The Ultimate Healthy Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Latte

 
Last week, I shared about how my friend’s husband offered me a ticket at the spur of the moment to see the St. Louis Cardinals play the San Francisco Giants when I posted this recipe. (← I’m absolutely obsessed with those and nearly ate all 32 by myself!) Because I love baseball as much as baking, I can never refuse tickets to see a major league game, so I called in sick to my “boss” (aka myself… one of the joys of being a full-time blogger!) and headed into the city.  

Because of their connections, my friend and her husband secured special wristbands for our whole group that allowed us to watch batting practice on the field. We stayed in a roped-off section of the warning track dirt in between the visitor’s dugout and home plate along with a few other Cardinals fans, and many of the players stopped by to pose for pictures and sign autographs for the little kids.
 

 
The entire time I stood there, soaking in the experience and watching famous ballplayers casually scribble their names with sharpies on kids’ t-shirts, hats, and baseballs, a huge grin planted itself on my face and goose bumps spread up and down my arms… And not because of the cold!

When the team walked back into their clubhouse to change out of their practice jerseys, our group climbed the stairs from the field to the concession stand level and navigated through the crowds of people to our seats. For the next three and a half hours, we cheered on our favorite players, yelling excitedly with every hit and jumping up and down as each player crossed home plate.
 

 
Although our team lost, we still enjoyed ourselves (and the decadent Ghirardelli hot chocolate with a mountain of whipped cream on top certainly helped!). While the rest of the crowd immediately headed for the exits after the final out, our group stayed in our seats for about fifteen minutes. With their same connection, my friend and her husband handed out another set of wristbands to our group that enabled us to walk out through the same tunnel as the players!

Because of the massive amount of cars all trying to get from the parking lot to the freeway at the same time, we finally arrived home after midnight. After unlocking my front door, I stayed up a little longer to finish up some time-sensitive blog work. Yet somehow, despite that late bedtime, my internal alarm clock still woke me up at the same hour as a typical weekday the next morning.
 

 
I definitely needed extra caffeine to make it through that day, especially since my mom and I bought tickets to see the same two baseball teams play again (can you tell I’m a big fan??), so this Ultimate Healthy Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Latte sounded absolutely perfect! It has the same irresistible flavor as the iconic Starbucks drink but with a decadent chocolaty twist, and with absolutely no sugar and just 32 calories… I was so tempted to make a second one!

What would you have done?? ?
 

 
To make this healthy latte, you’ll start with unsweetened cashew milk. I absolutely love unsweetened cashew milk, and I buy it more often than regular cow’s milk these days! It’s really thick and creamy, but it only has 25 calories per cup. Even better, it works perfectly in almost all of my baking recipes! How awesome is that??

To that, you’ll add pumpkin purée, cocoa powder, and spices. Remember to use regular ol’ pumpkin purée! Skip the pumpkin pie mix; that contains refined sugar, which we’re avoiding in this healthier recipe.

You’ll also use regular unsweetened cocoa powder. I don’t recommend using Dutched or special dark cocoa powder because their flavor will mask the pumpkin taste too much. As for the spices, you’ll whisk in a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. If you prefer, pumpkin pie spice will also work!
 

 
To sweeten the latte, you’ll use one of my favorite ingredients: vanilla crème stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that’s clean eating friend and very concentrated. A little goes a long way—you’ll only need 16 drops for this latte! This is the kind that I buy because I love its warm flavor and don’t notice any strange aftertastes like with some other stevia products. You can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, but I usually buy it online here because that’s the cheapest price that I’ve found. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)

Now all that’s left to do is brew your coffee or espresso, heat up that milk mixture, and…
 

 
Ahhhhhhh. Pure bliss! And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! ?) I’d love to see your latte and feature it in my Sunday Spotlight series!

View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
 
 
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♥   The Ultimate Healthy Pumpkin Spice Latte
♥   Pumpkin Spice Latte Protein Overnight Oats
♥   Pumpkin Spice Latte Energy Bites
♥   Skinny Chocolate Chai Latte
♥   Skinny Gingerbread Latte
♥   Skinny Hot Chocolate