So it's Pumpkin Spice Everything season again! I prefer to make my own so I can tweak the amount of spices and make it less sweet. You can stir it into coffee for a flavored latte, and this is also tasty drizzled over yogurt, pancakes, roasted root vegetables, and buttered toast.
The pre-mixed spice version is the easiest. Look for a store that sells spices in bulk if you want to save money and buy just as much as you need.
Pre-mixed spice version:
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup turbinado sugr
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (I like the Frontier brand)
- 1/8 tsp vanilla extract
Mix everything except the vanilla extract in a small pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Take off the heat and let cool for a few minutes, then add vanilla and stir.
Whole Spice version
If you typically have whole spices on hand or you like experimenting, this may be more your speed. Cardamom and cloves are good in this too, although they can be overwhelming.
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1" piece of cinnamon bark or cinnamon stick
- slice of fresh ginger
- 2 allspice berries
- 1" piece of vanilla bean or 1/8 tsp vanilla extract
Combine everything (except vanilla if using extract), bring to boil over medium-high heat, let sit for 5 minutes then stir in extract (if using).
The pre-mixed spice recipe originally ran in the Kokua Market October 2013 newsletter