Pumpkin Spiced Teacher Fuel

I've heard about those mysterious creatures who can show up to school for a day of teaching without having had any coffee, but I've never actually met one in person. They're elusive! Maybe one day.

For the rest of us who run on richly brewed caffeine, I have a bit of a hack for us.

Good 'ol Starbs gets expensive, but sometimes one mug-full of the homebrewed stuff is only enough to power you through the "getting ready for the day" portion of the morning. Sometimes you need more. (Often times you need more.) And isn't it a lovely surprise when you find that there's still some coffee in the pot when you're just about ready to head out to your classroom? Wouldn't it be even better if it tasted like a PSL you just paid for with several hours of educating without actually having to part with that cash?

I'll tell you from experience: it is.

Here's what you need:

• A coffee syrup dispenser like this (I grabbed this set because I liked that they were somewhat thinner and came with labels, but if you're quick, Target has some in bullseye's playground for like $3 or $5 right now)
• Water
• Brown Sugar
• Either Pumpkin Spice pre-mixed seasoning or these spices: Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Clove, Ginger
• Pure Vanilla Extract

Bear with me on this part - I rarely deal in exact measurements in the kitchen. Blasphemous? Perhaps. I use them where it counts, but the rest is always measured with the heart and I've lived 4 decades...there's no changing who I am at this point.

The one precise measurement I'll give you is this: a ratio of 1:1 water to brown sugar. You can start with 1 cup of each to make sure you like this or go big with 2 cups of each to really fill up that syrup dispenser. Either way.

Put your 1 or 2 cups each of water and brown sugar into a small sauce pot on the stove, and stir the heck out of them until the sugar is fully dissolved while bringing your mixture to a really light boil. Don't go wild here, you'll end up with caramel. Just let some bubbles and steam happen while you dissolve away, and then you're good to cut the heat.

When you cut the heat, add in your spices and vanilla. Stir, stir, stir. Some of the spices will still be evident - they're not going to dissolve away like the sugar did. It's all good. Also: def do not add the vanilla while boiling and dissolving, you'll boil away the flavor entirely.

Let this mixture cool. Once it does, give it a good stiry-stir again to re-combine all the spices up in there, and then pour it into your syrup dispenser. (Mine came with a cute little funnel if you get the ones I linked up there.)

That's it! The whole process takes like 5 minutes, and then another single minute once it cools to pour it into the container. Easy-easy.

I like to put maybe 2 pumps of this syrup over ice, pour in my coffee, then top with half and half. It's delicious, and powers me through the school mornings! Save your paychecks for all those Ticonderogas you're flying through and skip the drive-thru! (But really, save it for you and all that adorable "bows on everything" trend happening right now - the girlies love a "preppy" teacher!)

This post contains a single affiliate link at no cost to you! This means that if you click through and make a purchase, I may make a teeny tiny commission. It's pennies! But every little cent helps support this blog and my teaching journey! I appreciate you!! xo