Homemade Pumpkin Chai Tea Latte Recipe With Milo's Tea

This post is sponsored by Milo’s Tea.

This year I discovered the yummyness of a pumpkin chai tea latte at my local chain coffee shop... For those of you that might not be coffee drinkers, this is the perfect non-coffee alternative to a pumpkin spice latte. It gives you all the Fall/Winter, cozy feelings without the strong taste of coffee. Since I didn't want to spend $5 every time I had a craving for a pumpkin chai I decided to try to recreate it at home... If you are from the south, then you know all about Milo's Tea. We love and drink it when we are visiting the south. So, we were totally shocked and surprised when we saw that Milo's is now available at our local grocery store in the Cincinnati area! Turns out, you can
find Milo’s in many cities nationwide! Their product is located in the refrigerated
juice section of your local supermarket, use their product locator to find a retailer near
you.  I decided to use Milo's Tea to try to create the perfect at home pumpkin chai tea latte. It was a success, and I think I like it even better than the fancy coffee shop version... So, I thought I would share it with all my friends! This would be the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving dessert menu.

Milo’s award-winning tea is made with all natural ingredients and is the ideal
beverage for holiday meals. Their products are available sweetened with pure cane
sugar, no calorie sweetened with sucralose, or unsweet.

Chai Tea

2 cups unsweetened Milo's Tea
2 whole cloves
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground allspice
2 TB pure maple syrup

Latte

1/2 cup chai tea recipe above
3/4 cup whole milk
1 TBSP pumpkin puree
1-2 TB pure maple syrup (according to how sweet you like it)
pinch ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. For the chai tea: In a medium-sized saucepan, bring the Milo's Tea and spices to a boil. Whisk the spices into the tea completely as it heats. Once the water reaches a boil, turn off the heat and allow the spices to steep in the water for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, turn the heat back on and add the maple syrup. Return to a slight boil (the goal is a hot liquid for steeping). Once boiling, turn off the heat. Allow tea to steep in the spices for another 5 minutes. You can heat your latte mixture during this time. Pour the tea through a fine mesh strainer (a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth is very important. Coffee filters will not work.) Reserve 1/2 cup of chai tea for the latte. Store the rest of the chai tea in the fridge up to two weeks for freshness.
2. For the latte: In a medium-size saucepan, bring the milk, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and pinch of cinnamon to a slight boil (the sides of the milk will begin to bubble), Make sure you keep it on medium heat so the milk will not curdle... stirring often. Once the sides of the milk begin to bubble, remove the pan from heat immediately. I used a whisk to blend the milk and make it frothy as it heated. 
3. Pour 1/2 cup of chai tea in a mug or glass. Slowly add the warm, frothy pumpkin milk to the tea. I topped it with some whipped cream and sprinkled the top with an extra pinch of cinnamon.
4. Serve warm.

Recipe Notes

Shake and strain the extra chai tea after refrigeration as some leftover spices can settle at the bottom of the jar.

To make this recipe dairy-free, use canned coconut milk (shake first before opening) instead of whole milk. 

Barista-Style At Home Iced Coffee Recipe

If you've been following me for any time period on my Instagram, then you know I love me some good iced coffee! There's nothing better than the perfect blend of coffee, ice, half and half, and caramel (or whatever syrup you prefer). The problem with iced coffee though, is it's different at every coffee shop. Some make it strong enough to raise the hair on the back of your neck... others make it watery and weak. As for me, I like something in between... not too strong, not too weak, just right there in the middle... the perfect medium roast.

Now, I have been known to spend way too much money at coffee shops over the past few years trying to find the perfect iced coffee (Dunkin Donuts has always been (and still is) my go to for "out and about" iced coffee. The new Brown Sugar Cold Brew is a must if you haven't tried it!). 😁

Since I only had a Keurig or a coffee pot I was never able to conquer the perfect iced coffee at home... Pouring hot coffee over ice just melted the ice and made it much too weak... I even tried cold brew, but it took too long (HA! I mean, because you know when we ladies need our coffee... we need it now! 😉)

A few months back I posted an Instagram story asking my followers for recommendations of a good, quick (less than 10 minutes) iced coffee recipe... Well, you guys delivered! I received SO many responses and lots of helpful tips! One of my favorites came from a local Cincinnati friend, David Walker, who is actually a barista at Joseph's Cup! He pointed me towards several small pieces of equipment that I would only have to purchase once and be able to make endless coffee shop quality iced OR hot coffee! Needless to say my trips to coffee shops have been almost cut in half after starting to make this yummy iced coffee! What I love so much about this recipe is that instead of pouring hot coffee over ice and making it watery... You use ice as part of the water ingredient in the coffee (half hot water, half ice) and it makes the most perfect medium roast room temperature coffee. Then you can turn around and pour it over a glass of ice and the ice stays perfectly cold and doesn't melt... Genius!

To make the perfect Barista Style At Home Iced Coffee, here is what you will need:

CLICK ON IMAGE TO SHOP

CLICK ON IMAGE TO SHOP

CLICK ON IMAGE TO SHOP

Equipment You Will Need: 

1. Hario V60 Ceramic Coffee Dripper, Pitcher, and Cone Shape Filters
I found a set with a dripper, pitcher, and filters all in one!

3. Electric Goose Neck Kettle 
This kettle is amazing because you can choose the exact temperature. If you pour boiling water over coffee then it will scorch it. Around 200 degrees is the perfect (non boiling) temp for coffee. This kettle measures in odd numbers so I put mine on 201.

4. Kitchen Scale 
Self explanatory... I use it to measure the coffee, ice, and hot water.



Ingredients You Will Need

1. Fresh Ground Coffee
I prefer Deeper Roots fresh ground coffee from Ecuador. I purchase mine from Joseph's Cup and have them grind it for me and ship it straight to my door. They sell coffee via their Facebook Page or Instagram Page. Send them a message to inquire. You can also buy any coffee beans that you like and grind them yourself. I have tried making this coffee with pre-ground coffee and the flavor wasn't nearly as good as using fresh ground beans. I store my fresh grounds in a mason jar, and it will stay fresh for about a month.

2. Filtered Water
I use water from my fridge and it works just fine!

3. Syrup
My go to is always caramel! I just recently started doing half caramel and half white chocolate syrup, which is also delicious! You can purchase these at your local grocery store.

4. Half and Half (not pictured)
I use 2-3 TBSP

5. Ice


RECIPE

For 12 oz. of coffee
This is the size I made in the photos, and the perfect size when making for just one person. Once you add your cream and syrup it probably makes around 16 oz. of iced coffee.You'll need about a 24 oz size cup so you have room for your ice. I usually have a tiny bit left over and can use it to top off my coffee later.

29 grams of coffee grounds
133 grams of ice
266 grams of hot water

For 16 oz. of coffee 

38 grams of coffee grounds
173 grams of ice
347 grams of hot water

For 20 oz. of coffee 
This is the size I make when making two 24 oz tumblers full of iced coffee. I made this size a lot when I first started making this recipe because my sister would come over and we'd have iced coffee together... or I would ride my bike to her house and deliver it! HA! She was so in love with this recipe for iced coffee that she finally bought her own V60 and kettle to make it on her own! See... I told you it's good! 😉

47 grams of coffee grounds
221 grams of ice
441 grams hot water

Instructions (for 12 oz. of coffee)

Start by filling your kettle about halfway full with filtered water from your fridge. Then turn it to 201 degrees. Make sure to push the "steaming" button which keeps the water at temperature once it reaches 201. 

Next, place the V60 dripper with the filter in it onto the scale. Make sure to zero it out before adding any coffee to it. Then measure 29 grams of coffee grounds out.

Next, measure out 133 grams of ice in your pitcher.

While I'm waiting for the water to heat up, I usually add my syrup to my cup... For 12 oz of coffee I usually do 3 good size squeezes of syrup. For this tutorial I did 1.5 of white chocolate and 1.5 of caramel. You obviously can go more or less to your taste, but the key is to pour it in the bottom of the cup with the cream and mix it up before adding ice or coffee. It blends much easier into the coffee if you combine it with the cream first. 

I then add about 2-3 tablespoons of half and half to the syrup. You can adjust this to your taste as well.

Make sure to mix the syrup and half and half really well together.

Your hot water should be ready at this point. Now, stack your dripper with the coffee in it on top of your pitcher. Place it on the scale and make sure to zero out the scale before adding your 266 grams of hot water. 

While you are pouring the hot water, make sure to take your time. The slower you pour, the richer the cup of coffee. I pour in a circular motion to make sure all the grounds are covered equally. Also, be careful your scale doesn't shut off if you take a break from pouring to let the water settle. Just give it a tap with your fingers to keep it from shutting off. 

Once you have poured all of the water... Just sit back and watch the magic work. 😍😍😍 The ice should be almost completely melted at this point.Next, you can add as much ice as you like to your cup. I like my cup about 1/2 - 3/4 full of ice.
Once you're positive the coffee is finished dripping remove the pitcher and give it a good stir to make sure any small pieces of ice are completely dissolved. 
Pour your coffee over the ice... Give it a good stir...

Classic Sugar Cookie & Royal Icing Recipe

Growing up, sugar cookies were always a staple at Christmas time. I made them every year with my siblings, and we loved to decorate them together. The problem with sugar cookies is everyone makes them differently... Some like them cakey, others like them crispy. I, on the other hand, have always loved them soft and chewy... Chips are supposed to crunch... not sugar cookies! 😉 When I was a teenager, one of my friend's moms (Hi Tammy! 😄) made the best chewy sugar cookies on the planet... I asked her what her recipe was once and she just said it was the classic Betty Crocker sugar cookie recipe... Well, a few years ago, I finally stumbled onto the same recipe that Tammy uses! I tried it with my sisters, and it was an immediate hit! Over the past couple of years we've made them over and over, and finally figured out some little tricks to get the perfect chewy sugar cookie... I also discovered royal icing... which makes your cookies super adorable as well! Scroll down for the recipes.

Classic Sugar Cookie Recipe
Makes 15-18 large, thick sugar cookies. I usually double the recipe for around 30 cookies.

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2 sticks salted butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp almond extract

1 egg

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cream of tartar

Directions:

1. Mix powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, almond, and egg until smooth (I use a kitchen aid mixer). Stir in remaining ingredients until smooth.

2. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours (You can also refrigerate overnight if you like).

3. Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease cookie sheet.

4. Remove from refrigerator and divide dough in half. You may need to let the dough sit for 30 mins or so to make it more workable. Work it with your hands to smooth it out, then roll out onto a floured surface. Make sure to flour your rolling pin to get an extra smooth, even surface on the cookie dough. I like to roll it to about 1/4 inch (or more) thickness. The thicker the cookie the chewier it gets. I use a large round glass to cut out my cookies, but you can also use any large shaped cookie cutters. Your cookies should be easy to pick up off the floured surface and place directly on the pan.

5. I bake mine for about 5 1/2 - 6 minutes. Every oven is different, so keep an eye on them. The main goal with these cookies is to have NO COLOR at all. If they start to get golden in the least bit they have gone too long, and will most likely dry out easily. I usually pull mine out around 5-6 mins. You might think they aren't done yet, but you want the center to look a little gooey. If you let them cool on the pan for about 10 mins you will see the center start to set up, but still look moist. This is what makes them so chewy! All white cookies means the best flavor/texture! After they are firm enough to move I transfer them to wax paper to continue cooling.

6. Let them completely cool before icing.

Royal Icing Recipe 

Royal icing has become a fad recently... I love it because it can make your cookies look so pretty, plus it tastes amazing too! Most recipes I have seen call for meringue powder, but I use the old fashioned egg white kind. If you are worried about the raw egg white you can refrigerate the cookies, but I have never had any problems with leaving the cookies out once the icing dries.

Ingredients

2 egg whites
2 cups of powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract

Directions

Combine all ingredients with a whisk by hand or a kitchen aid mixer with whisk attachment. Make sure there are no lumps in the icing.

For those of you who are royal icing newbies... Here are a few things you should know. There are two types of royal icing.

1. Piping Icing

I use extra powdered sugar to thicken the above icing recipe to a piping texture. This is used to outline your cookies. Just keep adding a spoonful of powdered sugar until the icing is a toothpaste texture... You want it to fall off of the spoon slowly, but not break the flow completely. Once I get it to the perfect piping texture I put it in a piping bag with a very small pin dot tip and coupler (The coupler keeps the tip in place. I'll link tips, icing bags, and couplers below.). I then use a rubber band to tie the top of the bag so icing doesn't get all over my fingers.. I'm sure there is something more fancy to use than a rubberband, but I'm no professional! 😉 I pipe a line around the edge of all my cookies before "filling" them in.

2. Fill/Flood Icing

This icing is used to fill in the cookies that you outlined.  make a second recipe of the icing, then, depending on the size of the egg whites, if the icing isn't runny enough I add water (about a tsp at a time... be careful, a little goes a long way.) You want the texture to be more fluid, but not watery. If you pull the spoon out of the icing, you want it to run back into the bowl and take about 5 seconds or so before it settles into a smooth surface again...

Pour your fill icing into icing bottles (these are SUPER handy... I'll link what I use below) and fill in the cookies. Be careful not to over fill them since the icing will settle  and can run over if you use too much. I use a toothpick or tiny icing knife to spread the icing to the edges. You can also use a toothpick to pop any air bubbles, but be careful... They begin to dry very quickly so if you mess with them too much you will crack the icing. The icing will smooth out pretty evenly on it's own. If you let it dry for about 30 mins you can go back with a second layer of piping icing to draw designs. I love doing this because it makes them look like they were made at a bakery. Practice a little on a napkin or piece of waxpaper (this helped me get the hang of it!). I used the piping icing to make the snowflake and  tree designs. My cousin, Ally, also helped out with her piping skills!

A Few More Royal Icing Tips and Tricks

1. Let your Icing Dry For 8-12 Hours.

Another thing I learned the hard way... You have to let royal icing dry 8-12 hours before you can store or stack your cookies. The first time I made royal icing I stored my cookies immediately, and the icing ran and dripped everywhere and ruined the cookies. I usually finish my cookies later in the evening and let them dry overnight before stacking or storing. Don't worry about the cookies getting dry. If you didn't bake them too long they will stay nice and chewy since the icing is so moist.

2. Make 2 Colors of Royal Icing

I like to make two colors of both the piping and fill icing. It's so fun to use the two different colors to draw designs, fill, or line the cookies. You can make more than that, but I love using just two colors.

SET OF TIPS, COUPLERS, AND PIPING BAGS. CLICK TO SHOP.

SET OF FILL ICING BOTTLES. CLICK TO SHOP. 

 I hope you enjoy my favorite sugar cookie and icing recipe! If you decide to try your hand at baking them... make sure to tag @courtneycollingsworthmetz and use the hashtag #classicallycourtney on Instagram. Have a blessed day and a Merry Christmas!

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