Why You’ll Love This
The Holiday Spice Flat White grabbed me at first sip this year! Not too sweet, perfectly spiced with a touch of tangerine. I am making it at home several times a week. Don’t judge…the struggle is real! You can have this at home any time of the year! You will save loads of money. You can adjust the sweetness and flavors to your desired taste. Looking for Christmas treats to accompany this coffee? Try our old fashioned molasses cookies, pumpkin spice latte biscotti, cranberry pistachio biscotti, and gingerbread biscotti recipe.
How to Make Starbucks Holiday Spice Flat White
Here’s the setup. And, yes, I’m still using my holiday mugs too! I would use them all year if my husband would allow it. I made a tangerine sugar. 1 cup of granulated sugar + 1 tablespoon of tangerine zest = mix. I use 1 1/2 teaspoons of tangerine sugar mixed with cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Place the spice mixture in your vessel (mug) of choice. You can mix it right in the mug or use a small bowl to mix, then transfer it to the coffee mug. Starbucks pulls ristretto shots of the Christmas Blend Espresso Roast. Ristretto is a shorter espresso pull that differs in taste because it’s more concentrated, resulting in a bolder, fuller flavor. I cannot do the ristretto technique with my automatic espresso machine. It locks up, and it has to be reset to go back to full working order. I pull one shot of espresso for a mug this small directly over the spice mixture, then give it a swirl or two. (Normally, I’m making a travel mug to go and pull two shots) Enjoy this flat white with one of our Pumpkin Muffins! Steam the milk. I have read that Starbucks uses steamed whole milk for the Holiday Spice Flat White. I usually only have skim milk in my fridge, so that’s what I use. Choose what you like. Pour the steamed milk over the espresso and when almost full, stream the foam right down the middle of the mug for that signature dot. I think I did fairly well with this one. And I typically use more foam than they do. It’s just a preference. Wrap your hands around that mug, breathe deep, and sip away on this delicious espresso infused with warm holiday spices and topped with a light foam! I think my version comes extremely close to Starbucks. I have added a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg a couple of times. It didn’t quite taste like theirs but still very tasty.
Tips and Variations
You can use your milk of choice, such as almond milk, coconut milk, or oat milk. Just be aware that these all steam differently, and you won’t necessarily get a microfoam.Use can use any citrus fruit. A regular orange will work too.You can use the tangerine sugar immediately, but the citrus flavor does get stronger if you let it sit for a little bit. You can also use a sugar substitute like granulated monk fruit. I have only tested this with Lakanto Golden monk fruit.You don’t have to use Starbucks Christmas blend espresso roast beans. Choose your favorite.Although flat whites typically aren’t served with whipped cream on top, you can certainly indulge and try it out for yourself.
