Five Easy Ways to Spice Up Coffee Over the Holidays

For die hard coffee drinkers, the holidays give us new ways to enjoy our favorite morning beverage. It is during the holidays when grocery stores roll out their lineup of Holiday flavored creamers and stock the shelves with holiday favorites such as candy canes, pumpkin pie, and eggnog. With all these flavorful holiday ingredients, it is so easy to turn a boring cup of coffee into a scrumptious holiday beverage.

Need some ideas of how to spice up your morning cuppa joe? Here are five of our family's favorite ways to flavor coffee during the holidays.

Eggnog. If eggnog is a holiday staple in your refrigerator, you'll be happy to learn that this holiday beverage can be used in lieu of liquid creamers. To use, pour in a couple of tablespoons (more or less) of eggnog into your coffee cup, add the coffee, stir, then sprinkle with a dusting of nutmeg.

Pumpkin pie spiced. While you can buy ready made pumpkin spice coffee creamer, our family prefers the homemade variety instead. To flavor your morning coffee with pumpkin spice, add a teaspoon of pumpkin spice mix to your coffee grounds before brewing. Pour yourself a cup of this fresh brewed mix, add cream & sugar to taste and top with a pinch of cinnamon.

Irish coffee. Irish coffee is a great way to warm up after a day of playing in the snow. To prepare, pour a jigger each of Irish Whiskey and Irish cream liqueur into a mug. Fill with hot coffee and top with a dollop of fresh whipped cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg.

Peppermint mocha. Always a seasonal favorite, peppermint mocha recipes are as varied as the people who enjoy them. My favorite way to make this delicious cup of coffee called for Dutched cocoa powder, half & half, crushed peppermint sticks, and a pot of fresh brewed coffee.
1. Spoon rounded teaspoon of cocoa in a coffee mug.
2. Fill 3/4 full with hot coffee, stir.
3. Add a tablespoon of half & half, stir again and then sweeten with crushed peppermint.

Ginger Snapped Coffee. Rounding up the list of great ways to spice your holiday coffee is a blend of flavors that taste as yummy as spice cake. These spices are added to the basket before brewing.
1. Measure desired amount of ground coffee beans into your filter basket.
2. Spoon in a tablespoon of freshly grated orange peel, one tablespoon of minced crystallized ginger, 1/2 tsp ginger and 1/4 tsp cardamon to the filter basket. Brew.
3. Add sugar & creamer to taste for each individual mug of coffee, top with a dollop of whip cream and a dash of cinnamon.