Let's face it. There aren't great options for dairy free creamers. Most are too thick, too thin or filled with a ton of fillers & artificial sweeteners in order to add flavor, viscosity and to keep them from separating. In our house, we use almond milk (homemade or store bought) + some sort of sweetener, like Truvia ( yes, we know it's still artificial but hey, you like what you like). While I like to make my own almond milk, using a shit ton of almonds for something we use in such mass quantities doesn't really make sense in terms of time or money spent on the effort. While reaching California hippie level 10 was a welcomed achievement, I started repurposing the homemade almond milk as coffee creamer by adding different favor combinations. While it added delicious flavor, it was far from "creamer" more like flavored almond water (fyi, homemade almond milks tend to separate quite a bit).
UNTIL NOW!
Adding "creaminess" did increase prep time by about 20 mins vs my standard almond milk recipe IT IS WORTH IT. This ended up much thicker and really doesn't separate much at all.
Note: I used a juicer but because blenders are a more common kitchen appliance I've used that method in this recipe. Both work equally as well.
Yields: 3 cups
INGREDIENTS:
1.5 cups Raw Almonds ( soaked in water for anywhere between 4-8 hrs)
5 pitted Dates ( or more if you like sweeter coffee)
3.5 cups cold (filtered) water
2 Teaspoons Maple Syrup (optional. Can also replace/use in replace of dates)
1/4 Teaspoon Sea Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla
1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon
In a blender, add Almonds, Water & Dates. Blend until almonds are "pulp-y".
Place your cheese cloth over a large mixing bowl, making sure there is enough cloth to hang over the sides. Pour the mixture into the bowl. Slowly lift the cheese cloth making a pouch of almond mixture and squeeze the liquid into the bowl. Squeeze more...you want to get out all of the liquid! You should have 3.5 cups of liquid. If not add more water to the pulp until you have 3.5 cups. Set the almond pulp to the side, for use in a bonus round.
In a 2 quart sauce pan, add the liquid and the remaining ingredients ( Maple Syrup, Salt, Vanilla, Cinnamon). Whisk to combine. Bring to a boil while periodically stirring. A boil over will sneak up on you, so make sure to stir regularly. Reduce the heat and bring to a simmer. The goal is to reduce the liquid by 1/2 a cup (more or less depending on your desired thickness. This took me about 20 mins).
Transfer to a jar or container to cool. SHAKE WELL before using.
* Use this as a base to create all of your favorite flavors! I left 2 cups "original" and added 1/2 Teaspoon of Pumpkin Pie Spice to the remaining cup. SO GOOOD. Other options might be adding more Vanilla, Mint/Cocoa powder if Mochas are your thing, or even almond or coconut extract.
BONUS ROUND!
Remember the almond/date pulp that you set aside?
Spread it flat on a baking pan and dry out/toast in the oven at 300 degrees for about 10-15 mins. Use this to add nuttiness to homemade granolas, sprinkle on acai bowls, or bake into breads/cookies in place of some of the flour (you might need to use a blender or food processor to get it to a finer consistency).
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