Coffee is a vital part of most people's morning routine, and for the sake of ease, we're used to purchasing creamers like Coffee-Mate to add a little sweetness and creaminess to our morning Cup of Joe. Unfortunately, most store-bought creamers contain a surprisingly large amount of chemicals, preservatives, and artificial colorants and flavors. We have a recipe that might help.  

Given the health benefits coffee has to offer, in addition to basically being a necessity for waking up in the morning for many people, it seems absolutely counterproductive to render this antioxidant-rich morning drink by adding store-bought creamers loaded with harmful ingredients. Try this homemade coffee creamer instead. This recipe is easy to make, has minimal ingredients and can be made in a variety of flavors to add a different tinge to your coffee every day. 

And the best part is that for this recipe, you will only need two major ingredients. The first one is milk, any milk of your choice, be it 2% or whole, depending on the level of creaminess you prefer. The second ingredient is condensed milk. You can purchase any brand of condensed milk you enjoy from the grocery store. The only ingredients in most store-bought condensed milks are usually milk and sugar, making them still a far better choice than an average store-bought coffee creamer.  

For the simplest version of this homemade creamer, you start with a container of condensed milk, ideally 14 ounces, and mix it in with equal parts milk. Using an egg beater, blender or a mixer, whip the mixture well. Once it is thoroughly whipped up, you can store it in a mason jar or a glass bottle and add it to your coffee when required. 

But the best part of this recipe is that you can customize it to make the flavored creamers of your choice, which can give your coffee an extra oomph. For vanilla coffee creamer, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract will do the trick, though, from my experience, vanilla bean paste can provide a slightly richer taste.  

There are numerous other recipes you may try using this formula for coffee creamer. For those who feel adventurous, you can try the cocoa-peppermint creamer. Simply add 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract and 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder. When adding the cocoa powder, make sure to whip the concoction thoroughly to ensure the powder mixes sufficiently with the other ingredients and doesn't clump up.
 
             

You can also use a variety of natural flavorings like cinnamon, cardamom, pumpkin spice, and maple. Mixing and matching the spices can also be fun, especially if you enjoy discovering different flavor combinations for your morning coffee. Cinnamon and maple syrup is a particularly delicious pairing! 

To create a non-dairy creamer, you can make use of coconut milk or organic almond milk, depending on your preference, infusing them with the flavorful extract of your choice. In fact, by combining 2 cups of almond milk, a generous amount of sugar or honey for sweetness, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt, you can make your own non-dairy condensed milk to whip into coffee cream with almond milk. Add a few dashes of the spice of your choice, store in separate jars or bottles and use when needed. 

Each batch should last up to two weeks, so depending on your coffee consumption, a single bottle or jar should be ideal for that time frame. If you’re a coffee fanatic like me, you can keep experimenting with different flavors and keep 2-3 labeled jars on hand so you can enjoy a differently flavored coffee on any occasion!