No matter the time of day, a delicious hot latte or cold coffee can be the perfect pick-me-up to turn your day around. In a kitchen with limited counter space, however, sometimes you have to pick between a good ‘ol space-efficient drip coffee maker and an espresso maker.
Thankfully, you don’t need a fancy espresso maker (like this fancy-schmancy Nespresso Inissia) in order to make a delicious coffee beverage at the drop of a hat. These three recipes are proof of this fact!
A simple latte
To make a bracingly strong cup of coffee, you can simply double the amount of coffee grounds that you would usually use in your drip machine and sub in the end result for any espresso-based recipe. The result won’t be quite as strong as the real thing, but as long as you use a finely-ground espresso blend of coffee, it’ll more than suffice.
For a basic latte, prepare your “espresso” in a drip machine like the stainless steel Braun Drip Coffee Maker. Fill a glass 1/4 full with your faux-espresso, then fill the remaining 3/4 with piping hot milk. I recommend heating your milk on the stove beforehand, as the uneven heating patterns of the microwave can often scald your milk.
If you want to fancy up your latte a bit (or if you’re serving to a party), finish the drink with a pump of flavoured syrup and a swirl of whipped cream on top!
The at-home PSL (Pumpkin Spice Latte)
Whether your pumpkin spice latte addiction is just getting too expensive to maintain or if you’ve got a hankering for some holiday comfort during the summer, this latte recipe from user Zippy on Allrecipes.com is almost too easy to make at home. It’s also based on a double-strength coffee, so there’s no need for an espresso maker! A basic setup like the Hamilton Beach Programmable Coffee Maker will more than suffice.
Simply blend all of the following together, then pour 2/3 cups of the mixture into glasses with 1/3 cup of “fauxpresso”. Top with whipped cream and a pinch of pumpkin pie spice if desired and serve!
- 3 cups hot milk
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
If you’re serving up these lattes to guests that usually go light on the sugar, try leaving out the 4 tablespoons of sugar as well as the whipped cream. Pumpkin spice lattes are far too sweet for my family, but I love a good cup of spiced coffee without the sugar!
AÂ Frappuccino on the go
Finally, for those with a major sweet tooth, this Frappuccino copycat based off of a recipe by Kiley Heidtbrink on Allrecipes.com can’t be beat. All you need is double strong brewed coffee, a drip coffee maker (if the first two didn’t catch your eye, perhaps the Cuisinart Brew Central 12-Cup Coffee Maker will!), and a blender.
For a single, delicious, blended iced coffee, just take the following ingredients and blend until smooth. Top with a dollop of whipping cream and enjoy–quickly, before it melts!
- 1 cup ice
- 1/2 cup “fauxpresso,” cooled
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons caramel sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
You don’t need an espresso maker to make a great cup of coffee, and these recipes just prove it. Now take this newfound bit of knowledge and use it to jazz up your day for the start of fall!
(But, you know … don’t get too jazzed up. There’s “invigorated about life” levels of caffeinated and then there’s “I think I scared the dog” levels of caffeinated. I know it’ll be hard to stop yourself after you taste one of these recipes, but trust me: you really shouldn’t be drinking all three of them at once.)
