McCormick's Apple Pie Spiced "Latte"

I really love hot drinks. For years, I have started my day with a cold drink and a hot drink and something to eat. (Truthfully, in my younger days, I didn't even both with the "something to eat" and just had my "cold drink/hot drink".) Typically, my hot drink of choice was hot chocolate, but as I got older and my sweet tooth mellowed out a bit, I have switched to the less sweet option of instant cappuccino (I call it "grown-up hot chocolate"). However, I also have a strong sensitivity to bitterness, so coffee products are not always acceptable to my pallet. So, when other "hot drink" options present themselves, I am excited to give them a try.

Enter this Apple Pie Spiced Latte. Now, I am no coffee guru, so all the terms like "cappuccino", "latte", "mocha", etc. are confusing to me. All of them basically boil down to some kind of coffee vs milk ratio with other optional things added in (chocolate=mocha). Depending on the amounts and the way the ingredients are treated determines what fancy name you give your cup of Joe. And, because they are mixing the coffee with other things, they typically use super strong coffee (known as espresso) to keep things from getting too watered down. I felt like this little diagram helped me understand the lexicon tons! (Click here for more information.)

So, if you look at this chart, you will see that a latte is part coffee, part milk, part foam. Simply replace the coffee with apple cider and spices, and now you have McCormick's Apple Pie Spiced Latte! In my head, this is similar to, yet not exactly the same, as Starbuck's Carmel Apple Spice hot drink, only, I believe there is no milk in the Starbuck's version making the apple taste much more pronounced. McCormick's version is 50% apple cider and 50% milk, making it a milder, creamer version of the Starbuck's drink (minus the caramel sauce).

So, now that you know all about lattes, and now that you know this particular "latte" has no coffee in it, some people become concerned about the term cider vs. apple juice. Cider can have the reputation for being alcoholic. Outside of the United States, alcoholic apple juice beverages certainly are referred to simply as cider, which contributes to the confusion. But inside the United States, that type of drink is more commonly referred to as "hard cider." While "hard cider" certainly is alcoholic, normal store-bought or fruit stand cider is not (legally, it can't be!). In this case, cider refers to the process of how the juice was made and not alcoholic content. Cider is a less processed, more natural form of apple juice. It can be cloudier and contain little bits of apple pulp. Many people find it to be more natural-tasting, stronger, and less sweet. Filtered apple juice, however, is clear and stays fresher longer (is more self-stable due to processing).

For this recipe, you can use either juice or cider, your choice. But, for a special, authentic-tasting fall drink, I vote for cider EVERY time. So, look for the cloudy juice in your refrigerated section of the grocery store... the kind that may even have some sediment in the bottom of the bottle that you have to shake up. For more information on apple juice vs cider, click here.

Wow! Do we all feel educated now? I certainly do!!! But it's always good to understand terminology and know what you are consuming. With that in mind, here is the recipe that started this whole business. I loved how it made my house smell DIVINE, was comforting and soothing, and the added foam on top from blending made it feel like a super-duper fancy coffee-house drink that I prepared myself in my own kitchen on the cheap!!! This latte is going to be a fall staple in my house from now on.

Find the original recipe here.

McCormick's Apple Pie Spiced "Latte"

INGREDIENTS: 2 (1 cup) Servings

1 cup apple cider
1 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract
1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Apple Pie Spice

Bring all ingredients to simmer in medium saucepan on medium heat, stirring constantly to dissolve sugar a prevent the milk from making a skin on top. Once steamy and hot, carefully pour mixture into blender container. With center part of blender cover removed to let steam escape, blend on medium/high speed until smooth and frothy. Pour into mugs. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with additional apple pie spice, if desired.

*I blended mine for at least two minutes or more (long enough to clean up my work space, wash my sauce pan, and get everything prepped for the mug), etc. It resulted it great foam!

If it doesn't look like this when you turn off the blender, you might need to blend longer.

Use a spoon or spatula to hold the foam back in the blender container while you pour the cider into your mug, then release the foam at the last minute so it can land back on top of your drink.

I topped mine with whipped cream and a little more spice.

*Update: In my impatience, I attempted to make this recipe once by using the microwave instead of the stovetop and the result was curdled milk in my cup... so I guess there are no short-cuts for this recipe. I also let the sugar out in an attempt to be more healthy and the flavor did seem off to me, so maybe I'll try a zero-calorie sweetener the next time. Could that have contributed to the split milk? I don't think so, but I wanted to note it.