It’s finally time! I get to create over-the-top, cheesy, cozy Christmas recipes for the next 31 days! Now that Thanksgiving is behind us – hopefully, you all had a nice time with family and/or friends – we can fully focus on Christmas! This year, I want to make every day have a little bit of holiday cheer! And a sweet gingerbread chai latte is a fun, yummy recipe to kick off the season. Many of us are pulling out our holiday decorations, decking the halls, and using this weekend to turn the house into a Christmas wonderland! Or maybe you’re Black Friday shopping. Whatever you’ve got going, this chai latte is perfect to sip on while doing it! I’ve been looking forward to sharing this recipe for weeks. It’s one of Starbucks’ secret menu items. But I tried to do mine up just a little more festively. It’s the caramel Brûlée topping that really sets this latte apart. The latte is a mix of ginger, molasses, cinnamon, and vanilla with the warm flavors of Chai throughout. Using chai gives this sweet latte a spicy kick. There’s also cardamon, cloves, star anise, nutmeg, and black pepper.
Details
Step 1: make the caramel Brûlée Before you do anything, you have to make the salted caramel brûlée candy. This is that extra special holiday touch the latte needs. It’s very easy to make and requires just two ingredients – sugar and flaky sea salt. Melt granulated sugar on the stove until it turns deep caramel in color, then spread the caramel out over a piece of parchment paper. The caramel hardens in just minutes and can easily be smashed into small shards for sprinkling over your latte. Be sure you’re being careful when handling this, it gets VERY hot. I’m not sure what Starbucks uses for their brûlée toppings, but these sweet little pieces are the most delicious thing to sprinkle over a latte. They melt into the whipped cream leaving an instantly sweet and salty caramel swirl throughout the latte. Step 2: the latte I use whole goat’s milk for this but use your favorite full-fat milk. Bring the milk to a simmer over medium heat on the stove. When the milk is steamy, pull the pot off the heat. Add the maple syrup, molasses, ginger, cinnamon, a whole star anise, and a pinch of salt. Drop in the chai tea bags, cover the pot, and steep for 10 minutes. You can then discard the tea bags and return the milk to the stove to warm it back to a steamy mix. Once the milk is steaming, add a splash of vanilla. Then whisk everything for a minute or two to make the milk a little frothy. Step 3: the espresso Brew a couple of shots of espresso or your favorite black coffee. Pour that steamy gingerbread milk over the espresso. Add a couple of dollops of whipped cream and sprinkle over the brûlée candy. If you’re looking for an extra treat, add a gingerbread cookie to each latte, then enjoy. This is definitely a dessert-style latte, so enjoy this any time of day and throughout the winter season. Looking for other warming, rich drinks? Here are my favorites: Creamy Coconut Hot Chocolate Vanilla Mocha Hot Cocoa Caramel Espresso Hot Cocoa Salted Caramel Brûlée Latte Lastly, if you make this Gingerbread Chai Brûlée Latte, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
