Cinnamon Dolce Latte

A warm, sweet and spicy Cinnamon Dolce Latte gets me through Mondays. Well, all the other days, too. It's made with pantry ingredients, and it tastes just like the coffee shop!

As we have discussed many times before, I am a tea drinker. However, I have space in my life for coffee, specifically this cinnamon dolce latte, because of two little kids that think the sunrise is an alarm clock

I am dealing with this by making a strong cup of something hot as soon as they're up, which is why I love my London Fog drink. It's my main drink of choice, but when I want something a little stronger, I reach for this cinnamon dolce latte. Plus, I don't have to fuss with a tea bag when I make this latte.

It's a copycat Starbucks recipe, and honestly, it's the first thing I've ordered there that I will order again. I usually like to try all the new fun flavors and over something new every time, but this cinnamon dolce latte has become my go-to.

My kids go for a strawberry milk if we do the drive-through at the coffee shop, which I happily make at home, but they swear tastes better at the shop. I'm sure that has nothing to do with the excess of sugar the shop uses, when compared to my homemade version, of course.

If I'm alone with my older kid, I let her order a Starbucks Double Chocolate Chip Frappuccino. It's especially refreshing after a long day swimming! I will order this cinnamon dolce latte iced on those days.

How to Make a Cinnamon Dolce Latte

Seriously, this recipe is as easy as dumping and stirring everything together.

I love that all of the ingredients are almost always in my pantry or fridge. If you have instant coffee, cinnamon, milk, and granulated sugar, you can make this cinnamon dolce latte at home!

If you fell into the trend of making Dalgona coffee a few years ago, no doubt you have some instant espresso powder laying around.

The Ingredients

• Instant Espresso Powder. This can be a Starbucks via packet (which conveniently contains 2 teaspoons, the exact amount we need for this drink), or it can be from a jar. Instant coffee granules work just as well here. I use espresso powder in baking a lot, especially in my chocolate dessert recipes.
• Cinnamon. I highly recommend a fresh jar of very finely ground Ceylon cinnamon for this recipe. Yes, the dusty jar in the back of your pantry will technically work, but Ceylon cinnamon has lovely citrus and floral notes, while other cinnamons are just spicy.
• Milk. You can use any type of milk or plant-based milk here, but please note that the milks that froth the best contain lots of fat or oil. Real cow's milk dairy half and half is my all-time favorite, but my husband uses oat milk successfully.
• Granulated Sugar. Just two tablespoons of regular granulated sugar. The heat of the milk frothing will dissolve the sugar. You can use any type of sugar replacement that suits you, if you prefer.

The Directions

1. Gather all ingredients and pre-measure the night before, if you want this to come together quickly in the morning.

2. Bring the 1 cup of water to a boil, and then stir in the instant coffee and ground cinnamon. Whisk very well to dissolve.

3. Whisk the sugar into the milk.

4. From here, you can either pour the milk and sugar mixture into a milk frother to heat up, or you can use a stick frother. If you're using a stick frother, it will not warm the milk mixture enough to dissolve the sugar, so in that case, warm the milk in the microwave before frothing. A milk frother heats and froths milk at the same time.

5. Combine the warm, frothy sweet milk with the coffee, and serve immediately. This recipe makes 1 cup, but can be doubled or tripled.

How to Make a Cinnamon Dolce Latte better

• The type of cinnamon you use matters. Ceylon cinnamon is so fragrant and has a citrus aroma. Not all cinnamon is the same. Some just registers 'heat and spice' on your palate. Seek out Ceylon and you will love it.
• Slowly pour a small amount of hot water into the cup and whisk like crazy to dissolve the cinnamon. Sometimes cinnamon doesn't dissolve into coffee, but whisking it into a small amount of water helps.
• If your cinnamon is coarsely ground, add it to the cream instead of the coffee when making this recipe. This will help disperse it.
• A nice milk frother that heats and froths milk at the same time is pricy, but so very worth it, in my opinion. I linked to my favorite one.

Other homemade coffee drinks:

• Caramel Latte
• Chai Latte
• Chai Hot Chocolate
• Iced Mocha Recipe