This 3-Ingredient Coffee Topping Starts With A Sweet Trader Joe's Fall Staple

When autumn rolls around, so does pumpkin spice. And we're not complaining! Many treats, from the fairly obvious (cheesecake) to the more unexpected (pecan pie), can be made better with a pumpkin spice twist. Capitalizing on — or perhaps driving on — the seemingly society-wide love for all things pumpkin, brands release new pumpkin-flavored products just in time for peak squash season. Trader Joe's is no exception. This year, the company has stocked its pumpkin cream cheese spread (a seasonal favorite) in addition to a variety of other similarly fall-flavored products, like bagels, brioche, bisque, and even dog treats. But some of these items can be the foundation for something totally new and unexpected. For example, the pumpkin cream cheese spread can be turned into a unique cold foam topping for your next iced coffee or tea.

To make a cream cheese cold foam, pumpkin or otherwise, you'll blend softened or whipped cream cheese with some milk and whipping cream. For unflavored cream cheese, you may want to add some sweetener and possibly a small splash of vanilla. But in this case, the pumpkin cream cheese should bring plenty of flavor by itself. You can always give it a taste before using it, adding more sweetener, spices, or even salt to taste. Blend the ingredients using a milk frother if you have one, but if not, a blender or immersion blender can work as well. Dollop it on to an iced cold brew, latte, or whatever your beverage of choice happens to be. 

If you frequent boba shops, cream cheese cold foam is very similar to the cheese foam that gives milk teas a tangy twist and thicker texture. So, you could certainly use this cream cheese cold foam to top a homemade pumpkin spice boba drink, but it would pair well with an iced pumpkin spice latte, chai, hojicha, or even (to take inspiration from Starbucks), an iced matcha. In fact, if you want to be totally on trend, you may want to opt for the iced matcha, as this Asian-inspired drink is taking over the traditional pumpkin spice latte in popularity.

The Trader Joe's pumpkin cream cheese spread comes in an 8-ounce tub for less than $3. While it's not labeled as a "whipped" cream cheese, it has a slightly whipped texture, making it easier for both spreading and whisking into a cold foam. If you truly can't get enough of this squash in your diet come autumn, pair your pumpkin cheese cold foam topped PSL with a Trader Joe's pumpkin bagel smeared generously with some more of that fall cream cheese spread. Go one step further by sprinkling some pumpkin spice pumpkin seeds on top for an additional dimension of texture and protein. After all, you can never have too much of a good thing ... right? Fans of this spread also recommend using it on gingersnap cookies, cinnamon raisin bagels, pretzel crisps, and cinnamon graham crackers, so feel free to pair any of these with your cold foam-topped beverages.