*DISTANT VOICE* Oh, hon, did the Starbucks bills come in yet?”
Hey munchies!
I can’t believe the holidays are upon us, it’s so exciting!
One of my favorite things about this time of year:
comforting beverages!!
I love getting a fancy Starbucks drink,
but I DON’T love the sugar or the price tag that comes along with it,
so every year I have fun making my own and sharing them with you.
THIS YEAR I decided to switch it up and share some of the Starbucks SECRET MENU drinks,
but re-made clean and so you’re in control of that sugar.
So these aren’t regular recipes on the Starbucks menu,
they are secret menu items that they CAN make if you ASK them to,
if you know what is needed for the drink, which is pretty neat.
First up—a “Pumpkin Patch Latte,”
which is essentially a pumpkin spice latte with matcha steamed into it!
I do have a regular pumpkin spice latte video if you wanna check that out, too!
In a saucepan, whisk together milk of choice, pumpkin puree, sweetener of choice,
pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and matcha powder.
Bring that to a boil,
and then turn it down to a simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Stir in a bit more milk and espresso or coffee, depending on how strong you want it,
simmering for about 2 more minutes, until it’s warmed through.
This is a caffeinated combination for sure!
Top it off with some whipped or coconut whipped cream for an extra indulgence.
Matcha and coffee together seems weird,
but did you know that in Japan the combination does exist?!
Pretty neat.
What a fun way to get in some extra antioxidant benefits
with your regular old pumpkin spice latte!
Next up: we’ve got a cold Christmas Cookie Frappuccino!
So this is pretty much a cream-based Frappuccino
with cookie flavors, like peppermint, toffee nut, caramel, etcetera.
How do we re-create it!?
To a blender, I add ice, coconut cream, milk of choice, coffee, BUTTER—
which is a CLASSIC cookie ingredient, you could, of course, omit it,
or you could jump on the Bulletproof train and use grass-fed for those micronutrients,
sweetener, peppermint extract, maple extract, vanilla paste, and a pinch of salt.
Blend it on up!
I top this one off with whipped or coconut whipped cream,
and some date syrup as a caramel drizzle.
So fun, and SO many delicious holiday cookie flavors in one cool beverage!
Thumbs up if you’re enjoying Starbucks remakes!
Be sure to subscribe and hit the bell for more holiday fun!!
Ok, we’re moving away from coffee now, I know not all of you are coffee fanatics—
how about tea?
You might like this Gingerbread eggnog chai latte.
It’s a chai tea latte made with eggnog instead of milk, and with gingerbread syrup added!
Boil water in a small saucepan and steep your favorite chai tea.
Remove the bag, and add in your eggnog—
I do have a dairy free and vegan eggnog video, if you want a healthier choice,
because I know eggnog is not generally clean and can be LOADED with sugar,
or you could use your favorite lighter variation—
along with sweetener of choice, if needed,
some molasses for that gingerbread flavor, as well as some ground ginger and cinnamon.
Whisk together, turn off the heat,
and enjoy!
I top it off with some graham cracker crumbs, what can I say?
I was feeling the holiday spirit!
Eggnog flavor and chai go surprisingly well together,
and gingerbread is my favorite holiday cookie,
so I’ve got a lot to look forward to with this treat!
The last one I’m sharing today doesn’t have any coffee OR tea,
for the rest of you who aren’t fans of either—
a Vanilla Apple Spice!
Starbucks has a Caramel Apple Spice drink that I shared a remake of last year,
but this one uses vanilla syrup instead of the cinnamon dolce.
I start with a saucepan and add 100% apple juice,
along with cinnamon, vanilla powder, and vanilla paste.
Whisk together, and then add in some cinnamon sticks for even more flavor if you’d like!
Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer, REMOVE those cinnamon sticks, and enjoy!
I used that date syrup as the caramel drizzle for this one, too!
Vanilla and apple is such a tasty holiday combo,
and using that vanilla paste instead of extract takes it to the next level for me,
but you could, of course, use extract if that’s what you have on hand.
I hope you enjoyed these SECRET menu item remakes,
what’s your favorite holiday Starbucks drink?
Let me now in the comments below!
Be sure to check out my other Starbucks re-make videos,
because I may have already made your favorite,
and a LOT of them are in my Ho Ho Healthy Christmas eBook,
which you can get 10% off this week alone OR as a package
if you use the code “COFFEE” at checkout at mindovermunch.com/ebooks.
I will see you next week for more holiday fun!
And remember, especially when it comes to those sweet holiday drinks,
it’s all a matter of Mind Over Munch.