Maple Pecan Latte

Before you start

Most maple pecan drinks taste of artificial nut flavor. This one builds the pecan into the syrup itself. Pecans are toasted until fragrant, then simmered briefly in pure maple syrup and water and left to steep. The fat and toasty compounds in the nuts carry into the syrup, giving it a buttery, rounded flavor that pairs well with espresso.

Two choices shape the result. Use pure maple syrup, not pancake syrup, which is mostly corn syrup and tastes flat. And toast the pecans carefully: under-toasted pecans taste woody and raw, while burnt ones make the whole syrup bitter. The goal is a deep golden color and a strong nutty smell. The strained pecans make a good snack or ice cream topping afterward.

Ingredients

• Maple pecan syrup50 g (½ cup) pecan halves
• 120 ml (½ cup) pure maple syrup — dark, robust grade has the most flavor
• 60 ml (¼ cup) water
• pinch fine salt
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract
• Latte60 ml (2 oz) hot espresso
• 20 to 25 ml (about 1½ tbsp) maple pecan syrup
• 200 ml (6¾ oz) whole milk
• 1 tsp chopped toasted pecans — optional garnish

Method

1. Toast the pecans in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring often, for 5 to 7 minutes, until they are a shade darker and smell strongly nutty. Watch closely in the final minute, as nuts burn quickly. Tip them onto a plate and let them cool slightly, then chop roughly.
2. Combine the chopped pecans, maple syrup, water and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
3. Take the pan off the heat, cover and steep for 15 minutes so the pecan flavor moves into the syrup.
4. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean jar, pressing lightly on the nuts. Stir in the vanilla. Save the syrupy pecans for garnish.
5. Pull a double espresso into a mug and stir in 20 ml of the maple pecan syrup.
6. Steam or froth the milk to 60 to 65°C (140 to 150°F) with a light foam, then pour it into the espresso. Top with a few chopped candied pecans if you like.

Tips for success

• A dark, robust maple syrup has more caramel and less delicate sweetness, which keeps its flavor through the milk. Lighter, golden syrups get lost.
• A tiny pinch of salt in the syrup makes the pecans taste more like pecans. Do not skip it.
• Toast a few extra pecans for garnish while the skillet is out; the syrup-soaked ones from the strainer are softer.

Substitutions

Pecans

Walnuts make a similar syrup with a slightly bitter, tannic edge. Hazelnuts, toasted and skinned, give a praline-like flavor.

Maple syrup

Brown sugar syrup (1:1 with water) works, though it lacks the woody depth of maple. Do not use pancake syrup.

Whole milk

Oat milk and pecan or other nut milks suit this flavor well. For a nut-free milk, oat is the closest in body.

Variations

Iced maple pecan latte

Stir syrup into espresso, pour over ice and top with cold milk and a spoonful of cold foam.

Maple pecan cold brew

Add 20 ml syrup to 250 ml diluted cold brew over ice.

Troubleshooting

The syrup tastes bitter

The pecans were over-toasted. They should be golden brown inside when you break one open, not dark brown.

The pecan flavor is weak

Toast longer for more aroma, chop the nuts before simmering, and steep the full 15 minutes.

The syrup turned thick and sticky in the fridge

Maple syrup thickens when cold and when reduced. Stir in a tablespoon of warm water or warm the jar slightly before measuring.

Storage

Keep the strained syrup in a sealed jar in the fridge and use it within about 2 weeks; discard if it smells rancid or shows mold. The latte is best fresh. Do not leave milk drinks out for more than 2 hours.

Safety notes

Contains tree nuts (pecans). Pecan oil carries into the syrup even after straining, so this drink is not suitable for anyone with a tree nut allergy.