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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Hofstra chapter.

Let’s be real: The holiday season is both the most wonderful time and the most stressful time of the year. Last minute gift shopping, family drama, finals week, and seasonal depression all seem to hit at the same time. A festive sweet-treat is unfortunately not the solution to these problems. However, a holiday beverage can be the perfect pick-me-up to bring joy back into the holiday season.

These four barista approved holiday drinks are perfect for people that are looking to save money this holiday season instead of buying daily overpriced coffees from big corporations. Furthermore, these recipes are perfect for those who want to treat themselves and their loved ones with delicious hand-crafted holiday beverages.

Latte Art
Kelsey Emery / Spoon
Gingerbread chai latte

Ingredients

  1. First, add one ounce of gingerbread syrup to a cup.
  2. Then, add four ounces of chai concentrate on top of the gingerbread syrup.
  3. After that, add four ounces of any milk of choice over the chai and syrup mixture. 
  4. For a hot latte, warm the chai and milk mixture on the stovetop or in the microwave. An optional step is to froth the warm milk with a handheld frothing wand for a latte foam effect. (If an espresso machine is accessible, the milk can be steamed and then added to the syrup and chai mixture with no frothing needed.) For an iced latte, simply add ice to the syrup and chai mixture.
  5. Top with either cinnamon powder or pumpkin spice topping. Sip and enjoy!
Gingerbread Man Cookie
Photo by Evelin Horvath from Unsplash
Iced Sugar cookie latte

Ingredients

  1. Add one ounce of sugar cookie syrup or two tablespoons of the sugar cookie creamer into a cup.
  2. Combine two teaspoons of instant espresso into four ounces of hot water with a whisk or handheld frothing wand. If an espresso machine is accessible, pull two shots of espresso. 
  3. Pour the espresso over the syrup/creamer and stir. Then pour eight ounces of milk over the espresso mixture. 
  4. Add ice to fill the rest of the room in the cup. 
  5. An optional addition is sugar cookie cold foam. Froth or whisk together three tablespoons of heavy whipping cream, two tablespoons of two percent milk, and one tablespoon of either sugar cookie syrup or the frosted sugar cookie creamer until it turns into a thick consistency. 
  6. Top with cold foam and festive sprinkles. Sip and enjoy!

This latte can also be made hot by warming the milk with methods described in the gingerbread chai recipe and skipping the step of adding ice and cold foam.

Christmas sugar cookies
Photo by Jonathan Meyer from Pexels
Toasted white chocolate cold brew
  • Cold brew or iced coffee of choice 
  • Heavy whipping cream
  • Two percent milk
  • White chocolate sauce
  • Toffee nut syrup 
  1. Add one ounce of toffee nut syrup to a cup.
  2. Then, add twelve ounces of cold brew to a cup. 
  3. Add ice to the cold brew, leaving about an inch of room at the top for the white chocolate mocha cold foam. 
  4. Froth or whisk together three tablespoons of heavy whipping cream, two tablespoons of two percent milk, and two tablespoons of white chocolate mocha sauce until it turns into a thick consistency. 
  5. Pour cold foam on top of the ice so the cup is filled. An optional step is topping cold foam with either caramel drizzle, sprinkles, cinnamon powder, or any other topping that seems fitting! Creativity is encouraged to make any of these recipes one’s own. Sip and enjoy!
peppermint Hot Chocolate
  1. Warm eight ounces of preferred milk in any method that is ideal for the tools accessible to you. For example, there’s the stovetop method, microwave method, and traditional steaming wand method. 
  2. Stir in hot chocolate mix and one ounce of peppermint syrup. (Adding peppermint syrup can be skipped if peppermint hot chocolate mix is being used). 
  3. To optionally make this a peppermint mocha, combine two teaspoons of instant espresso into four ounces of hot water with a whisk or handheld frothing wand. If an espresso machine is accessible, pull two shots of espresso. Then pour espresso into the peppermint hot chocolate and stir. 
  4. Top with whipped cream and then sprinkle crushed peppermint candy canes and marshmallows on top.
  5. Sip and enjoy!
hot chocolate in mug
Photo by Kreated Media from Unsplash

The syrups that will be mentioned in these recipes can be found online as well as in store locations including TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Home Goods for a discounted price.

Hopefully these recipes inspire a creative approach to what is seemingly the average daily cup of coffee. Happy holidays!

Brooke is a Senior English Major at Hofstra University. She loves writing poetry, attending concerts and browsing bookstores for new romance reads.