Snickerdoodle Coffee Syrup

Everything is awesome!

That’s right, it’s time for this month’s Food n Flix, hosted by Simply Inspired Recipes with this month’s move, The Lego Movie!

My family loves The Lego Movie, so it was fun to rewatch with foodie goggles on!  There was a surprising amount of inspiration in the first movie (croissants, hot dogs, tacos, ridiculously over-priced coffee, to name a few), then since the new movie came out in theaters, I thought it would be fun to take the family out and see how the new one compared!

I loved the second Lego Movie as much as the first!  There were so many nerdy little jokes aimed toward the adults in the audience (without innuendo!) – I loved it!

Since I was in the theater, I wasn’t overly focused on the foodie moments, however I did note many of the same Lego foods as the first movie…plus cake!

I thought about doing tacos, because tacos, but I got such a kick out of “ridiculously over-priced coffee” that I knew I wanted to go that route.  Plus, I got a Nepresso machine for Christmas, so I have not been giving in to the over-priced coffees lately, I’ve been making my own!

I’ve made a simple vanilla syrup already and wanted to expand to a cinnamon version!  It took a couple tries to get this just right.  First, I used an old piece of cinnamon that had lost its pizzazz.  I bought fresh cinnamon with much better results.   I also added brown sugar for depth plus vanilla and butter extracts for that Snickerdoodle-esque flavor!

Then, Spud informed me again (and again) that my photo shoot was lacking and helped me design a whole Lego Movie set, cobbling together characters from our extensive Lego collection.  It was so fun to create everything from characters to Emmitt’s house, to the infamous double decker couch with Spud!

Plus, the coffee syrup is pretty great, too!  Add a tablespoon or two to ¾ cup of frothed milk and a shot of espresso.  Dust with cinnamon and you’re all set!

Snickerdoodle Coffee Syrup

1 cup water

3 large cinnamon sticks

½ cup white sugar

½ cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon butter extract

Place the water and cinnamon sticks in a small pot over medium heat.  Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to a simmer.  Simmer for 15 minutes.

Stir in the sugar, stirring until sugar is dissolved.  Stir in the vanilla and butter extracts.  Pour into a glass jar with the cinnamon stick and refrigerate.  Cinnamon will continue to infuse.

To make a latte, place 2-3 tablespoons of syrup in a cup.  Add a shot of expresso and frothed milk.  Make a fun design with cream or add a dusting of cinnamon!