Sweet pure maple syrup, frothy milk, and umami matcha, oh my! Together they make a warm Fall sipping beverage with an energy kick from the maple sweetness and caffeine punch from the matcha powder.
Recipe:
2 cups milk of choice, warmed.
2 TBSP Pure maple syrup
1/2 cup warm dairy milk for foaming; OR heavy cream for whipping.
2 tsp matcha powder
Optional: poured through strainer or powder shaker through a leaf-shaped cookie cutter placed on top of drink.
Stir maple syrup into milk, warm large mug in microwave for 2.5 minutes, watching that it doesn't boil over.
In a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, add warm milk OR heavy cream. Beat on high until thick foam or whipped cream with stiff peaks is achieved.
Spoon onto milk and maple mixture. Place maple leaf cookie cutter on top of mug. Holding a strainer, or using a powder shaker filled with matcha powder, sprinkle powder over cookie cutter trying to stay in the lines as much as possible. ( As you can see from the picture, it won't be perfect!)
Enjoy immediately! Especially if using foam instead of whipped cream, the bubbles will fall quickly and the matcha will turn to paste once it hits anything wet.
Mmmmmmm holding the mug with both hands to sip this frothy sweet drink, and somehow only feels appropriate in fall or on rainy days. We're a few weeks out from seeing the latter, so I take my chance during this quite afternoon. Indulging in a sweet beverage with real maple as the sweetener is so nice. I've felt particularly inspired this week with the changing seasons. I have to be careful not to indulge into creative mania however, with ideas half-baked and half-attempted, leaving projects and their remnants everywhere. But the nature, food, scents, and activities have all brought joy to my spirit so much this week. Despite my husband's work schedule getting even crazier and feeling stretched even thinner, somehow I've managed to stay on top of the basics at home. I've enjoyed my time with my son so much lately, I always do but this stage has felt extra special. He's always so happy (though has started entering a phase of occasional tantrums), and experiencing all the wonders of fall through his eyes has been a wonderous experience.
I've been dying to go through and update my Fall wardrobe. I finally got a chance to sneak off to the Goodwill last week, and found some adorable fall pieces. This is the first fall I've enjoyed since losing weight, and that was my first celebratory thrift store trip. When I reached goal weight, retail shut down. A few months after the reopening, I was shocked to find that size medium clothes are so much easier to find than double XL's are. Even cute jackets with tags still on! I was able to remove a few things from my Amazon cart.
I look forward to all this season holds, things we have planned, events, and outings. Before I know it, my maple drink is gone! I wait for the caffeine to kick in before getting up to grab a spoon to finish my foam. Not quite enough to motivate me to go out and sweep up all the acorns, but enough for some engaged play time after my son's nap.
Be well,
-Elle.
