(Delicious and Chemical-free!)
Those that know me well know that I am a big-time coffee (and creamer) lover. I drink my coffee sweet, with lots of creamer. Flavored creamer, to be exact. I never claimed to be a coffee purist like my dad, who will always and forever drink his coffee black. I may lose some respect from the coffee purists of the world, but hey – I like my sweet creamer.
Have you ever looked at the ingredients on your favorite store-bought creamer? It’s not very comforting. My favorite kind (Coffee Mate) has no actual cream in it. The main ingredients are water, sugar, and partially hydrogenated oils. Needless to say, it’s not the healthiest stuff in the world. Hydrogenated oils contain trans fat and are touted by most nutritionists as one of the worst things that we can ingest.
I’m far from perfect in this area, but I am making an attempt to be healthier and to more aware of what’s in the things I’m consuming. Coffee with creamer is something I consume daily, and for years I’ve used Coffee Mate, so this was a huge part of my diet that needed some modifying.
In an effort to avoid the chemicals and hydrogenated oils in my staple store-bought coffee creamer, I have recently started making my own flavored creamer. It took a little experimenting, but I have come up with a recipe that works well and just has a few natural ingredients.
Here’s the recipe:
- 1 quart (4 cups) half and half (organic or regular)
- 1 cup raw sugar or organic raw sugar*
- 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp coconut flavoring (optional)
*You could substitute with Stevia, Splenda, raw honey, agave nectar, or the sweetener of your choice. I tried Stevia but found that I liked the taste with the raw sugar better and it was worth the extra calories.
Pour the half and half into a large mixing bowl and add the sugar, vanilla, and coconut flavoring. If you are anti-artificial flavoring, you can leave the coconut flavor out and double the vanilla. I like it both ways. Stir the ingredients well until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Use a funnel to pour the mixture back into the half and half container. (You will have a little more than what you started with so you may want to grab an extra container or a glass jar to put the extra creamer in.)
Voila! Homemade flavored creamer. Now you can enjoy your coffee without the addition of hydrogenated oil-filled creamer.
P.S. If you’re counting Weight Watchers points plus, I figured out that this has 1 point plus per tablespoon (the same as one tablespoon of Coffee Mate).
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