Roasted Pumpkin Lattes with Cinnamon Sugar Pecan Shortbread
cozy roasted pumpkin lattes with sweet cinnamon sugar pecan shortbread cookies
Ingredients
Cinnamon Sugar Pecan Shortbread
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup very finely chopped pecans
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Roasted Pumpkin Puree
- 1 medium pumpkin, quartered
- oil, as needed
- kosher salt, as needed
- 2 tbsp hot water
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- ¼ tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
Lattes
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 cup roasted pumpkin puree (from above)
- 1 star anise
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 8 shots of hot espresso (2 per latte)
- cinnamon, for garnish
Instructions
1. Combine the softened butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Cream the butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
2. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter, mixing on low until incorporated. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Lastly, mix in the pecans.
3. The dough will be somewhat crumbly. Use your hands to transfer it to a clean surface. Form it tightly into a ball, and then begin to form it into a log (about 2 inches in diameter). Use a piece of plastic wrap to continue to help tightly shape it into a log, while also wrapping it up. Chill the dough for 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F. Combine the remaining sugar and cinnamon and set aside.
5. Once the dough has chilled, unwrap it and use a serrated knife to gently cut the dough into ¼-inch cookies. Roll each cookie in the cinnamon sugar to evenly coat it on all sides. Place the cookies on a baking sheet, about ½” apart.
6. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven, sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar, and let cool.
Roasted Pumpkin Puree
1. Preheat the oven to 375F. Carefully cut the pumpkin into quarters, leaving the skin on. Remove the seeds. Coat the pumpkin with a light coating of oil on all sides. Place it on a baking sheet and season with a pinch of salt.
2. Roast the pumpkin for about 45 minutes, or until tender. Let the pumpkin cool slightly. Scoop out the flesh and discard the skins.
3. Add the pumpkin flesh (you want about 1 ½ lbs) to a food processor, along with the hot water, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Process until smooth.
4. Use immediately or reserve in the fridge, tightly covered, for 5 days.
Lattes
1. To make four lattes, combine the whole milk, 1 cup of pumpkin puree, and star anise in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk until smooth.
2. Gently bring the mixture to a simmer. Lower the heat fully and let cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove the star anise.
3. Transfer the mixture to a blender, along with the maple syrup. Blend on high until smooth and foamy, just about 30 seconds.
4. Pour the hot espresso into 4 mugs. Pour the pumpkin milk mixture right over top.
5. Lightly sprinkle each latte with cinnamon and a pinch of the cinnamon sugar mixture from the shortbread (optional). Serve the lattes with the shortbread.
Notes
The cinnamon sugar shortbread will make approximately 24 cookies. The roasted pumpkin puree makes enough for about 12 lattes. The latte recipe makes 4 lattes, but can easily be doubled or tripled if serving many people at once. Store any remaining pumpkin puree in the fridge, tightly sealed, for making lattes another day (keeps for up to 5 days).