It’s PSL season. If you want to skip Starbucks, a local coffee shop offers its recipe

Welcome back, Pumpkin Spice treats.

The Pumpkin Spice Latte arrived Tuesday to Starbucks locations, along with the rest of the fall menu.

But the beloved PSL is more expensive this year: A grande (16 oz) PSL will cost between $5.45 and $5.95 at U.S. store locations, a company spokesperson said. Last year, it cost between $5.25 and $5.45.

Pumpkin spice latte recipes

Cocoa Cinnamon, a local coffee shop with three Durham locations, shared a recipe for their Fall Harvest Latte that can be used to make spicy pumpkin-flavored drinks.

Melissa Ibarra, cafe manager of the Lakewood location, says a lot of people add the Fall Harvest Syrup to their hot chocolates.

Here’s how you can make Cocoa Cinnamon’s Fall Harvest syrup at home. This recipe makes two bottles:

• 1½ quarts water
  
  

• 2½ oz ground pumpkin seeds

• 3 sweet cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces

• 4 cups sugar

To make your Fall Harvest Spice Mix, combine ½ cup of ginger powder, ¼ cup of allspice powder and ½ tbsp cayenne. Store in a metal shaker.

Here’s how to make your Fall Harvest Latte:

1. Toast your pumpkin seeds in a pan. Once they have a golden toasted color, grind in a food processor.
   
   

2. Add water, the toasted ground pumpkin seeds and cinnamon in a pot an steep at 180 F for 20 minutes.

3. Add sugar and bring to boil until syrup coats spoon.

4. Strain the mixture and bottle it.

5. Combine a double shot of espresso with 8 oz steamed milk and 40 ml of the Fall Harvest Syrup.

6. Top with three shakes of the spice mix. Enjoy!

Visit Cocoa Cinnamon’s website at littlewaves.coffee or their Instagram at @cocoacinnamon.

How to make Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte at home

If you want your Pumpkin Spice fix without forking over nearly $6 for a cup, Starbucks has the recipe on its website so that you can make it at home.

Here’s what you need to make the drink from scratch:

For the Homemade Pumpkin Spice Syrup, you’ll need:

• 1½ cups sugar

• 1½ cups water

• 6 cinnamon sticks

• 1 tsp ground cloves

• 1 tsp ground ginger

• 2 tsp ground nutmeg

• 4 tbsp pumpkin purée

This recipe makes enough syrup for eight beverages, and it keeps up to seven days in the fridge.

Here’s how to put it together:

1. Combine sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a simmer.

2. Once sugar is dissolved, add cinnamon sticks, ground cloves, ginger, nutmeg and pumpkin purée. Let simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and immediately strain through cheesecloth.

For the latte, you’ll need:

• 1 cup whole milk

• 1 oz espresso

• 3 tbsp Homemade Pumpkin Spice Syrup

• ½ cup whipped cream

• 1 pinch pumpkin pie spice (garnish)

Here’s how to put it together:

1. Heat and froth milk.

2. Brew espresso in an espresso machine or stovetop moka pot.

3. Place Homemade Pumpkin Spice Syrup into a mug, followed by hot espresso. Stir together.

4. Fill mug with heated frothed milk until ¾ full, then top with whipped cream.

5. Sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice!

(Source: athome.starbucks.com/recipe/pumpkin-spice-latte)

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