Calling all Veganuary participators, this one’s for you!

With the start of 2024 comes the wave of New Year’s resolutions, which have traditionally consisted of purging any leftover Christmas chocolate in the house and the rise of gym memberships (which we all know will be cancelled by March.) However, it has recently become all about what is trending on social media or what your friends are up to. There are now Worldwide movements you can get behind, such as Dry January and Veganuary. These are met with more success than the typical wasted gym memberships, with a whopping 9 million people in the U.K. giving up booze for the whole month of January. People seem to be starting to stick to their resolutions by having a common goal and being in it together. Hurrah for teamwork! With this, lifestyles are being adjusted, whether temporarily or not. Today, Two Chimps will give those participating in Veganuary a recipe to satisfy that sweet tooth craving for something with an aroma of freshly baked cinnamon rolls. Yummy

 

Vegan Cinnamon Spiced Latte

What is Veganuary?

This name was born from people adopting a Vegan lifestyle for January as part of their New Year’s resolution. A vegan is a person who does not eat meat or anything produced from animals, such as eggs, milk, honey, etc. Since 2004, Vegan-friendly products have been on the rise, with brands like Quorn, Vivera and Beyond Meat producing multiple meat and dairy alternatives. Worldwide milk substitute consumption grew from 3.7 billion kilograms in 2013 to 6.3 billion kilograms in 2020. These milk alternatives are now widely offered in coffee shops and restaurants, making it easier to practice a Vegan lifestyle. This is predicted to increase, with approximately 45% of people who consume plant-based products planning to increase their intake in the next three years. Activities such as Veganuary reinforce this statement, as many people experiment with this way of living. We want to provide you with the perfect home recipe to create a coffee-based Vegan alternative to your usual caffeinated drink. This latte is ideal for those colder days, providing that cosy, warm feeling at first sip.

How is this drink Vegan?

This recipe uses plant-based double cream and barista oat milk to avoid animal-based dairy products. Now, companies aren’t just labelling this version of oat milk as ‘barista’ for aesthetics; it is formulated to work best with a milk frothing device. In a nutshell, milk from a cow is made up of fat, protein, and lactose. When steamed with a milk wand, the proteins in the milk start to expand and stretch around the air bubbles generated by the steam. Paired with the sweetness from the broken-down lactose and thickness from the natural fats, you are left with a lovely foam layer on top of your milk jug. These are missing in oat milk as it is without lactose and has a significantly reduced fat content. Barista-style milk alternatives incorporate more fat to create a creamier texture, which will react better to being steamed.

To avoid sweeteners or syrups containing honey, we will create a simple syrup flavoured with an incredible Turkish blend of drinking spices. This combines Cinnamon, Cardamom, and Nutmeg Clove to create the ultimate warming fusion. Seriously, the aroma of this alone will make you want to snuggle under a blanket by the fire.

Enough of the science. Tell us how to make this latte!

 

Ingredients

For the Cinnamon Spiced Syrup:

¼ Cup Granulated Sugar

½ Water

2 Pinches of Turkish Drinking Spice

Coffee Glaze:

¼ Cup Icing Sugar

2 tsp Espresso

1 tsp water

The Latte:

Double espresso of our orange-labelled coffee

1-2 tbsp Cinnamon-Spiced syrup (depending on how sweet you like your coffee)

1 cup Barista Oat Milk

100ml Vegan Double Cream

 

Method

For the Cinnamon Spiced Syrup:

  1. Heat a small saucepan on medium heat. Add the sugar, water, Turkish drinking spice and simmer for 4-5 minutes until the sugar dissolves.
  2. Remove from heat and set aside. Once cooled, it can be placed in an airtight container for seven days.

Coffee Glaze and Whipped Cream:

  1. In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, espresso, and water. Stir until a smooth consistency. This will drizzle on top of the latte. If it is too dry, add more water!
  2. Add your vegan double cream to a bowl and whisk until thickened.

Time to ensemble! 

  1. Put your oat milk into a jug and steam. Grab your latte glass and pour your double espresso, topping with the frothed milk. Add and stir as much syrup as you want (depending on how sweet you like your coffee!). Then, top with generous amounts of cream, drizzling on that silky coffee glaze. Take a sip and enjoy.

Desperate to try but running low on coffee? No worries, Two Chimps has you covered!

All coffees!

Charlotte Dibble

Meet the chimp behind this article!
Charlotte joined Two Chimps after completing her BA Hons in Graphic Communication and Illustration at Loughborough University. She also earned two diplomas: Art and Design Foundation and Professional Studies.

What Charlotte does outside of the treehouse:
In her spare time, Charlotte is a keen baker and loves to bring delicious treats for the team to enjoy during their Monday tea break. Charlotte likes to practice her drawing and painting skills to relax, usually with one of her cats sitting on her lap to keep her company!

Charlotte says…
“I’m thrilled to join the Two Chimps Troop after five years of studying. I get to write blogs, design, manage social media, and connect with our amazing customers every day. It’s always exciting, and I learn something new every day!”

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