Monday Quick Fix – Dessert in a Jar, take two

Remember that time, not so long ago, when I shared a Thin Mint homemade coffee creamer for your Monday Quick fix? Well, today’s quick fix trumps that! At least for me, I am big into balance. I do not care for anything super sweet and when I do have sweets, I like savory to balance.

 

So when I ran out of Thin Mint Creamer, (thankfully on Saturday morning instead of Monday morning this time, much less dramatic) I thought for a bit and then went digging through my pantry… Salted Caramel, that was all I could think about!

Well, I had some coarse sea salt on hand (“check,” says Aubie Cakes) and I had my sweetened condensed milk and I had my vanilla almond milk (“check, check” – Aubie Cakes) and then, as if my magic, I found some caramel sauce from a recent birthday party (“My horsey 5 year big girl birthday party”, corrects darling Aubie) just begging to be used and the next thing you know, I had my most favorite flavor combination in the world, in a jar. And I get to use it every day (for approximately the next two weeks, at which point I will probably make more!)

Salted Caramel Coffee Creamer

Ingredients:

(1) 14 oz can Sweetened Condensed Milk

(2) cans full Vanilla Almond Milk – give or take depending on room in your jar (just like last time this could be soy or really any milk of your choice, just know that will alter the amount of caramel you need to use due to the sweetness of the vanilla milk)

coarse sea salt

caramel sauce

Directions:

Just like before pour your sweetened condensed milk and your milk of choice into the jar and give it a really good shake.

Open it up carefully and then add approximately 3 pinches of salt (the salt will dissolve over time so be careful not to add too much)

Now the caramel part is really subjective.  added 4 good squeezes, approximately 1/2 C I would say, more or less to your liking is totally fine! This is your creation now!

Stir, shake, stir, taste, mmm that’s good, taste a little more just to be sure, yep, stir again, now make coffee and enjoy!

**Remember: The creamer itself should have a lot of flavor because your coffee will mask it. If you don’t take your coffee too strong, don’t make your creamer too strong, or only use just a little at a time. Either way!

 

Guess, what guys, that’s it! It is a quick fix after all! Enjoy!!!

 

and if you just so happen to have a batch of my fresh, home made macarons laying around to go with this you are in for a treat!

What’s that you say? You need some of my macarons? Well, I’d be happy to make you some!

Monday Quick Fix – dessert in a jar…for your coffee

Oh man you guys, I just couldn’t wait to share this. Just a short little quick fix to cure your case of the Mondays! (Or Tuesdays depending on when you are reading this.)

Recently, I began making my own liquid coffee creamer. It’s my own concoction of several different recipes and suggestions I found all over the web, with my own spin on it. It is incredibly good, you can make it for pennies on the dollar, it’s healthier than the store bought creamers, and it lasts approximately 2 weeks… if you can keep it around that long, that is! My last batch – (“Va-nin-a” – Aubie Cakes) – lasted almost 2 weeks and I only made about 3/4 of a 1 quart mason jar full.

Well, it ran out. Boo. On a Monday. Double boo. . And if you know me at all, you know I have a serious coffee problem. I just lurve it – and I don’t use the ‘lurve’ lightly, y’all.  But I do love my flavored creamers. I don’t take sugar or anything just a little bit of some tasty flavor and I am good. to. go. But without it… well, let’s just not even go there, it’s ugly. Needless to say, Tuesday is just around the corner and there will be coffee so there must be creamer.

Now, I don’t know about the rest of you out there in blog-land but around here I cannot escape Girl Scout Cookies. I have yet to cave, I am doing good so far (side bar: girl scout cookies have become pricy little buggers,  I have at least come close enough to know what they cost) but I do love me some Thin Mints. Which got me to thinking about one of my favorite seasonal creamers, peppermint mocha. And that led me to think about how could I make a Thin Mint creamer. Guys I am here to tell you, I am nothing if not determined, but it only took one try. I made my very own Mint Chocolate Creamer with ingredients from my pantry (read: FREE DOLLARS, y’all) that is to die for and tastes like Thin Mint Cookies… craving satisfied. I could just eat it by the spoon full. Truth be told, I did just that a few times. Don’t judge me, you’ll see! Just try it! Besides, I can’t have coffee after 2 pm or I am a total insomniac. Sad but true. So a spoonful will have to do until morning.

Just look at that little heart that my spill made. It’s a sign, it is just that good you guys!

Let’s just get right down to it:

Mint Chocolate Coffee Creamer

Ingredient List:

(1) 14 oz can Sweetened Condensed Milk

(2) cans full of vanilla soy milk (refill your condensed milk can) *If you only have milk, that is fine too, it will just be slightly less thick and your jar may be too full for two cans full.

(2) tsp mint extract (more or less to your liking)

(1) tsp Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder

(1) tsp Unsweetened Cocoa powder

(1) quart sized Mason jar with screw on lid

Directions:

Add condensed milk and soy (or regular) milk in jar, shake well

Add mint and both cocoa powders, shake well

Open jar, stir. The cocoa will take a while to be absorbed so re-seal it, pop it in the fridge, and just give it a shake any time you get int the fridge and before use.

Trust me on this, it is desert in a jar … for your morning coffee. ‘Till next time, enjoy babies.

*ps. I am thinking of making the quick fix a permanent fixture around here, pun intented. What do you think? The main difference is the length and complexity. But, you might have noticed, it’s shot completely on my iPhone. Which does make it quicker and easier to publish for me… so ‘quick fix’ is really fitting in so many ways. What do you think? Fun feature or miss the good quality photos and longer text?