As much as we want to be that cool person in the coffee shop whose order is just "coffee, black", we always have to have a little creamer in our drink. The touch of creaminess and flavor elevates our black coffee into a real treat (in our humble opinion). It's also so fun to pick out new coffee creamer flavors, especially when we see a seasonal one.

The only problem: coffee creamer from a grocery store usually contains artificial flavors, chemical stabilizers, preservatives, and other bad ingredients. Even though it does make sense that the sugary sweet cereal-flavored, shelf-stable creamer isn't good for us, what should you get instead?!

Luckily, it's super easy to make your own coffee creamer and we've come up with a fool-proof recipe. When you see how fast and simple it is to make your own creamer, you'll never want to use store-bought ever again!

Most coffee creamer recipes call for sweetened condensed milk, but since we always want to avoid BPA-lined cans whenever possible, we use milk (or a milk alternative) instead. When you heat your own milk on the stove, you cook off some of the water, leaving behind an ultra-creamy and sweet concoction. We think this creamer is even better with some fun flavoring, which is why we included the ingredients for cinnamon vanilla, mocha, and fall maple flavors. But feel free to experiment with your own! Why not try honey or peppermint or almond? The flavor combinations are endless!

Ingredients

• 3 cups milk (either full fat dairy, almond, or coconut milk)
• ¾ cup sugar (adjust this amount based on how sweet you like your creamer)

Optional Flavorings

• Cinnamon French Vanilla- ½ tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Mocha- 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
• Fall Maple- Substitute 1/3 cup maple syrup for ½ cup of sugar

Instructions

1. Combine the milk and sugar in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Boil at a high simmer for approximately 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced to about 2 cups.
2. Turn the heat off and add optional flavoring ingredients and whisk until combined.
3. Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to one week.