Fresh Strawberry Latte

I was making strawberry syrup for a dessert when I was inspired to try to combine strawberries and coffee. Generally speaking, coffee and strawberries don’t mix much. Even at coffee shops, strawberry drinks are usually coffee-free. That being said, raspberries, oranges and other fruits/fruit syrups are frequently combined with coffee with great results. Encouraged by this line of thinking, I did a little bit of experimenting and realized that strawberries and coffee do go quite well together!

I made my own strawberry syrup for this drink by combining strawberry puree and sugar. I mixed the sweetened syrup with some espresso, topped it with steamed milk and had a very grown-up version of strawberry milk to enjoy! Since I was making a big batch of this for a dessert sauce, I strained mine, but the strawberry seeds are so tiny that they won’t impact the drink if you want to skip that step. I like this drink hot, but if you add an extra tablespoon or two of syrup to your drink, it should make an nice iced version, as well.

Fresh Strawberry Latte
2 1/2 tbsp strawberry syrup (recipe below)
2-oz espresso
8-oz steamed milk

Whisk together strawberry syrup and espresso until well-combined. Add additional sugar, if desired. Pour into a tall latte glass and top with steamed milk.
You can also make this with half coffee and half milk, if you don’t want to use espresso.

Serve immediately, or top with whipped cream, drizzle with extra strawberry syrup for a dessert presentation.

Simply Strawberry Syrup
1 cup strawberry puree
1/2 cup sugar

Combine ingredients in a small saucepan and cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Transfer to a small bowl and cool before using.
Sauce can be strained to remove seeds if desired.