I am a lover of coffee. But it’s not just the coffee that I drink every morning—it’s what I put in it. I am also a lover of flavored creamers. But they can get costly, so I started to make my own. Here are some tips on how you too, can make your own. Make sure you store them in glass containers to ensure freshness. They make great gifts as well. If you have family members that are Cholov Yisroel, this is an especially nice thing to do for them as I don’t think you can purchase flavored coffee creamers that conform to that standard.

Cinnamon Strudel Coffee Creamer

Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

4 Tbs maple syrup

1½ tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

Instructions:

Whisk together milk, cream, maple syrup and cinnamon in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When the mixture begins to steam, remove from the heat. Stir in extracts. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, pour into a glass bottle and store in the refrigerator.

Chocolate Almond Coffee Creamer

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy cream

2 Tbs cocoa

4 Tbs maple syrup

1 tsp almond extract

Instructions:

Whisk together milk, cream, cocoa powder, and maple syrup in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When mixture begins to steam, remove from the heat and stir in almond extract. Pour in a glass container and store in the refrigerator.

Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer

Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

3 Tbs pureed pumkin

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

4 Tbs maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

Whisk together milk, cream, pumpkin, pumpkin spice, and maple syrup in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When mixture begins to steam, remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, pour into a glass bottle and store in the refrigerator.

French Vanilla Coffee Creamer

Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

4 Tbs maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla

Instructions:

Whisk together milk, cream and maple syrup in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cut vanilla bean in half and scrape out seeds. Add seeds and vanilla bean to milk mixture. Turn off heat, cover the pot and steep for 30 minutes. After mixture has steeped, strain through a fine mesh sieve, pour into a glass bottle and store in the refrigerator. (If you don’t have a vanilla bean on hand, simply replace it with 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract)

Peppermint Mocha Coffee Creamer

Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

4 Tbs maple syrup

3 Tbs cocoa powder

1 tsp peppermint extract

Instructions:

Whisk together milk, cream, maple syrup, and cocoa in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When mixture begins to steam, remove from the heat and stir in the peppermint extract. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, pour into a glass bottle and store in the refrigerator.

Gail Hochman is a longtime resident of Bergen County and has been blessed with many grandchildren.

By Gail Hochman