Christmas is here, and so is the cold weather.  Actually, I take that back.  Nashville, TN is known for having bi-polar weather, and while this past weekend it got down to a low of 15 degrees, today it was a high of 55…Not exactly what I call “Christmas weather.”  As someone who grew up in CT, I never realized how festive snowfall made this time of year feel.  Now, with living in the south, half of the time I practically forget it is even December.  While I don’t enjoy the coldness that comes with snow fall, I am (just a tiny bit) hoping that when I go back to CT for winter break, it snows and becomes a “white Christmas” after all.  That being said, with all the cold weather comes the desire for hot drinks.  This past year I have been able to reintroduce my beloved friend, coffee.  It’s been well over five years since I had my last cup, my last cup literally making me feel like I was going to die due to an extreme nervous-system overload.  However, after taking a break and healing over the years, I am now able to enjoy it a few times per week at most, bulletproof being my favorite (butter + coffee = heaven).  With my love for this amazing drink, I decided to start playing around with the concept of butter and coffee, making a sweet variation that can be served both hot and cold.  The catch to serving it cold is the use of Tinstar Food’s ghee.  Unlike butter, there are no milk proteins in ghee, and therefore no weird separation that occurs.  The other catch is that all ingredients must first start out as room temperature, and then can be chilled either in the fridge or by ice.  Overall, both variations are equally tasty.  However, if you are anything like me, there is nothing like a hot mug on a cold winter day.  Stay warm my friends!

Vanilla Caffe Latte

Print Recipe

Process
(Serves 1-2)
Ingredients

• 12 oz coconut milk, full fat
• 6 oz hot or cold coffee (or) herbal AIP coffee
• 1 oz maple sugar (or) xylitol
• 1 vanilla bean
• 1 oz Tinstar Food’s brown butter ghee
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract (or) vanilla powder for AIP

Process

• Split vanilla bean down the middle and place in a sauce pot a long with the coconut milk.
  Bring the milk to a boil then remove from the heat, allowing the mixture to sit for 10-15 minutes and infuse with vanilla flavor. Remove vanilla bean after infusing.

(Cold version)

• Allow coconut milk, ghee, and coffee to come to room temperature, then blend with sugar and vanilla extract until frothy. Serve over ice.

(Hot version)

• Brew 6 oz of coffee and place in a blender a long with the hot coconut milk, maple sugar, ghee, and vanilla extract. Blend until frothy and serve in a mug.

 

 

Galatians 4:4-5 “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”