Creamy Cashew Gingersnap Lattes {vegan}

Gingersnap spices, dark brown sugar, and whole cashews blended with hot coffee make the creamiest vegan gingersnap lattes in minutes. 

Who else scored a tin (or four) of holiday cookies over the weekend? We’ve been washing ours down with these cozy gingersnap lattes. These easy peasy drinks are made with the genius method of blending whole raw cashews with hot coffee, plus a touch of sugar and spice, into frothy deliciousness.

Speaking of sweet treats, I’ve been so chuffed to see all of your TBG / Alternative Baker creations shared to Instagram this season. Thank you so much for tagging your snaps #AlternativeBakerBook and #BojonGourmet – few things make me happier than seeing my recipes put to good use out there! Also, I love answering baking and cooking questions, so please never hesitate to reach out with comments and questions.

Now back to gingersnap lattes!

During a long hike the other weekend I was, as per usual, taking my mind off my aching feet and knees by dreaming of yummy dessert. My thoughts turned to the gluten-free ginger molasses cookies that I posted a few years back. They’re to date one of the most-made recipes on this site, particularly around the holidays, and I wanted to revisit the recipe not only because I wanted chewy, spicy cookies in my face NOW, but also because I wanted to see whether they would bake up just as well if made sans xanthan gum. (Spoiler: they did!)

Jay and I are obsessed with this pumpkin spice latte bit from John Oliver, so as we traipsed through the woods with our dorky trekking poles in hand, we took turns shouting, “Good one Steve! P-S-L!!!” and “Oh shut up, just drink it!” when the idea of gingersnap lattes popped into my nogs. We grabbed some coffee beans from the store on our way home, and that evening I whipped up a batch for, as we’ve taken to calling it, “après-hike.”

I first saw this cashew latte method in Katherine’s book Love Real Food when I had the pleasure of testing her chai lattes last year. Watching the drink whip up from whole cashews into creamy latte is magic, and I love being able to make a dairy-free drink without having to lug home expensive, perishable fresh almond milk. Lindsay posted a coffee version recently. (And Renee shared a cocoa mint drink made with cashew butter and hemp seed that I’m dying to try.) With the cashew method, there’s no need to strain the liquid through a nut milk bag since cashews are so low in fiber, they just melt into the drink. I always have the ingredients in the pantry, which is a good thing as I’m always craving a warm, soothing beverage come winter. We’re having a “cold snap” here in San Francisco (which is what we say when it dips below 50ºF at night) and our old heater seems to have given up the ghost, so warm drinks have been de rigueur.

Same goes for cookies. Gingersnap lattes are even better with actual gingersnaps or gluten-free ginger molasses cookies (shown here) dipped in. I whipped up a batch without the xanthan gum and was pleasantly surprised to notice no difference in the consistency. I’d forgotten how simple the dough is to make, too – just melt the butter and stir everything together, then let the dough chill for an hour or two (or up to several days), roll dough balls in sugar, and bake. The texture is perfectly soft and chewy, with a good balance of spicy/sweet/salty flavors. I’ve updated the recipe and I’ll add some fresh photos in the coming days, too.

So if you didn’t get your cookie fix yet, I’d recommend baking up a batch of gluten-free ginger molasses cookies before new years resolutions come knocking next week. (Unless your new years resolution is simply to ditch gluten and continue eating all the cookies, in which case you’re golden.) If you *did* get your cookie fix, maybe just stick with a gingersnap latte…

*Thanks for reading! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest, purchase my gluten-free cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make these vegan cashew gingersnap lattes, I’d love to see! Tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and  #bojongourmet.*

4.5 from 2 votes

Creamy Cashew Gingersnap Lattes {vegan}

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Spicy, creamy, vegan gingersnap lattes can be yours in minutes with ingredients you probably have in your pantry. With inspiration from the chai lattes in Love Real Food and the cashew coffee from Pinch of Yum. When I brew the coffee for these, I like a light to medium roast so that the spices in the drink don't get overpowered by a darker roast. I've been using Linea's Decaf Blend, which is made here in SF, but use any coffee that you like the flavor of. I use 1/4 cup beans, ground, + 3 cups boiling water, made either in a French press (steeped for 4 minutes) or pourover in my Chemex. My blender is this model and I love it! If you don't have a high speed blender, you can soak your cashews for an hour or two ahead of time for a smoother blend. Making this with nuts other than cashews will likely mean fibrous bits in your coffee, so substitute at your own risk.

Servings: 2 servings

Ingredients

• 3 cups brewed coffee (see headnote)
• 1/3 cup (45 g) cashews (unsalted and untoasted)
• 2 packed tablespoons (25 g) organic dark brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon (plus more for sprinkling)
• pinch of allspice
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• In the pitcher of a high-speed blender, combine about two-thirds of the brewed coffee with the cashews, brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and vanilla. Blend, starting on low and increasing the speed to medium-high or high until the coffee is smooth and frothy, 2-3 minutes total. Add in the remaining coffee and blend again. Pour into large mugs and dust with cinnamon if you like. Leftover coffee is lovely the next day served chilled or over ice. Reheated, the coffee tends to thicken, so we like it best when made fresh.

Making this? I'd love to see!Tag your snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet!