Clean & Skinny Gingerbread Latte | Amy's Healthy Baking (2024)

This easy recipe requires just 5 minutes to make & exudes warm, cozy holiday flavors. Enjoy this fancy coffee shop drink in the comfort of your own home for a fraction of the price!

Last Wednesday, I flew to Chicago to attend the annual BlogHer Food Conference, and I purposely scheduled my flight to arrive two days before the events began to spend time exploring the city. If you’re following me on Snapchat (I’m @AmyBakesHealthy!), then you already saw many short vide clips of my adventures. For those of you that haven’t downloaded the app, don’t worry! I included some photos from the trip below today’s recipe.

The weather completely cooperated on my first full day in Chicago, and with only a mild wind and temperatures around 70°F—that’s balmy for Illinois this time of year!—I set out to wander around the city on foot. The hotel sat only half a mile from the infamous Cloud Gate (aka Chicago’s “Jelly Bean!”), so I started my adventure by snapping photos both far away and up close of my reflection like the rest of the tourists in Millennium Park.

From there, I headed further south to walk past the Art Institute of Chicago before wandering around Grant Park, where I stumbled upon the stunning Buckingham Fountain undergoing renovations, which reminded me of something you might see on the grounds of Versailles, the palace outside of Paris. I wandered along the edge of Lake Michigan before retracing my steps back to the spot where Michigan Avenue, one of the main throughways, crossed the Chicago River.

I climbed down a set of stone steps, joining the long queue of people waiting for one of the top-rated river boat tours. I snagged a seat on the outside of the ship, and after the captain welcomed us aboard, we started chugging through the water as the tour guide kept up a constant commentary about the history of the huge skyscrapers lining the river.

The next 75 minutes flew by as I snapped photo after photo, all while simultaneously trying to keep my hair from whipping around my face (the winds grew stronger on the water!) and soaking in the information from the witty guide. I learned that…

♥The Chicago River is the only one in the world that flows backwards.
♥Chicago earned its “Windy City” nickname from politicians, not weather patterns.
♥Mrs. O’Leary’s cow didn’t actually kick over a lantern to start the great fire of 1871.
♥The opening bank robbery scenes from “The Dark Knight” (the Batman movie) were filmed in the old abandoned post office.
♥“Chicago” actually comes from a Native American word that has been translated to mean “stinky onion,” due to the highly fragrant smells coming from the plants growing along the river when the settlers arrived.
♥The vacuum cleaner, zipper, Ferris Wheel, Cracker Jacks, and Twinkies were all invented in Chicago.
♥The first skyscraper ever built was located in Chicago—at a whopping nine stories tall.

By the time we cruised up and down the river and landed back at the dock, the sun was just beginning to fall beneath the horizon. Darkness quickly arrived, much faster than I’m used to in my suburban California town, but the wind never died down. Those two things, combined with the miles of walking from earlier in the day, made me crave a cup of hot coffee, so I walked a few blocks up the street to the nearest café.

Although highly tempted to order what my dad calls a “fou-fou” drink like a latte or cappuccino, I balked a little at the price tags on the menu board and rethought my request. I opted for a plain black coffee instead, but as soon as I got back to California, I recreated the drink that initially called my name…

This Skinny Gingerbread Latte! It’s full of cozy spice flavor and perfect for the upcoming season, especially because it’s so simple to make. You just need 5 minutes and 5 ingredients, including the coffee!

This healthier recipe starts with milk. You’ll warm that up in a small saucepan—or even the microwave, if you’re running short on time—along with the two ingredients that create the iconic gingerbread flavor: ground ginger and molasses.

Don’t skip the molasses! It creates the rich background flavor that’s so prominent in gingerbread baked goods. Molasses is a dark, very thick syrup-like liquid with a consistency similar to honey, and you can find it on the baking aisle near the other sweeteners. It’s inexpensive, and you can use the rest in these scones, these cookies (SO good!), these donuts, quite a few of my granola recipes, and all of my bran muffin recipes!

To sweeten the latte, I used vanilla crème stevia. Stevia is a no-calorie, plant-based sweetener, and it’s very concentrated. A little stevia goes a long way! You’ll only need about 4 drops for this latte, or a little more if you prefer sweeter coffee drinks. I love the SweetLeaf brand, and you can find it in many health-oriented grocery stores, as well as online.

Since many of us own regular coffee makers instead of espresso machines, you’ll use double-strength coffee in this latte. A shot or two of espresso works just fine too! Use whatever you prefer or have on hand. Once the milk mixture is warm, simply pour it into your hot coffee…

And enjoy!

P.S. Remember how my dad calls lattes “fou-fou” drinks? And always prefers his coffee black? He actually drank—and thoroughly enjoyed—one of these, and he already requested another on Christmas morning!

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Chicago Photos!

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