By Mercedes Halliburton
Staff Writer

When I was a child my mother would swipe through huge recipe books looking for cookies and drinks to make in the fall. She would whip up pecan pie, chocolate spice cake, tangerine pound cake, and oatmeal cookies in what seemed like a matter of seconds. My brothers and I drooled as she set the warm treats on the kitchen table, reminding us not to eat them or we would burn our tongues. Every year she makes different recipes, experimenting with spices and nuts, and every year autumn fills a bigger space in my heart. 

As a teenager, it is my turn to experiment with recipes and surprise my family with delicacies and drinks. A couple of days ago I was searching the web for a cool drink to celebrate autumn. I plugged the word “pumpkin spice” into the search bar and there it was, the recipe I would be serving to my future children. 

SideChef created a Homemade Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino recipe that will blow your mind. Make yourself and your family a fall frappuccino and start enjoying this magical season!

This recipe serves two: 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of whole milk
• 1 ½ cups ice
• 1 fl oz of espresso, brewed
• ¼ cup heavy cream, chilled
• Pumpkin Spice Syrup:
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 cups of water
  • 3 cinnamon sticks or 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground cloves
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • ½ tsp whole nutmeg
  • 3 Tbsp canned pumpkin purée 

Directions: 

1. Add 2 cups of water and 2 cups of granulated sugar to a saucepan over medium heat and stir until sugar is dissolved.
2. Add in 3 cinnamon sticks or 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp of ground ginger, ½ tsp of the whole nutmeg, and 1 tsp of ground cloves and stir to combine. Bubble for 15-20 minutes.
3. Add the 3 Tbsp of canned pumpkin purée and whisk to combine, then remove from heat.
4. Strain and cool. Store leftover pumpkin spice syrup in the fridge.
5. In a blender, combine the 1 cup of whole milk, 1 ½ cups of ice, 5 tablespoons of pumpkin spice syrup, and 1 fl oz of espresso.
6. Pour mixture into a cup.
7. To make the whipped cream topping, whip together the ¼ cup of heavy cream and 3 tablespoons of pumpkin spice syrup until it reaches stiff peaks.
8. Swirl a couple of tablespoons of whipped cream on top and enjoy your fall frappuccino!