Hello everyone. I'm glad to be back at the blog again after being away for so long. I had so much to do and think about for a while, it took me a few months to sit myself down and make another post. But it's worth the wait, I think, because
I invented a new coffee drink
I can almost guarantee nobody is making this coffee just like I am. I say this because I don't know of anybody making the toasty marshmallows like I am. And they are the key to this yumminess.
We're going to get right into the recipe, but I want to explain a little about the marshmallows first.
You will need toasty marshmallows. I am tempted to call this a Nutella Crunch Latte, but I digress. I was trying to do something else with the marshmallows, but wound up making a mistake, and decided to make a coffee drink with the mistake.
I did a dumb.
But dumb like a fox!!!!!
Ahem. Let us proceed.....
We're going to get right into the recipe, but I want to explain a little about the marshmallows first.
You will need toasty marshmallows. I am tempted to call this a Nutella Crunch Latte, but I digress. I was trying to do something else with the marshmallows, but wound up making a mistake, and decided to make a coffee drink with the mistake.
I did a dumb.
But dumb like a fox!!!!!
Ahem. Let us proceed.....
THE TOASTY NUTELLA LATTE RECIPE
Basic directions: Make coffee how you want. Stir Nutella into hot coffee. Crush up all but one marshmallow. Steam or froth milk, attempt latte art, mess up latte art, stir coffee, since no one will care, because you are sprinkling marshmallows on it anyway. Sprinkle marshmallows on failed latte art. Garnish with remaining marshmallow.
Drink before anyone asks you about failed latte art. Wash cup and all other utensils and put toasty marshmallows in a secret place where only you can get to them. Repeat as often as desired.
- 2 oz strong coffee of your choice
- 1-2 tablespoons Nutella
- 3-4 crunchy toasted mini-marshmallows
- 1/2 cup milk of your choice
Basic directions: Make coffee how you want. Stir Nutella into hot coffee. Crush up all but one marshmallow. Steam or froth milk, attempt latte art, mess up latte art, stir coffee, since no one will care, because you are sprinkling marshmallows on it anyway. Sprinkle marshmallows on failed latte art. Garnish with remaining marshmallow.
Drink before anyone asks you about failed latte art. Wash cup and all other utensils and put toasty marshmallows in a secret place where only you can get to them. Repeat as often as desired.
The first time I made this, I used coffee I made in my Aeropress, two ounces worth. This time it was evening, so I decided I wanted decaf, so I used instant decaf crystals. You could use two ounces of any kind of strong coffee you like. If you have an espresso machine, use a double shot of your favorite.
I put the electric kettle on, and got other things ready while I waited for it to boil.
I put the electric kettle on, and got other things ready while I waited for it to boil.
The next ingredients are milk and Nutella, or store brand hazelnut spread, whatever you like. I got my milk cup ready for the frothing later. Of course I can't microwave that cup, so I poured 1/2 cup milk (whatever kind you like) into a glass measuring cup and got ready to put it in the microwave. I can't use the electric kettle and the microwave at the same time in my kitchen, so that step has to wait.
The star of the show, the toasty marshmallows. I took about 3 or 4, crushed up all but one with that little 2 cup measuring shot glass thing (it's pretty heavy for its size, so it works well, just use what you've got) and left the last one for a garnish.
All these things get set aside until the coffee is made.
So, if you're using instant, pour two ounces of boiling water over your coffee crystals. As soon as you can, put a spoon of Nutella in there.
Stir until the Nutella is melted and mixed in.
Is it time for the marshmallows???
Not yet.
Warm up your milk. If I take milk straight from the refrigerator, it usually takes about 30-40 seconds to get it to a good temperature. I'm usually trying to get it to about 120-130° F. Don't go over 160° (You'll probably burn the milk at that point).
Sorry for the blurry picture. It was the microwaves!!! Yeah, the microwaves are the reason I took a blurry picture..... ::eye roll:: ROFL
So, the hot milk is transferred to the steaming cup. And since I don't have a machine, today I'm using this Bodum hand frother. I also have one of those other Bodum manual frothers that is essentially a French Press that you can't actually use as a French Press because it is missing parts, but I've only had marginal success with that, so I decided to get this other thing and try it. (Thank you for putting up with my run-on sentences) I'm actually having a bit more success in getting close to achieving latte art with this thing. I'll link to the video that kind of gelled in my mind how to achieve milk that you probably can do some latte art with without an espresso machine. I'll put it at the end of this post.
Essentially you want to get the frothing wand in the milk enough so that you're not getting a bunch of frothy noise, but still getting a whirlpool (but not the air vortex in the middle). You want to froth for about 20 seconds until the milk is glossy and silky but you don't have a bunch of big bubbles on the surface. I actually did pretty well this time. Tap the cup a few times on the counter and swirl the milk around. Does that do anything? I don't know. But all the YouTube baristas do it, so I guess I should.
Latte Art Break
THE CLOSEST I'VE COME YET
THE OTHER ONE I CAN'T PUT ON THE INTERNET BECAUSE FULTON SHEEN WOULD BE ASHAMED OF ME
STIR IT UP AND NOBODY WILL BE THE WISER
Ok, back to business..
Sprinkle the crunched up marshmallows on top, and garnish with the uncrunched marshmallow. I guess you could garnish with more than one. But these are so sweet, I wouldn't do more than two.
I guess there's some kind of S'mores version to be made alongside this with chocolate syrup instead of Nutella and graham crackers worked in somehow (I'm thinking graham cracker infused milk) but I'll figure that out later.
And now, a word about today's sponsor:
CRUNCHY AMAZING TOASTY MARSHMALLOWS
I stumbled across these by accident. I had some bags of mini-marshmallows that I didn't use for a while, I used some, but after the bag was opened, moisture got in there, and while they didn't get moldy or stale or bad tasting, they were all stuck together. I just made some rice krispy treats with them. However, I wanted a way to keep them for longer, and drying them up seemed like a good way to do it.
So, I put some on a cookie sheet in a warm oven for about 4 hours, and they dry up nicely. You do have to make sure there's a bit of space between them because, surprise, they swell up as they dry.
I've been slowly going through a new bag of mini-marshmallows, drying up some whenever I get the chance, eventually I will have dried the whole thing. The day before yesterday seemed like a perfect day to make some more. I had baked some sourdough, some mini-apple pies, and tuna pot pies for dinner. I had just turned the oven off from baking the pot pies at 350° and figured that the oven would be warm enough to dry out some more marshmallows. As it turns out, it was a bit TOO warm. The marshmallows shrank up a bit and browned a little. I was disappointed at first.
Then I tasted one.
And then I knew.
I knew what I had to do.
CRUNCHY AMAZING TOASTY MARSHMALLOWS
I stumbled across these by accident. I had some bags of mini-marshmallows that I didn't use for a while, I used some, but after the bag was opened, moisture got in there, and while they didn't get moldy or stale or bad tasting, they were all stuck together. I just made some rice krispy treats with them. However, I wanted a way to keep them for longer, and drying them up seemed like a good way to do it.
So, I put some on a cookie sheet in a warm oven for about 4 hours, and they dry up nicely. You do have to make sure there's a bit of space between them because, surprise, they swell up as they dry.
I've been slowly going through a new bag of mini-marshmallows, drying up some whenever I get the chance, eventually I will have dried the whole thing. The day before yesterday seemed like a perfect day to make some more. I had baked some sourdough, some mini-apple pies, and tuna pot pies for dinner. I had just turned the oven off from baking the pot pies at 350° and figured that the oven would be warm enough to dry out some more marshmallows. As it turns out, it was a bit TOO warm. The marshmallows shrank up a bit and browned a little. I was disappointed at first.
Then I tasted one.
And then I knew.
I knew what I had to do.
Little mini-marshmallow shards of heaven.
They are a bit crunchy before they get wet. That's why you could probably call this a Latte Crunch.
They add just enough toasted marshmallow flavor without being overpowering. And the marshmallow bits get re-hydrated by the coffee a bit and make little fluffy taste treats right there on your spoon. And I'm a huge fan of Nutella, so that was a natural add-in for me.
And, yes, a S'mores option is probably forthcoming pretty soon.
And, as promised, here is the link to the YouTube video on how to use a hand frother to froth milk for latte art: CLICK RIGHT HERE
They are a bit crunchy before they get wet. That's why you could probably call this a Latte Crunch.
They add just enough toasted marshmallow flavor without being overpowering. And the marshmallow bits get re-hydrated by the coffee a bit and make little fluffy taste treats right there on your spoon. And I'm a huge fan of Nutella, so that was a natural add-in for me.
And, yes, a S'mores option is probably forthcoming pretty soon.
And, as promised, here is the link to the YouTube video on how to use a hand frother to froth milk for latte art: CLICK RIGHT HERE
Well, that's all the coffee related things for today. Watch this space for the inevitable S'mores version I know I'll be making before Valentine's day hits.
And, anyway, any ideas for a good Valentine's coffee drink? Let me know.
Thanks for letting me ramble on about coffee, and hope to see you again! Thanks for reading, Ciao.