‘Tis the season for warm and delicious drinks to fill our mugs and bellies as we welcome winter into our midst. For the last brown cheese “Brunost” recipe of the year, I’m sharing this delightful Creamy Spiced Brunost Latte.

There are many latte flavors out there, but this one really encompasses the Norwegian spirit. It starts with a handful of warm spices – cardamom, cinnamon, allspice and vanilla – infused into whole milk before a good amount of Brunost is melted into it. It’s creamy and rich, and perfectly indulgent to warm you from the cold.

Brunost, created by cooking down whey, has a sweet yet salty, somewhat nutty with a hint of caramel, flavor. The pairing of warm spices in a subtle way rounds out the flavors and you get a really lovely drink you can have as is, over coffee, and/or topped with a soft whipped cream.

Serve this with waffles or a pepperkaker or two and you’ll be overflowing in seasonal glee. This is a milk-based drink, but for a coffee latte, just pour this over a shot of espresso.

Creamy Spiced Brunost Latte

Serves 4

• 2 cups (480 ml) whole milk
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• ½ vanilla bean, split and scraped
• ½ teaspoon allspice pods
• ½ teaspoon cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, honey or light syrup
• 4.4 ounces (125 g) Ski Queen®/Gudbrandsdalen, sliced or grated, plus more for serving
• Whipped cream, to serve

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In a medium saucepan warm the milk, cinnamon stick, vanilla bean and seeds, allspice pods, and cardamom pods over medium-low heat. Once warm, lower the heat and gently warm for another 15 minutes to let the flavors infuse. Strain the milk through a mesh strainer into a container, discarding the spices, and return the milk back to the saucepan. Increase the heat to medium, whisk in the sugar and brunost, and cook until everything is fully incorporated. Give it a good whisk in the end to froth up the milk. Divide the brunost latte into individual mugs and serve immediately with soft peaks of whipped cream and a sprinkle of grated brunost on top.

For a coffee latte, just pour some of this over a shot of espresso. It’s divine!