Quick Answer 

The holiday season is commonly associated with warmth, whimsy, and nostalgia, though in recent years many describe a longing for these touches that sometimes feel absent in today’s world. This is where holiday flavors can shine, as one taste or sip of familiarity can whisk you away to simpler times, comforting vibes, and warm memories. Each of the recipes listed here include those classic holiday tastes, complete with the nostalgic touches perfect for slowing down and enjoying each and every moment of the season. 

Key Takeaways

• 7 Holiday Coffee Recipes For A Slow & Intentional Season:
  
  
  
  • Grandpa’s Gift: chocolate orange coffee latte
    
  • Tiramisu Traditions: tiramisu latte with sweetened mascarpone cream topping
    
  • Peppermint Mocha: peppermint mocha latte with options for an iced peppermint mocha and a peppermint mocha frappe
    
  • Merry Muggins: creamy iced eggnog coffee
    
  • Chestnut’s Roasting: praline chestnut latte
    
  • Holiday Toffee-gato: english butter toffee coffee affogato
    
  • Ginger Mug: gingerbread inspired coffee for a crowd (serves 6)

The entire holiday season, from October through the celebratory ushering in of a (Happy) New Year, used to feel warm, cozy, slow, intentional, special…all the things. 

And, I’m not sure if it’s just the age-old explanation of time seeming to move more quickly as we get older or if it’s a noticeable shift that’s occurred throughout society, but to me, it feels like those slow intentional holiday moments are becoming few and far between. 

Fall seems to go by in a blink, and we go from checking off autumn-inspired bucket lists to decorating, shopping, and hopping from one event to the next until we blink and realize it’s all over, the entire season. 

So, this year, I’m really feeling the desire to slow down as well as the need for some nostalgia. 

In a day and time where everything feels rushed and fake, lacking personality and feeling, I wonder who else is holding on to memory, joy in simple pleasures, and small moments that appropriately cause us to pause with a slow smile and a happy heart? 

For me, one of the wonders of life that gives me cause for such a nostalgic, happy pausing involves flavor. 

In the summer months, it’s a fresh slice of a garden grown cucumber or watermelon and a burger or steak fresh off the grill. 

In the autumn months, it’s that first glass of cider from the local mill or a freshly brewed cup of pumpkin spice coffee. 

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Each of these tastes invite my mind to vividly recall moments spent in the summer sun, hayrides where my children erupt in laughter, and crisp mornings where I enjoyed the falling leaves from my front porch as I quietly sipped. 

But, when it comes to the holiday season, those flavors which evoke floods of warm feelings, including signals for slow moments, seem neverending. 

There are so many incredible flavors to not only enjoy in simple sips as you shop, decorate, and gather, but also somehow facilitate the slowness we want to feel within this time of year. 

And, that’s what we hope to highlight today in this collection of holiday recipes, because frankly, this is at the heart of what a good cup of coffee can do - whisk your mind away to another time, recall smiles and laughter, and provide a setting for slowness in the midst of a world that can feel far too rushed. 

7 Holiday Coffee Recipes For A Slow & Intentional Season

As you peruse this collection, it’s our hope that you’ll not only thoroughly enjoy the flavor-filled recipes below but also allow these nostalgic tastes to whisk you away, right along with us, leading to smile-inducing memories, slow moments from your favorite cozy corner, and days filled with enjoyment throughout the holiday season. 

Happy Holidays Lifeboost Family! 

1- Grandpa’s Gift

It’s funny to me how flavors can evoke memories. 

Chocolate alone, it doesn’t do much for me in this regard. 

But, pair rich and creamy chocolate with the tart and juicy tastes of an orange, and I’m instantly standing in my grandparents’ living room, surrounded by my cousins, each of us opening a familiar package, a small round candy wrapped in foil…the sweet tastes of Christmas gifted by my grandpa each and every year to each of his grandchildren.

As a kid, this gift was a staple. 

Now, years after my grandfather’s passing, one sip of a latte like this, (1) and I’m back in his living room surrounded by a love that transcends time and circumstance. 
What kind of warmth and nostalgia does a chocolate orange, or chocolate orange coffee, hold for you? 

Ingredients

• 4-6 ounces Lifeboost Chocolate Orange Coffee 
  
• 2 teaspoons orange syrup (look for a syrup formulated to not curdle when added to dairy, etc)
  
• 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup, divided
  
• ½ cup milk 
  
• Whipped cream, optional for garnish
  
• Chocolate syrup, for drizzling

Instructions

• Add freshly brewed coffee to your favorite mug, then stir in orange syrup and 1 tablespoon chocolate syrup. 
  
• Add milk and 1 tablespoon of chocolate syrup to an electric frother, and froth on the heated setting. 
  
• Top coffee mixture with chocolate frothed milk. 
  
• Top with whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate syrup, if desired. Enjoy! 

2- Tiramisu Traditions

Do any of your holiday traditions include enjoying a meal out with family? 

At some point, I’m not sure when, my kids moved from homemade gifts they’d give to others in our family to wanting to pick out and buy a little something for each other from a store. 

While I deeply lamented this movement from handmade to store bought, I’ve also loved this one night a year where we go out as a family, allow the kids (who are no longer kids) to shop, then convene for a meal together at an Italian restaurant. 

Same shopping locations, same restaurant, same meal, and same finish - tiramisu - each and every year. 

And, it’s the tiramisu that always brings a flood of memories for me. 

The flavors of rich cocoa, creamy vanilla, and bold coffee - sweet, cool, and delicious - fill my heart and mind with warmth from previous years with every bite, something I also enjoy through the rich flavors realized in each sip of this decadent tiramisu latte (2). 

What memories are attached to these flavors for you? 

Ingredients

• 4 ounces Lifeboost Tiramisu Coffee 
  
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder 
  
• 1-2 teaspoons cane sugar
  
• ⅔ cup steamed milk 
  
• ¼ cup heavy cream
  
• 1 tablespoon mascarpone cheese, softened
  
• 1 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk
  
• ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  
• Lady fingers, for garnish
  
• Cocoa powder, for garnish

Instructions 

• Add 1 tablespoon cocoa powder to a mug, then top with freshly brewed coffee. 
  
• Add sugar and stir slightly to combine. 
  
• Top with steamed or warmed/frothed milk. (If you don’t have an espresso machine with a steaming wand, you can simply add the milk to an electric frother and froth on the heated setting.)
  
• In a small cup, add heavy cream, softened mascarpone, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla extract. Stir together, then froth with a handheld frother or hand mixer. 
  
• Pour the tiramisu cream on top of your assembled latte, then dust with cocoa powder, and add a lady finger for garnish if you’d like. Enjoy! 

3- Peppermint Mocha

I grew up in the 80s and 90s, and like most families during this time period, the holiday season wasn’t complete without driving through neighboring areas looking at Christmas lights. 

Growing up near Aurora, IN, this meant driving roughly 30 minutes to walk through the downtown streets of this quaint town to look at the window displays of Schuck’s. 

This plumbing supply store made the holidays special for many families over the years with elaborate winter window scenes of ice skating, snowman building, pretty papers (and ribbons of blue), and so much more. 

What really made such an evening complete, though, was the accompanying cup of warm peppermint cocoa, something I still enjoy in adulthood, now amplified with the addition of coffee (even decaf for those late-night peppermint mocha moments). 

So, this recipe (3) doesn’t just take me back to the chilly December streets of Aurora, IN, peering into the beautifully decorated window displays of Schuck’s, it also brings those cozy holiday vibes we long for even now with each note of bold coffee, cool peppermint, and sweet cocoa. Yum! 

Ingredients

• 8 ounces Lifeboost Peppermint Mocha Coffee
  
• ½ cup milk 
  
• 1-ounce bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  
• ⅛ teaspoon peppermint extract
  
• Whipped cream, optional for topping
  
• Peppermint stick, for garnish

Instructions

• Add milk and chopped chocolate pieces to a small saucepan and heat over low-medium heat just until the milk is warmed through, stirring continually to melt the chocolate. 
  
• Add freshly brewed coffee and peppermint extract to a large mug, stirring gently to combine. 
  
• Pour warmed chocolate milk into the coffee, stirring to combine. Top with whipped cream and a peppermint stick for garnish. Enjoy!
• *For an iced peppermint mocha, I love using chocolate almond milk here to make a delicious peppermint mocha.

To do so:

• Simply add ice to a tall glass, then top with 8 ounces cold brewed Lifeboost Peppermint Mocha Coffee, ½ cup chocolate almond milk, and ⅛ teaspoon peppermint extract, stirring to combine. 
  
• Top with whipped cream, if desired, and enjoy! 

**You can even make this into a frappe by adding each of the above iced peppermint mocha ingredients (including the ice) to a blender and blending until smooth.

4- Merry Muggins’

Do you have a list of movies you like to watch throughout the holiday season? 

If so, is National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation on that list? 

This selection, complete with the fan-favorite scene of Cousin Eddy and Clark Griswold sipping eggnog from moose head shaped mugs, is forever etched in my memory, a classic my family insists is necessary for optimal holiday season enjoyment. 

This tradition is, in fact, so etched into my mind that, now, whenever I sip this rich, creamy, eggnog coffee, I can’t help but chuckle as my mind skips past my dad cracking eggs (and making a mess) in the kitchen to whip up his annual homemade ‘nog, instead thinking of this classic movie scene. Sorry, dad! 

Does your family have a holiday movie favorite? 

If so, make sure to take in each moment as you gather together to watch this season…and don’t forget the eggnog (coffee, of course)! 

Ingredients

• 8 ounces cold brewed Lifeboost Eggnog Latte Coffee
  
• 1-2 teaspoons brown sugar 
  
• ½ cup eggnog
  
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  
• Ice
  
• Whipped cream, optional for topping
  
• Nutmeg, optional for topping

Instructions

• Add cold brew, brown sugar, eggnog, and nutmeg to a blender and blend on high until smooth. The eggnog emulsifies easily with the cold brew here, so you shouldn’t need to blend long to yield a rich, creamy, frothy cup. 
  
• Add ice to a glass, pour the blended eggnog coffee over the ice, then top with whipped cream and a dusting of nutmeg, if desired. Enjoy! 

5- Chestnut’s Roasting

From European Christmas markets to Asian New Year’s celebrations, the iconic New York City street vendors, in-home holiday fireplace scenes, and more, the nostalgic winter carol lyrics “chestnuts roasting on an open fire” evoke feelings of holiday nostalgia and happy hearts all across the globe (4).

Oddly enough, I’ve actually met many people who’ve never experienced the flavors of a freshly roasted chestnut yet equally feel a warm familiarity at the mere thought of a praline chestnut latte (5), all due to the lyrics of this common carol. 

Personally, I feel like this accurately portrays the global closeness we can feel with humanity throughout the holiday season. 

While we may each treasure unique traditions, the warmth behind such celebrations is honored in familiar songs, relatable scenes, and iconic tastes that communicate our collective desire for meaningful moments. 

Which meaningful moments are you most looking forward to (or have you already experienced) this holiday season? 

Ingredients

• 6 ounces Lifeboost Toasted Chestnut Coffee
  
• ½ cup oat milk 
  
• 1-2 tablespoons praline chestnut syrup (see recipe below)

Instructions

• Add freshly brewed coffee to a large mug, then stir in praline chestnut syrup. 
  
• Add oat milk (or any milk you prefer) to an electric frother and froth on the heated setting. 
  
• Top coffee mixture with heated, frothed milk, and enjoy! 

Homemade Praline Chestnut Syrup

• ½ cup raw pecans
  
• 5-6 peeled, cooked chestnuts
  
• ¾ cup dark brown sugar
  
• ¼ cup cane sugar
  
• 1 cup water
  
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  
• ⅛ teaspoon sea salt

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. 
Break up the chestnuts into quarters and add these, along with the pecans, to a baking sheet. 
Roast for 10 minutes, or until fragrant. (be careful not to burn)
Roughly chop the roasted nuts, then add to a medium saucepan with the sugars and water. 
Bring to a boil, stirring often so the sugars fully dissolve.
Reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Allow the mixture to cool slightly, then add vanilla and sea salt. 
Strain to remove nut pieces, and pour into a jar once cooled. 
Cover with an airtight lid and store in the refrigerator. 

6- Holiday Toffee-gato

How many of you enjoy making candies, cookies, and other confections around the holidays? 

This is a tradition enjoyed by many this time of year, one which can both cause you to recall past memories made with loved ones and allow for continued memories to be formed over the years. 

Though, of all the classic holiday tastes highlighted in such confections, I do believe butter toffee might be my favorite. 

Smooth caramel-like flavors deepen to form the uniquely rich and buttery toffee, a confection I like to amplify with silky chocolate, tastes which are inherently enhanced when enjoyed alongside a cup of decadent and bold hot coffee. 

I certainly didn’t believe this flavor combination could be beat until I tried our English Butter Toffee Coffee as an affogato(6), slowly poured over a sinfully delicious scoop of mocha ice cream. 

So simple, so elegant, so good! 

Other than this affogato, what traditional holiday confections are you planning to slow down and enjoy making (or sampling) this season? 

Ingredients

• 6 ounces freshly brewed Lifeboost English Butter Toffee Coffee
  
• ½ cup coffee or mocha ice cream
  
• Whipped cream, optional for topping
  
• English toffee pieces or toffee chips, optional for topping 

Instructions

• Add ice cream to a mug and top with freshly brewed coffee. 
  
• Top with whipped cream and English toffee pieces, if desired. Enjoy! 

7- Ginger Mug

There’s a holiday tradition many enjoy that I’m honestly a little envious of - making gingerbread houses. 

This is something my family has never really gotten into, despite my attempts and urgings. 

So, each year I brew myself a cup for the senses, a ginger mug if you will - a holiday drink 7 that fills the aroma of my kitchen with the coziest gingerbread vibes, a cup that graces my tastebuds with pure holiday happiness - and as I sip, I warmly look on at the photos my friends and cousins share with me of their family holiday gingerbread house endeavors. 

Are you a gingerbread house-making family or do you prefer your gingerbread in a mug…or both? 

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 6 cups Lifeboost Gingerbread Latte Coffee
  
• ½ cup molasses
  
• ¼ cup brown sugar
  
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
  
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  
• ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
  
• 1 cup half and half
  
• Whipped cream, optional for garnish

Instructions

• Mix molasses, brown sugar, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves until well combined.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes. 
  
• Add roughly ¼ cup freshly brewed coffee in each mug (6 servings), then stir in roughly 1 tablespoon of the spice mixture into each mug.
  
• Add enough coffee to fill each mug within a few inches of the top, then add half and half to taste. 
  
• Garnish with whipped cream, if desired. Enjoy! 

**If you’d like to make a single serving, scale the coffee back to 1 cup, add half and half to taste, and use the specified amount of the spice mixture. Keep the remainder of the spice mixture in your refrigerator until ready to use again (it keeps for about a week in an airtight container under refrigeration).

FAQ

1- Can you make flavorful holiday coffee recipes using classic roasts? 

Yes!

Many flavored coffee selections, especially for the holidays, are infused with classic notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, peppermint, and more. 

You can easily add these elements to your favorite light, medium, dark, or espresso roasts to make rich and decadent holiday coffee treats. 

2- Are Lifeboost’s flavored coffee selections third party tested? 

Yes! 

Just like our classic roasts, Lifeboost flavored coffee selections are also third party tested through Light Labs for 450+ toxins, including pesticides and heavy metals. 

3- What process does Lifeboost use to add flavor to their coffee? 

Lifeboost’s process for adding flavor begins with our freshly roasted coffee beans which are soaked in essential oils and natural flavoring extracts. 

We believe this is a better way to experience added flavors in coffee, as opposed to using harsh chemicals like propylene glycol for flavor additions. 

4- Does flavored coffee have added sugar or calories? 

No. 

Like most flavored coffee selections, Lifeboost flavored coffees, minus any post-brewing additions of cream, syrups, milks, etc., do not contain added sugar or extra calories.

5- How can I infuse opportunities for connection and community into holiday celebrations? 

The holiday season presents wonderful opportunities for gathering with friends and loved ones. 

But, this sense of community can be enhanced further when we gather with intention. 

A few ways to do this include hosting a holiday craft night, a holiday themed coffee circle gathering, or you could even enjoy an evening spent caroling throughout your community with neighbors.

Disclaimer: This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice, make health or medical claims, or to take the place of such advice or treatment from a personal physician. All readers/viewers of this content are advised to consult their doctors or qualified health professionals regarding specific health questions. Neither Dr. Charles Livingston nor the publisher of this content takes responsibility for possible health consequences of any person or persons reading or following the information in this educational content. All viewers of this content, especially those taking prescription or over-the-counter medications, should consult their physicians before beginning any nutrition, supplement or lifestyle program. Additionally, the way coffee is grown, low acid coffee, decaf coffee, as well as different roast types (light, medium, dark, etc.) can alter caffeine levels. If you have questions about the caffeine levels or pH levels of our coffee, please reach out to our team for clarification. If you have any concerns with how our coffee, or any product will affect you or your health, consult with a health professional directly. For more information on our testing methodology or other quality standards you can reference our full disclosure page here.

Becky Livingston Vance Content writer

Becky is a mother, educator, and content writer for Lifeboost Coffee. She has had three years’ experience as a writer, and in that time she has enjoyed creatively composing articles and ebooks covering the topics of coffee, health and fitness, education, recipes, and relationships.