Homemade Coffee Creamers

Ask any three devoted coffee drinkers the best way to drink coffee, and you'll likely get at least three different answers. Some swear by straight black coffee, others like just sugar, and others can't do without a good, foamy cappuccino.

Flavored coffees are a popular option, as well. Flavoring coffee with special creamers can give you a tasty cup to satisfy both your coffee craving and your sweet tooth. But specialty coffee creamers are expensive. Fortunately, for those who like their coffee sweet and with extra flavor, there's an alternative to expensive coffee shop concoctions and pre-made, chemical laden artificial creamers.

Homemade coffee creamer is simple to make, and you can make any flavor you like with imaginative combinations of ingredients. No longer limited by what's available at your local supermarket, you can invent your own, unique coffee drinks to suit your individual taste and style.

One easy way to make your own coffee creamer is to start with sweetened condensed milk. This is available in a non-fat version to help cut those calories. You can also mix it with skim milk to reduce the sugar content. Add any flavor you like and place the mixture in the refrigerator. When you make your coffee, add a few teaspoons of the milk for a quick, pre-sweetened, pre-flavored creamer.

Some possible flavors to add to your creamer include:

• Vanilla, for a quick French vanilla treat.
• Chocolate, for a tasty mocha. Add mint, orange or cinnamon for even more variety.
• Almond. This makes a rich amaretto. A bit of cinnamon mixes well with this choice, as does chocolate.
• Raspberry. This also goes well with chocolate.

Other possibilities include powdering a favorite candy and adding it to the milk, or soaking cinnamon sticks and cloves in the milk for a spicy, wintery drink. Or substitute evaporated milk for the sweetened condensed milk to reduce calories. You can add sugar to taste if you choose this option. Another hint: soak cinnamon sticks, cloves and allspice in evaporated milk, then add to black tea for a spicy, warm chai.

If you prefer a dry coffee creamer that you don't have to refrigerate, use non-dairly powdered creamer or nonfat dry milk as your base. Add dry spices or even liquid extracts. The powdered milk or creamer will absorb the liquid flavorings. Be sure to stir well to prevent clumping.

Beyond just making homemade creamers, there are other ways to add flavor to your coffee. Placing spices directly in the brewing basket gives coffee a strong, unique flavor. This works especially well with cinnamon sticks for a Mexican style coffee. Or add cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves to the basket, then sweeten the brewed coffee with molasses. The result is a gingerbread flavor much like that you'd get at a coffeehouse, for considerably less money.

If you love the foamy texture of a latte, there's a quick way to accomplish this, as well. Heat one-third to one-half a mug of skim or low-fat milk in the microwave, add your sweeteners, then whisk briskly to add air and create a coffeehouse-like foam. Add hot, strong coffee carefully to keep from disturbing the foam. Top off with a dash of cinnamon, cocoa, caramel sauce, or even raw sugar, and you've got a drink worthy of any barista.

Using a variety of techniques to spruce up your coffee can reward you with a different taste every day. Let your taste and imagination guide you, and soon you'll have coffee drinks every day that are just as fulfilling and tasty as the drinks you've been paying four or five dollars for.