Warm and cozy!

 As I have said in the past, I love FALL!  One of my favorite treats is Starbucks Pumpkin Spiced Latte!  I always get excited when I know its that time of the year.  I pull up in the drive thru and I hear "can I interest you a pumpkin spiced latte?" I get all warm and tingly inside (lol) and of course, my answer is always a resounding YES! .   So needless to say, I was really excited when I spotted this gem on pinterest.  While browsing  Crock Pot 365 blog, (another passion) I found a recipe for Caramel Apple Cider. As I read through the recipe, I thought to myself, that would be great to serve at the Caramel Apple Soap class next month! But, the best part came at the end of the recipe!  A link to other wonderful copy cat recipes for Starbucks...and guess what?  Yes!  It including my favorite, Pumpkin Spiced Latte!!!  Thank you so much for posting this Stephanie O'Dea!

Starbucks Pumpkin Spiced Latte

Ingredients.

adapted from Taste of Home's Halloween 2008 edition

2 cups milk (I used 1%)
2 T canned pumpkin
2 T white sugar
2 T vanilla (not a typo. it asks for tablespoons)
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
OR: 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp cloves, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, and a teeny tiny pinch of ground ginger
1/2 cup brewed espresso or 3/4 cup strong brewed coffee

garnish with whipped cream (optional)

Directions.

This will make enough for 2 people to have a big mug with a bit leftover. If you are having friends over, adjust the recipe accordingly. I used a 4-quart crockpot, but as small as a 1.5 quart will work with these amounts.

Add the coffee/espresso and milk to the crockpot. Whisk in the pumpkin, spices, sugar, and vanilla.

Cover and cook on high for 2 hours if everything is cold. Whisk again.

Ladle into mugs, and garnish with whipped cream and additional cinnamon. I added a cinnamon stick to be fancy.

And yes, this will be served at the Fall Pumpkin Soap class!

Well as stated earlier, I wanted to server the Caramel Apple Cider at the class we hold.  So here is the recipe for that.

Starbucks Caramel Apple Cider

Ingredients

serves 4, (can easily be multiplied --use a larger cooker though!)

4 cups apple cider

3 tablespoons caramel syrup (the ice cream topping)

1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

4 tablespoons sweetened whipped cream (optional; I leave it off for my kids)

Directions.

Use a 2-quart slow cooker. Mix it all in together---stir, and cook on low for about 4 hours. I like to put it on after I clean up the breakfast dishes and then leave it alone until our after-school snack. I've also made a large pot for Girl Scoutevents and  playdates. The kids really like it, and it's a nice change of pace from hot chocolate with marshmallows.

Leftovers refrigerate and reheat well (in the microwave).

Stephanie added: Now this is sweet---I've modeled it after the stuff they serve at the store. After making it this way a few times, I've successfully cut back on the syrup without my kids (and their friends!) knowing---do what is right for your own family.