A LONG time ago my family and I lived outside Seattle -- until then I never thought much about coffee -- after that, a coffee hound I was. I worked with a young woman who talked constantly about Starbuck's Eggnog Latte's - when they were going on sale, how good they were, blah, blah, blah. Then the first day that year they were available she brought me one....
was it life-changing? No, BUT it was so stinkin' good that from that point to this I looked forward to enjoying that every year while they were available. That is until I started my low-carb journey.
Mostly I put it out of my mind. Then I bought a Kuerig and started enjoying Pumpkin Spice and Gingerbread K-cups during Eggnog Latte Season.
I have to admit that in my attepmt to perfect this recipe, I drank WAY TOO MANY Eggnog Lattes/Breves/Espresso con Pannas. I am not a Barista except for maybe of the home kitchen variety and my only coffee making equipment in said kitchen is my much loved Kuerig.
In my first attempt, I replaced the milk in a traditional latte with unsweetened almond milk and used strong brewed coffee. Not bad but not very rich or creamy - even with whipped cream added to the top. Second attempt, I scratched the Latte concept and went straight to Breve (Breve is an American variation of a latte using a steamed 50-50 mixture of milk and cream instead of milk) using 50-50 Heavy Cream-Unsweetened Almond Milk. Good! Actually very good!! A nice dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg and if I closed my eyes I might have even thought I was at *The Bux*.
I could have left it alone there and been quite satisfied EXCEPT I didn't :) My final attempt was based on Espresso con Pannas - (Italian for "espresso with cream", an Espresso Con Panna is a shot of espresso topped with a dollop of whipped cream). Again, with no way to actually make espresso, I brewed a very strong coffee and added heated heavy cream, the sf Eggnog syrup and a sprinkle of nutmeg (no whipped cream topping on this one - maybe THAT would be over-the-top, lol). PERFECTION!! Just to make sure, I made another one -- all in the name of research of course :)
Eggnog Coffee Drink
shot of Sugar-Free Eggnog Coffee Syrup
1 small strong brewed cup of coffee
1/4 c heated heavy whipping cream
Nutmeg
Combine first 3 ingredients and sprinkle with #4. Drink up!!