Homemade Cinnamon Dolce Latte + The Best Part of Friendship

Friendship is one of those things that makes life sweet. It’s the mid-day texts, the phone calls when we need them the most, the hand-written letters and emails right when things seem a little too tough to handle.   Friendships are the meals shared, the hysterical laughter had, and the tears cried. It’s hugs and inside jokes and embraced quirkiness. The borrowed T-shirts and midnight movie runs, the half gallon of ice cream and two spoons. Friendship is reaching out even when it’s hard, saying you’re sorry and making it work. It’s relationship, it’s community, it’s love.   Friendship is a gift, and something I would say is absolutely one of the best parts of life. When I think about the friendships that I’ve been blessed with in this life I can’t help but think about how it’s the work and the hard times that make the good times so sweet. It’s the tears and laughter that keep a little spicy. It’s the hugs and the shared meals that keep it warm. And the best parts of life are definitely worth celebrating!   So to celebrate our sweet friendship, this amazing online community, I made you guys a MUST TRY cinnamon dolce latte. I think y’all are going to love it, and I am just so excited to share it with you. My hope is that someday we’ll all gather together with toasty mugs of hot coffee and share a little bit of time just talking and laughing and getting to know one another even better. Because just like a cinnamon dolce latte you guys lift me up, you keep it spicy, keep me warm and always make this life a little sweeter 🙂 HOMEMADE CINNAMON DOLCE LATTE

• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup water
• 1 ounce lightly crushed cinnamon sticks
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 4 ounces very strong brewed coffee
• 8 ounces milk of choice (I used nonfat cow’s milk)

In a small saucepan bring the sugar, water and cinnamon sticks to a simmer for 2-3 minutes, just until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla; this is your cinnamon dolce syrup!   Heat the milk gently over medium low heat until little bubbles start to form around the outside. Carefully pour into a blender and blend for 30-45 seconds; take extra caution when you first start the blender and be sure to allow a little bit of air so that the hot milk doesn’t explode. Let the milk sit for another 30-45 seconds to allow the foam to separate a little bit.   To build your latte, add 1-2 Tbsp of the cinnamon dolce syrup to a mug. Pour in the brewed coffee and then top with the milk and foam. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon if you like!

Speaking of the best part, Folgers has created an amazingly uplifting and encouraging program called The Best Part where they will be sharing and inviting other people to share stories of optimism and hope on all social media platforms. I am so excited about this because I believe that one of the biggest problems today is the fact that we’re usually only exposed to the negative stories and never hear enough of the good stuff. The idea of having stories and words that bring us up instead of down just makes my heart so happy! Check out what others are sharing on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.