Be a Barista! Make your own Starbucks drinks

I love Starbucks coffee drinks, but I don't love the price. Caramel macchiato, pumpkin spice, peppermint mocha, just to name a few. But at nearly $4 a serving, I started looking for an alternative way to make similar drinks at home. My wallet is grateful!

Most coffeehouse drinks are made of the same basic ingredients - strong coffee (or espresso), heated milk, sweetener and flavorings. Many also come with a dollop of whipped cream on top, so you'll need some of that too. So if you simply adjust these ingredients to your taste, you can create your own Starbucks knock-offs for pennies.

My pumpkin spice latte recipe is one cup of strong brewed coffee, 1/3 cup heated milk, 1 teas brown sugar, 1/2 teas pumpkin pie spice, and whipped cream. I top it off with a sprinkling of pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon. I don't like my coffee too sweet, so you might find this to not have enough sugar. Just increase the amount by a teaspoon at a time until you find the amount that's right for you.

For a caramel macchiato, add caramel icecream topping to your heated milk and stir to combine. Stir into the coffe and adjust for sweetness. Top with whipped cream. Drizzle some more caramel topping over the top and add a drizzle of chocolate syrup.

For a peppermint mocha, add peppermint extract to the heated milk. The extract is very concentrated, so it will only take a little. Stir in a teaspoon of hot chocolate mix into your coffee, then pour in the heated milk mixture. If you don't have any hot chocolate, stir in some chocolate syrup. Adjust for sweetness, then top with whipped cream.

My next experiement is going to be a white chocolate mocha. I'll let you know how it turns out.

I don't know about you, but saving money on coffeehouse drinks definitely Works for Me! Check out some more helpful tips over at We are That Family.