For An Extra Luscious Latte, Make It Like French Toast

While at first French toast and lattes may seem like they belong in entirely different universes, and shouldn't be combined, just think about it for a second. Both are sweet, warm, and comforting, and both are synonymous with slow and enjoyable starts to the day. Still with us? Great. So it does actually make sense to infuse all the flavors you associate with French toast into your morning coffee (whether or not you serve it alongside French toast is up to you!).

The basic idea is simple. For a rich, sweet latte, take your coffee or espresso and add cinnamon, vanilla extract, maple syrup, and a splash of heavy or whipped cream before topping it with steamed milk. While the premise is basic enough, the technique matters. For starters, cinnamon is a spice you should definitely try in coffee but it does not dissolve well on its own. For best flavor, it helps to whisk it into your coffee or some water as opposed to just sprinkling it on top of the final product. The maple syrup and vanilla will dissolve just fine, and both make the drink taste much closer to actual French toast than just some granulated sugar would.

When it comes to the dairy element of it all, choose what you like best. While heavy cream or half-and-half will give your French toast latte that slightly more "dessert-y" feel, you can stick to whole milk, smooth and creamy oat milk, or whatever you usually add to your coffee. Other additions should do enough heavy lifting to carry this into indulgent territory.

Once you've got the basic cinnamon-maple latte flavor down, the fun has only just begun. You can add all kinds of extras — additions like salted maple cold foam, whipped cinnamon butter and sweeteners like homemade lavender syrup or blueberry syrup all fit the French toast theme. Or go for something even richer like dark chocolate shavings or a spoonful of a rich, chocolatey spread like Nutella. Most of these additions mirror the sort of toppings you'd put on actual French toast. Cold foam is an especially easy and worthwhile upgrade because it creates some of the richness of custardy French toast without making the drink really heavy. 

If you want the coffee to actually taste like French toast and not just "sweet coffee" then you want to think about balancing the flavors at play. French toast is sweet but not aggressively so, it is also rich and buttery and even a little salty so you want to use your additions with a little control and balance. If you've added a lot of sweetness, a pinch of salt can go a long way to enhance and balance it. And if you're not a hot coffee drinker, this would also make for a fantastic iced latte to enjoy in warmer weather; the same ingredients will translate well into a cold version shaken over ice instead.