted the Toasted Graham Latte, I fell in love. It reminds me of hot chocolate (weird since I don't believe there is ANY chocolate in it) or SOMETHING that I can't pinpoint. Although it's sweet, it doesn't taste as sweet to me as some of their other drinks. I might have to try to make this in the morning, although I am lacking the cinnamon sticks at the moment. This is also great since you can only find the TGL at some locations now since it was a seasonal drink, and making it at home will also surely save some money!