Flavored coffee creamer recipe

Hah!  I knew that would get your attention.

Little back story, this is a blog after all.  Up until about 4 years ago, I was never a big coffee drinker.  I tried a cup now and then, but never finished it.  Never really cared for it.  Then we had a really brutal (for us) winter.  With the cold temps outside and a chill in the house (and not wanting to turn the heat up), Dh and I, followed by our oldest son, began drinking coffee both in the morning and at night.  Dh always was a coffee drinker so no change for him there.  I have to say, though, my transition to coffee drinker was aided by a good sale paired with coupons on flavored coffee creamers.  Now I can drink it with or without flavored creamers.  In other words I have to have my coffee each day.  Not black though.  Ugh!  Never been able to do that.  Anyway, we still like flavored creamers but don't buy them often due to expense.  So enter a homemade version.  HAZAAAA!

 You can google "homemade coffee creamer" and get many recipes.  Some organic, some using raw honey, ground nuts, vanilla beans, etc.  All seem to have about the same base: 1 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk and 1 3/4 cups milk preferably whole milk.  Store bought sweetened condensed milk can be pricey so the savings using that for homemade creamer would be small over just buying creamer when on a good sale at the store.  Especially when you factor in the fact that you are making your own.  Making coffee creamer isn't that time consuming, but you want the best return on your investment.  So here is the answer.

Make your own sweetened condensed milk!

 Don't have that recipe?  We fear not!  Here tis:

Sweetened Condensed milk

1 cup dry milk powder
2/3 cup of sugar
3 TBS butter or margarine melted
1/2 cup boiling water

The recipe says you can blend until smooth, but I mixed mine really quick in a quart size mason jar with a whisk (love whisks! the unsung heroes of the kitchen).

So after you have your sweetened condensed milk ready, and it will still be warm, which you want.   Now for your

Flavored coffee creamer:

Sweetened condensed milk (what you just made)
1/3 cup additional sugar
1 3/4 cups milk preferably whole (cause it will be creamier)
1 Tbs vanilla extract - you can go nuts at this point.  Season it in whatever way you want. This is how you make your creamer your own.  You can use extracts of different flavors, or coffee syrups, spices like cinnamon or nutmeg.

You are gonna mix all this up in the order I have listed it.  There is a method to my madness.  The sugar added to the still warm homemade sweetened condensed milk will allow it to dissolve easier.  Now if you choose to use a powdered spice like cinnamon or Cocoa powder, adding them before the milk will also allow them to dissolve better.  Syrups and extracts can be added whenever.

This recipe makes about 3 1/2 cups of creamer.  You can reduce the fat by using low fat milk and making your condensed milk without the butter/margarine, but what fun is there in that!  Just kidding.
Maybe!