Cereal Milk Lattes

If you’ve ever slurped the leftover milk after finishing a bowl of Cocoa Puffs or Frosted Flakes, you know that cereal milk is a genius invention. Not only is it ridiculously easy to make, cereal milk froths up just like the gallon of 2 percent in your fridge. If you really want to jazz up your morning latte, look no further than the cereal aisle.

Pour some cereal (here we’ve used Lucky Charms, Cocoa Puffs, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch) into a cup of heated milk and let it steep for 20 minutes. Strain out the cereal, then foam up the milk using your favorite method (a hand-held frother, an espresso machine, even the Mason jar-microwave trick). Heat the milk, then pour it into a freshly-pulled shot of espresso. For a cafe au cereal-lait, pour the warm milk into half a cup of drip coffee. Top the drink with crushed cereal.

Yield: 12 ounces milk

Active Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

2 cups whole milk
3 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups cereal (such as Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cocoa Puffs, Lucky Charms, etc.)
Espresso for serving
Crushed cereal for garnish

1. Whisk together milk, sugar, and salt in small saucepan over medium. Cook, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves. Do not boil. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla.

2. Add cereal to warm milk mixture, and let steep 20 minutes.

3. Pour mixture through a fine wire-mesh strainer; discard solids.

4. To make 1 Cereal Milk Latte: Heat 5 ounces of the milk mixture until steaming, and froth with a milk frother. Pour frothed milk mixture over hot espresso, and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon crushed cereal.