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By Rachel ^[2], Contributing Writer

There is something about this time of the year that makes us love having a hot beverage treat to warm our hands and indulge our taste buds.

I think Starbucks and McDonald's may be the ones responsible for that craze, but who knows the amount of sugar and artificial ingredients that are in those! If you are really curious, take a look into this research ^[3]!

The favorites seem to be the gingerbread latte, eggnog latte, peppermint mocha and then the pumpkin spice latte.

These really are very simple to make at home, so while you may not have the convenience of the drive thru, you'll know your delicious hot beverage is made with real ingredients, and you can determine their sweeteness.

The basic ingredients for all of these crock pot lattes are the same:

• coffee (or you can use green tea)
• milk (dairy, coconut, almond, etc.)
• sweetener (stevia, honey, maple syrup, raw sugar, etc.)

Check out these latte recipes. The directions are the same for all of them and are found at the end of the recipes. You can use more or less of the sweetener or spices depending on your taste.

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optional: top with whipped cream ^[5], cinnamon and gingerbread cookie crumbles

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optional: top with whipped cream ^[5], cinnamon or nutmeg

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optional: top with whipped cream ^[5]and a sprinkle of nutmeg

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optional: top with whipped cream ^[5], chocolate chips or broken pieces of candy cane

Optional for all lattes: a cinnamon stick and a sweet treat

Also, if you want to make these favorites fast, you can always warm them in a pot on the stove, or if you are really fancy, you could use an espresso machine.

How do you make the crock pot lattes? Here are 4 simple steps:

1. Gather ingredients and plug in your crock pot.
2. Put all ingredients into the crock pot; mix well.
3. Cook on high for 1 hour or low for 2 hours; be sure to check & stir from time to time.
4. Enjoy these holiday favorites!

When using the crock pot, don't let this brew all day. Use within 30 minutes or so of "cooking." Store leftovers in a glass container with an airtight lid in the refrigerator.

Want to try one more variation? Check out this honey-spiced latte in the crock pot ^[9] from Keeper of the Home contributing writer Stacy!

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Free Printables!

Give the gift of a warm holiday beverage this Christmas! Print recipe "tag" cards for all four of these holiday lattes and attach them with ribbon to a pretty mug. Hand deliver your neighbors, friends or family members their lattes!

(Alternately, you can print these out for yourself and stick them in your recipe box/book!)

• Click here ^[10] for all four tags on one sheet.
• Click here ^[11] for 4 gingerbread tags per sheet.
• Click here ^[12] for 4 eggnog tags per sheet.
• Click here ^[13] for 4 pumpkin spice tags per sheet.
• Click here ^[14] for 4 peppermint mocha tags per sheet.

Note: If you're looking for more crock pot recipes, check out Stacy Makes Cents' new eBook--Crock On ^[15]! The book even includes crock pot desserts--like chocolate lava cake and pumpkin apple cake! Pair one of these with one of the holiday lattes above, and impress your guests with treats that literally cooked themselves!

What's your favorite holiday beverage? Have you ever made a latte in the crock pot?

Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links.