Everyone loves coffee…well, not everyone, but everyone should! This year since I have been staying home more, I have developed a habit of drinking coffee every day. However, I usually drink the same thing every morning. In pursuit of trying to diversify my daily caffeine intake, I tried four at-home latte recipes.
I found the recipes I tried on Pinterest. Also, I don’t have an espresso machine, so I used strongly brewed coffee! I also don’t drink dairy, so the milk I used was oatmilk or almond milk. I am sure any milk would work, and these lattes would still taste amazing! I took pictures of my lattes and will rate them by taste, appearance, and ease of making.
Reviews
First up is an oatmeal cookie latte! I liked this recipe because I wanted to see if the latte resembled an actual oatmeal cookie. This one called for iced coffee, but I used cold brew instead.
Taste: 6/10
This one was a pretty standard coffee. I enjoyed that it had a vanilla flavor, however, I don’t think it tasted very similar to an oatmeal cookie.
Appearance: 2/10
This drink looked pretty basic. The cinnamon dusting on top added some color and texture though. The drink could look better if there was some more frothed milk on top to make it look like a regular latte.
Ease of making: 9/10
This category is where this drink shines. You need iced coffee or cold brew. Both of these can easily be found in a store, which simplifies the process even more. The rest of the ingredients: oatmilk, vanilla, and brown sugar can be added to the iced coffee. There was nothing complicated for this recipe, and I was even able to do it without a milk frother!
Try it yourself: https://itslivb.com/2019/05/22/oatmeal-cookie-iced-coffee/
Second, I made a honey oatmilk latte. I decided to try this latte because I know Starbucks also sells a honey oatmilk latte, and I was interested to see how it compared.
Taste: 5/10
I was expecting that I would be able to taste the honey flavor more than I did in this latte. I also thought this latte would be better with a splash of vanilla to add a different taste to it. If you’re going to make this latte, I would suggest adding a little bit more honey than the recipe calls for so the taste comes through better.
Appearance: 4/10
This drink also looked like a standard coffee. However, this one gets more points because of the frothed milk. The frothed milk on top makes the drink look more cohesive and elegant.
Ease of making: 7/10
This one was not as easy to make. I used strongly brewed coffee, but this recipe called for the milk and honey to be warmed up. The recipe also suggested frothing the milk. Heating up and frothing the milk was not overly time-consuming, but this is not a drink that I could put together if I was rushing.
Try it yourself: https://pinchofyum.com/oatmilk-honey-latte
Third, I made a salted peanut butter cookie latte. I chose to make this latte because I love peanut butter cookies and coffee so combining the two was perfect!
Taste: 9/10
This latte had sugar and peanut butter in the coffee. I really enjoyed the peanut butter taste of the coffee, but it was a little overwhelming. If you’re going to make this latte, I
would recommend putting less peanut butter in the coffee than the recipe calls for.
Appearance: 11/10
This latte was required a significant amount of time to make, and it is reflected in how the latte looks. The recipe suggested coating the rim of the mug in a thin layer of peanut butter and then dip the rim in peanut butter cookie crumbs. This makes the latte look very eye-catching!
Ease of making: 1/10
This drink required a lot of work. The first step before making the latte was making cookies! These cookies were simple to make, but this drink definitely requires dedication to make. After the cookies baked for 10-12 minutes, I put the drink together. I was able to stir in the ingredients in the coffee easily, but this drink also required me to warm some milk to froth it. Everything considered, this drink is a showstopper once it’s made, but it takes time to assemble it. This is not a drink I would recommend making on a weekday.
Try it yourself: https://www.spicesinmydna.com/salted-peanut-butter-cookie-lattes/
Finally, I made a maple cinnamon latte. This one was my favorite because it was easy to make, and it tasted fantastic!
Taste: 8/10
This latte was made of strongly brewed coffee and milk. It was topped with frothed, heavy whipping cream that was infused with maple syrup and dusted with cinnamon. The coffee itself was good, but the drink could have been better if I put maple syrup in the coffee to add a small amount of sweetness. I really enjoyed the maple syrup taste from the cream on top, and it was nice the cream did not combine with the coffee right away.
Appearance: 6/10
This drink looked very simple. However, I liked that the recipe called for frothed heavy cream instead of frothed milk. The heavy cream made the drink a little smoother and was more fun to take beginning sips of than frothed milk.
Ease of making: 8/10
I found this drink extremely easy to assemble. It is similar to the other drinks because the only extra part of the drink is the frothed cream. This drink does take a little bit more effort to add the maple syrup to the cream, but this does not take long. I would definitely recommend making this drink on a weekday!
Try it yourself: https://www.willowcrestlane.com/maple-cinnamon-latte-better-than-coffee-…
In conclusion, making lattes at home is a great choice because it allows you to save some money because you’re doing it yourself rather than having someone else make it for you. It also allows you to try new recipes, and it made me feel like I could be a barista!