How to Make a Homemade Latte in 5 Easy Steps

by Jennifer Brown

Have you ever woken up craving a hot frothy latte? Let me tell you about a fun, fast, and frugal way to get that cup in your hand! Since I developed this quick and easy latte recipe, my entire family has been begging me to prepare a cinnamon or cocoa sprinkled frothy mug.

Using the tiny immersion frother makes this so simple, my kids are now even treating me to my favourite morning beverage! I grind the coffee beans to order using the Magic Bullet—regular, flavoured, decaffeinated, or a blend.

1.     First, the coffee part:

I generally use 50% extra strength coffee, with half the usual amount of water. For my personal favourite method, I freshly grind the beans using the small container of my Magic Bullet (I just love this little unit for fruit smoothies as well, but that’s another story!). Then, I brew in a French press coffee pot—I just let the coffee strengthen while I heat and froth the milk. Feel free to experiment with your own coffee brewing method, or save time by using instant coffee dissolved in half a cup of boiling water.

2.     Next, heat and froth the milk:

Fill a microwave-safe cup or mug one third full with milk, and heat on high 1 to 2 minutes or until hot. Alternately, heat milk in a small saucepan on medium-high heat until steamy, and bubbles form around the edge of the pan.

**Helpful hint:** If you are making lattes for a crowd, you might prefer the stovetop method for heating milk—just fill your mugs one third full with milk, then pour into pot for the correct amount of milk every time! (And test your pouring technique from the hot pot over the sink—you may prefer, like me, that you prefer to ladle the hot milk back into the cups!).

Using a tiny immersion frother, froth the milk right in the mug, “stirring” in a counter-clockwise motion until the volume has doubled. Be sure to place the frother well below the surface of the milk before you press the power button, and release the power button before lifting out—but remember, never cry over sprayed milk! My immersion frother (also called an electric frother) uses 2 AA batteries, and only cost about $10—it pays for itself in the price of purchasing two large lattes J

3.     Sweeteners/Flavourings:

I like adding any sweeteners, chocolate syrup (yummy!), or any flavour syrup that can be purchased from your favourite coffee shop, into the milk at this point, and mixing slightly with the immersion frother.

4.     Add the coffee:

Once my mug of hot milk is frothed and flavoured to taste, I carefully add my prepared coffee, give a gentle stir, and smooth over the top layer of froth.

5.     Final touch!

With a shaker or sieve, sprinkle cinnamon or cocoa lightly over top of the froth.

**Hint** To ensure a fine dusting of cinnamon/cocoa, test over a plate first, holding the sieve/shaker high above the counter.

ENJOY!