Healthy Pumpkin Spice Latte in the Crockpot! (paleo - no dairy or refined sugars)

I hope you all are enjoying your fall as much as I have been. I have been loving the cool weather, the subsequent warm clothes, the changing leaves and the pumpkin flavors. I have been posting a lot of pumpkin recipes as of late, mostly because I LOVE pumpkin flavors.

Here is another pumpkin recipe for your enjoyment! This time its a healthy pumpkin spice latte. Yes, that's right, HEALTHY! The lattes you get at any coffee shop are full of nasty things for your body. Preservatives, corn syrup, sugar, oils, dairy, etc... Yuck, yuck, yuck. (Okay, I will admit that I love the Pumpkin Spice Lattes at Sbux, but my body does not.) This recipe is made with whole and nutritious ingredients: coconut milk, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, coffee and spices. All natural and yummy!

I made this in the crock pot for a Harry Potter movie night. We have been working through the Harry Potter series with a friend and my little brother. Its been a blast. I've read the books quite a few times and seen the movies just as many. I am a unrepentant Potterhead. My brother, on the other hand, hasn't read the books (goes against everything I hold dear to let him watch the movie before reading the book, but he is not a reader) so its been so fun to watch him experience the stories for the first time.

There were a few people at our movie showing that are not concerned with healthy eating, and are usually totally turned off by food that is actually good for their bodies. I didn't even tell them this was a paleo drink and they didn't notice. My little J, who is a coffee addict at two years old, loved this latte too.

This recipe made enough for the five of us enjoying the movie and about three cups for me to enjoy over the following days. The original recipe called for a really small amount of coffee and I thought that wasn't enough, so I changed that amount. I also added some maple syrup because I thought it needed a hint of sweetness. I served this with homemade whipped cream that I had in the refrigerator. Usually I would serve something like this with whipped coconut cream, but I had the whipped cream and it tasted lovely.

I would totally recommend this recipe for a cool fall day, perfect for a pumpkin carving party or trick-or-treating. I can just imagine sitting around a bonfire with a cup of this yummy drink and some roasted marshmallows. Throw in a little guitar and an impromptu sing-a-long and you have the perfect fall evening.

It would be so yummy with these paleo pumpkin chocolate chip muffins or this paleo pumpkin bread. Its great hot and chilled. I just put the leftovers into some travel coffee mugs and stuck it in the fridge. When I needed a pick-me-up through out the day I had a gourmet latte ready and waiting. The original recipe says you can make this on the stove top, but that it is better in the crock pot because the flavors have more time to meld. I haven't tried it on the stove top, but I am sure it would be fine.

What are your favorite pumpkin recipes? Leave a comment and let me know!

Happy fall!!

XOXO,
Coco

Pumpkin Spice Latte [paleo - no dairy or refined sugars]
(recipe adapted from Wellness Mama)

• 4 cups of Unsweetened Coconut Milk (or 2 cans of coconut milk)
• ¼ cup canned pumpkin (without added sugar) 
• 2 tablespoons of natural vanilla extract
• ½-1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice ( or ½ tsp cinnamon and a sprinkle of cloves and nutmeg)
• 4 cup of strong coffee
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• Optional topping: whipped cream or coconut cream (recipes follow)

Pour all ingredients except heavy cream into crock pot. Use immersion blender or whisk to mix well.

Turn crock pot on low for 2 hours until hot and flavors are incorporated.

Top with whipped cream or whipped coconut cream. Serve hot or chilled.

Whipped Cream: In a chilled mixing bowl whip 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream, 1 tablespoon powdered sugar (optional) and 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Whip with a mixer or by hand until stiff peaks form. Do not over whip or you will have butter instead of whipped cream.

Whipped Coconut Cream: Put a can of full-fat coconut milk (more info on coconut milk) in the fridge for a few hours. When it has chilled remove the can from the fridge without shaking or jostling too much. Open the can and scoop out the white cream and fat that has risen to the top, be careful not to get the cloudy liquid that has settled to the bottom of the can. Now whip the creamy white coconut cream until you have whipped cream consistency. You can add a small amount of vanilla if you wish.



Other paleo pumpkin recipes:

paleo pumpkin bread

paleo pumpkin chocolate chip muffins

Caramel Stuffed Orange Infused Apple Cider Cookies

Every blog I have read about this recipe starts out with a command:

GO MAKE THESE COOKIES NOW!

I couldn't agree more. These are incredible. They are chewy and sweet with the zest and spicy bite of apple cider. Now, I'm not a huge fan of cookies without chocolate (exceptions: ginger snaps and oatmeal raisin) but I had to give away most of these for fear of eating nothing else. I gave away about 4 dozen cookies just so I wouldn't have a binge weekend.

I made half of these cookies the way the original recipe says to make them, and the other half I decided to experiment with. When I make hot spiced apple cider I always add a whole orange for flavor. So, I added orange zest to the cookie dough to oomph up the cider flavor. I love what it added to the cookies! I definitely recommend adding the orange zest, but of course its optional and the cookies are wonderful without, just a little less zesty)

The only other changes I made to the recipe was the addition of rolling the cookie balls in a cinnamon-sugar mixture before placing on the cookie sheet, like you would do to a snickerdoodle. This is a must in my opinion.

Follow me on Instagram (@coreysuzanne) for more food inspiration! And some other great pics too :)

I used the square Kraft caramels for most of my cookies and when I ran out I used Werther's Original Chewy Caramels. The Werther's Originals are long rectangular shaped and therefore harder to make fit into a round cookie, though not impossible In the end I think they make a better cookie. They don't get hard after the cookies cool down so they are easier to eat and give that nice chewy caramel flavor and texture. The Kraft caramels work just fine, but I think the Werther's Originals are just a little bit better.

These cookies are best warm. They are good room temperature, but when they are warm they are just uber gooey, and chewy, and cinnamon-y, and apple-y, and caramel-y, and autumn-y, and... you get the point. Eat these warm from the oven, or pop them in the microwave for about 7 seconds. Or for the best eating experience, make a cup of hot apple cider (coffee or tea work too) and set your cookie on the rim of your mug. Let the steam from your cider waft up and into your cookie, softening the caramel and creating the perfect crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside cooking eating experience you will ever have the pleasure of, well, experiencing.

Caramel Stuffed Orange Infused Apple Cider Cookies
(recipe adapted from Scrambled Henfruit. Be sure to check out her lovely photos!)

• 1 cup softened butter (2 sticks)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 box (7.4 oz) Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Instant Original Drink mix -not sugar free- all 10 packets (in the grocery store near the hot chocolate mixes.)
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1-2 tablespoon(s) fine orange zest (about two oranges worth) - optional
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1-2 bag(s) Kraft Caramels or Werther's Original Chewy Caramels
• Cinnamon-sugar mix (or mix 1/4 cup granulated sugar with 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon)

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line cookie sheets with parchment. (You really need the parchment!

In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon and orange zest.

In a mixer (or with an energetic spoon) cream together butter, sugar, salt and all 10 packages of apple cider drink mix powder, until light and fluffy.

Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix well.

Gradually add flour mixture to butter/egg mixture. Mix until just combined.

Refrigerate for about an hour. (If you're really impatient you don't have to do this, but it makes it so much easier to work with.)

When you are ready to bake, unwrap your caramels and put about 1/4 cup cinnamon-sugar mixture into a bowl. Scoop out cookie dough ball about the size of a walnut. (I used a rounded cookie scoop-full. My scoop holds about a tablespoon.)

Flatten the ball of dough slightly in the palm of your hand. Press the unwrapped caramel into the center of your dough and seal the dough around it, covering it completely. Roll the balls in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place on parchment covered cookie sheets 2 inches apart.

Bake 12-14 minutes, or until very lightly browned around the edges. Please don't over-bake! Once the cookies are done, slide the parchment off of the baking sheet right out onto the counter. Allow cookies to partially cool on the parchment. When cookies are cool enough to be firm but still slightly warm, carefully twist off of parchment and allow to finish cooling upside down (either on the parchment or on a rack.) If you forget about them and they cool too much and stick to your parchment, put them into the freezer for a few minutes and they'll pop right off.

Yield: about 4 dozen, depending on how large you make your cookies (or how many caramels have been snitched out of your bag before you begin.) Store in an airtight container.