- Coffee
- 18 g
A latte with a homemade spiced-biscuit syrup of brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom and nutmeg, finished with biscuit crumbs on top and another biscuit for dunking.
By Equipo Cocinoa
What you need
Tap each piece to see its catalogue entry.
- EssentialEspresso coffee makerWater to 9 bars of pressure through fine and pressed coffee. Here are the machine types, from the lever to the double boiler.€150–3500approx.View on Amazon
- RecommendedEspresso grinderElectric grinder with very fine adjustment, designed for espresso. It matters more than the machine itself.€150–700approx.View on Amazon
- RecommendedMilk jarThe steel pitcher with peak to vaporize and texturize the milk. It helps you get microfoam and draw in the cup.€10–30approx.View on Amazon
- RecommendedCazoThe oldest and most simple method: coffee and water in a bowl, rest and decantation. It serves for the puchero coffee, the cowboy coffee and even the Turkish.€10–30approx.View on Amazon
- OptionalPoultryA fine mesh strainer to separate the pores, strain the cold brew or filter cocktails. Cheap and indispensable.€3–15approx.View on Amazon
- OptionalGlass jarA glass jar with a lid serves the cold brew, to shake drinks and to save coffee. The cheapest accessory.€2–10approx.View on Amazon
- OptionalThermometerTo know what temperature the water, milk or grain are at. Useful if your kettle does not regulate and almost compulsory to toast.€8–30approx.View on Amazon
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No Espresso coffee maker? This works too
- Italian coffee maker (moka)€20–60The life-long stove coffee maker: the steam pushes the water through the coffee. Intense, with body and very cheap.
- AeroPress€35–55A plastic cylinder with plunger: immersion and a soft pressure. Versatile, resistant and almost unbreakable. Ideal for travel.
- Portable espresso€130–350Hand and compact equipment, type Picopresso or Flair, that reach the pressure of the espresso without electricity. To travel or to begin.
Method
Put 125 ml of water in a saucepan with the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves and nutmeg. Bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
3 min
Lower the heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Turn it off, add the vanilla and leave to stand for 10 minutes so the spices settle.
15 min
Strain into a clean jar through a fine sieve lined with a paper filter or muslin, so it is not gritty. You will get about 150 ml.
Crumble 2 biscuits between your fingers into coarse crumbs.
Put 30 ml of syrup (2 tablespoons) in each warmed mug, make a double espresso on top (see the ‘Espresso’ recipe) and stir.
Steam the milk in two batches, 200 ml per mug, to 60–65 °C with a fine foam.
Pour the milk over the coffee, scatter the biscuit crumbs on top and serve with a biscuit on the saucer for dunking.
Tips and warnings
Thin spiced biscuits, speculoos in Belgium and speculaas in the Netherlands, are baked for St Nicholas in early December and eaten throughout the holidays, often dunked in coffee. That is where this latte comes from, with its blend of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom and nutmeg.
- With biscuit spread: for the coffee-shop version, melt 1 tablespoon of spiced biscuit spread into each espresso instead of the syrup. It comes out thicker and sweeter.
- Plan for guests: the syrup keeps for 3 weeks in the fridge in a clean jar; shake it before use. You can triple the quantities. The biscuits stay crisp for about 2 weeks in a well-sealed tin.
- If you bake the biscuits yourself, the same spice blend works for the dough.
- Common mistake: not straining the syrup: the ground spices settle at the bottom of the mug like sand.
- The biscuits contain gluten and often soya; check the label if there are allergies.
- No machine? A short coffee from a moka pot, about 60 ml per cup.
One last thing
One biscuit for dunking and another turned into a latte. If this mug tasted like a celebration, dunk a ko‑fi our way.