homemade coffee creamer

So, I’m trying to kick my coffee creamer habit.

I know, this is drastic. Very. But it just means I’m one step closer to going all-organic, all-natural, all-local… At least for the most part. I, obviously, eat out with no problem, and when I saw that an organic pork loin was $15.99 a POUND at Wegmans last night (should’ve bought the one from Arden Farms yesterday morning at the co-op…grrr), I almost passed out. Seriously, I had to double-check to make sure the price was right. Yup, it was… And I’m sorry, I’m willing to pay more for organic produce and milk, but be reasonable people! FIVE TIMES the price is insane!

Anyway, back to creamer. If you’re just joining me, you can read about my thoughts on coffee creamer here.

A little bit ago, a friend of mine left a comment here on the blog about Deliciously Organic’s homemade coffee creamer recipes. I was intrigued, to say the least. I’ll be honest, I always felt a little guilty touting all this healthy-food info, all while keeping my fridge stocked with something so blatantly UNhealthy. (When I say ‘unhealthy,’ I’m usually referring to something processed or from a box, as opposed to actual fat and calorie count. Real food is what I’m after, not necessarily low calories.)

Anyway… I decided I’d give it a try. I finished up what remained of my Cinnamon Sugar Latte flavored creamer and purchased the ingredients to make the Cinnamon Streusel flavor. (I’m a huge cinnamon fan.)

Whole milk, heavy cream, maple syrup, cinnamon and vanilla and almond extracts. Simple enough. One of my main concerns with making my own creamer is that it won’t last as long in the fridge, since it isn’t chock-full of artificial stuff and preservatives, obviously. I ended up making the whole recipe (end product is about 2 C), and I’ll see how long it lasts.

You heat the milk and cream just until it starts to steam, then add your flavorings. The recipe recommended straining out the spices, but I didn’t have anything fine enough (note to self: buy cheesecloth), so the cinnamon that didn’t settle to the bottom make it in. It has since settled to the bottom in the container (below) so it’s not a problem in the coffee.

I have one of those handy-dandy Tupperware salad dressing shakers that I don’t use (I usually make so little at a time that I just whisk it together in a small bowl), and I thought it would be perfect for this, and it was. The 2 C fit perfectly and it seals well with a great pour spout–hurray!

And the verdict on the creamer is…

….unfortunately, only so-so. It’s not as sweet, which isn’t that bad since it’s probably better for me to get used to a less-sweet cup of joe, but I still want SOME sweetness. In terms of texture, the creaminess of it was great. And there are definitely hints of cinnamon and the extracts, but overall, I don’t think it added much flavor. So, I think I’m going to try another recipe next time. Or adjust on my own. I’ve been adding about a teaspoon of sugar to my cups in addition to the 2 tbsp (72 calories = about the same as the bottled kind) of homemade creamer. Deliciously Organic has some additional recipes that seem to have a different ratio of cream to sweetener, so I might try one of those next (after calculating the calorie-count!) to see how I like it.

However, making my own creamer has made me wonder, do I even NEED a flavored creamer? Wouldn’t sugar and milk or half-and-half do just fine? Maybe. But I do want to enjoy my coffee, and I really like tasting a distinct flavor. Which brings me to my next point: the flavor of coffee.

One day, when our little Keurig bites the dust (it’s actually starting to make some funny noises), I’d like to get a really nice coffee maker and grind my own beans. I mean, if I’m going to have a cup every morning, I’d actually like to (one day) be able to really TASTE the coffee itself, and have an appreciation for a certain type of bean or roast. I mean, if I’m going to grind my own beans and make it in a french press or something like that, I don’t want to dumb-down that hard-earned flavor with bottled crap!

So, perhaps I’m just starting out on this journey to transition from Kuerig coffee with creamer to good coffee in a coffee maker. For now, I think I’m still interested in experimenting with homemade recipes–one that will give just enough sweetness and actual flavor, without breaking the caloric bank or pumping me full of artificial ingredients.

I’ll keep you posted! Happy SUPER BOWL Sunday all–I’m off to the pool for a swim before church 🙂

BBB

Happy Saturday morning, all! How I wanted to sleep-in, Hadrian nudged me awake at 5 (at least he made it that long!) and despite having Andrew take him out, I couldn’t really fall back asleep. Knowing I have to fit a run in before I leave for my haircut a 9 (just a trim!) makes my brain start working…

Baklava Butter and Bran! I’ve been meaning to get these photos and recipes out since I made them LAST weekend, and since it’s now the beginning of a new weekend…well, I did my best.

I’d purchased the ingredients for Good to the Grain’s Molasses Bran Muffins awhile ago, but never got around to actually making them.

In terms of actual product, they turned out quite well. The texture was great and they were very moist. However, they are featured in the Amaranth flour chapter, and Amaranth has a bit of a, well, “dirt-like” taste to it. I mean, it’s not like you’re eating dirt or anything, but you definitely get a hint of the flavor of the flour, which is very earthy. Quinoa flour is a lot like Amaranth.

While I think of Good to the Grain (GG) as one of my very favorite cookbook (reserved for the likes of Barefoot Contessa, Foster’s Market and King Arthur Flour’s Whole Grain Baking), I have to offer this HUGE disclaimer: Unless you are prepared to buy a gazillion small bags of different, hard-to-find types of flour, do not buy this book. I’m definitely having a blast baking my way through it, (my goal is to make EVERYTHING) and a couple of the chapters are dedicated to widely available varieties, like whole wheat, buckwheat, spelt and rye. However, the rest of the chapters cover kamut, millet, quinoa, teff, etc… I ended up placing a huge Bob’s Red Mill order awhile back and all my small bags of flour take up the entire door of my freezer.

Anyway, I love the book but it’s definitely not for everyone. I’ve really enjoyed reading it and getting to taste the nuances of the different flours and some of the recipes are absolutely fantastic. This one, however, wasn’t all that great. It’s not that there was anything wrong with it; I just don’t know how often I’ll be making bran muffins with Amaranth flour.

Back to the goodies…

PRUNE BUTTER!

The Molasses Bran Muffins called for homemade prune butter, which couldn’t be simpler.

Recipe:

1 C orange juice

1.5 C prunes

Warm juice, pour over prunes to soften (about 15-20 minutes), then puree in a blender or small chopper.

The recipe made about 3x what the muffins needed, so I (happily) ended up with some leftover to put in a jar. I mixed a little with some goat cheese on a homemade bagel here. If you’re afraid of prunes, don’t be. They’re just dried plums (who doesn’t love plums?!) and they are awesome. I think Sunkist (or Sunsweet?) makes a version that has “cherry essence” in them or something. Not sure how natural those are, but they are like candy, let me tell you.

Baklava Butter!

OK, this one takes the cake for being the most awesome recipe EVER. If you’re a nut butter lover (ahem, Emily and Susy, this is for both of you!), make this IMMEDIATELY. You will not regret it. It’s such a snazzed-up version of regular peanut or almond butter, and (surprisingly) has fewer calories!

Recipe:

2/3 C almonds, roasted

1/3 C pistachios, shelled

1/3 C cashews, roasted

1/4 C honey

1/4 C water

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Just throw them all in the blender and pulse away! Mine came out a bit “chunky” but they were tiny pieces and I kinda liked the texture.

The Baklava Butter was featured in the most recent issue of Cuisine at Home, and since some of you are into these, here are the stats:

Serving size: 2 Tbsp, 145 cal, 9g total fat (1g sat), 0mg cholesterol, 28mg sodium, 14g carb, 2g fiber, 4g protein

I love it on toast with some orange marmalade (or a little more honey–it’s a little dry) or with a banana. Seriously incredible, people. I WILL be making this a staple in the nut butter rotation.

While I’d LOVE to do more baking this weekend, I don’t know if our tummies can take it! I just made a loaf of bread (it didn’t fall!) and I still have some muffins left over in the freezer, as well as a bunch of slices of the Honey Polenta Cornbread (from GG) that I made with beef stew last night. Andrew wasn’t a huge fan (apparently he doesn’t really care for honey, who knew??), but it was basically like a brown cornbread with a thick, gummy honey layer mixed into the top. Wonderful warm. I had a piece for breakfast and it (along with some plain yogurt) kept me full til AFTER running an errand after school–WOW!

Anyway, with all of our leftovers (and a hubby who doesn’t like to “finish things off” so as not to waste food–so unlike the father of my childhood), I don’t know that I can justify another batch of anything for at least a few days. My recipe-finding is exponentially faster than my recipe-making…sigh.

This calls for a celebration!

My bread didn’t fall!

Hallelujah! The top might have a few “finger pokes” in it, but it didn’t fall!

Man, did I babysit this one! I called King Arthur Flour the other day and the. Ice lady on the other end confirmed that I have been over proofing my bread this whole time. Apparently, using a warm oven to let your bread rise shortens the time… Like, exponentially. Seriously, this bread had a recommended 1-2 hour first rise, and it was finished in 40 minutes! The second rise, which is always where I fail, only took 40-50 minutes, instead of the stated 1.25-2.5 hours. I was running back and forth like a crazy person, but it’s all worth it now 🙂

Not only do I now have awesome bread, but I feel so much smarter already!