Homemade Cinnamon Latte -

I was stunned to find a winter wonderland when I opened my backyard door to let my dog outside this morning. (Gabby was possibly more stunned than I and none too thrilled about getting her feet cold.) The minute I saw the dusting of snow, I thought, Today’s the day! One cinnamon latte coming right up. I’ve been playing with my new Sur La Table kitchen gadget for a couple of days now and I was so pleased to be able to warm myself up with a frothy drink.

Frothy is one of my favorite words. Say it with me now: frothy. Now wasn’t that satisfying? I was ecstatic to open the Automatic Milk Frother And Hot Chocolate Maker from Sur La Table on Christmas morning. It’s exactly what I needed to up my coffee game in 2016. I brew my own coffee at home most mornings and either use half and half and sugar or a homemade simple syrup. Adding a homemade simple syrup to the milk in the frother makes your foam delightfully sweet and flavorful but still considerably less fattening than half and half. (Not that I worry about such things but calories saved in coffee means more calories saved up for dessert later!)

The Automatic Milk Frother is easy to clean and so bright and cheerful, it’s earned a spot on my counter, a rare feat indeed! I hide the majority of my appliances in my lower cabinets but I can already tell I’m going to want this most mornings. It’s that simple to use. A quick press of the button heats and froths milk. Other settings allow for frothing without heating, heating without frothing, and making hot chocolate, which I did last night using my Homemade Hot Cocoa mix that I always have on hand.

Homemade Cinnamon Latte | The Rose Table — Note: I used up all of my ground cinnamon in hot cocoa last night. Pictured here is coarse sugar sprinkled on top of the foam and a cinnamon stick poking out.

Homemade Cinnamon Latte
Freshly brewed coffee
Milk
Cinnamon simple syrup (recipe follows)

Pour freshly brewed coffee into desired mug, leaving room for the milk and foam. (I fill mine about 2/3 of the way up.)
Pour milk (I use 1% organic milk) into frother to the bottom max line. Pour about a tablespoon or so of cinnamon simple syrup in with the milk.
Put lid on frother and plug it in. Wait for the beep. Press froth button once. The frothing process takes just a minute or two.
When frothing stops, hold the foam back with a spoon and pour the cinnamon milk into your coffee. Top with foam. Serve with a cinnamon stick or shake cinnamon on top of foam.

Cinnamon Simple Syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cinnamon stick*

In a saucepan over medium-low heat, combine sugar, water, and cinnamon stick and cook until the sugar dissolves completely, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; discard cinnamon stick.
Store in the refrigerator for up to a week. Recipe can easily be multiplied for larger batches.

*Throw two in if you want a real cinnamon kick!