Every day I watch our patients spend $5 or more on fancy drinks from the Starbucks down the street.
While I just can’t justify the expense or the pounds of sugar that each specialty drink contains, my tastebuds envy them. Regular coffee can get boring, especially when everyone else is enjoying seasonal flavors.
I wondered if there were any healthier, cheaper ways that could make coffee more exciting without adding a bunch of crap (or a $5 price tag) and I was pleasantly surprised!
Keep reading to discover several healthy and festive ingredients that will jazz up your homemade coffee for pennies!
Basic Sweet Cream
Armed with basic sweet cream, you can then add other natural flavorings for a festive twist! In most cases, it’s helpful to simmer the sweet cream slightly in order to mix in the flavoring more completely.
1 1/2 cups of your favorite non-dairy milk (I prefer full-fat coconut milk for the creaminess)
2 tbsp maple syrup, agave, or raw sugar (use more or less based on your preferred level of sweetness!)
Dark Cocoa Powder
Add 2 tablespoons of dark cocoa powder to your sweet cream, then pour into brewed coffee or espresso for an instant Mocha.
Vanilla
Do you love those store-bought French Vanilla creamers? Simply add a teaspoon of real vanilla extract to your sweet cream for an instant vanilla treat!
Cinnamon
Mix 1/2 a tablespoon of ground cinnamon into your vanilla creamer for a lovely autumn flavor, or add a stick of cinnamon bark to the coffee filter while brewing.
Peppermint Extract
Add 1/2 teaspoon of pure peppermint extract to your basic sweet cream for a lovely holiday taste…or add it to some sweet cream that already has dark cocoa powder in it for Mint Chocolate Chip decadence!
Gingerbread Spice
Mix 2 tsp molasses into your basic sweet cream, then simmer with 1/2 tsp each of ginger, clove and cinnamon. It tastes like gingerbread in a cup!
Source: care2.com By: Beth Buczynski
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