First Things First - What's a Macchiato?
A caffé macchiato, or sometimes known as an espresso macchiato, is simply a shot or two of espresso (depends on how much caffeine you want) topped with a small amount of foamed (not steamed) milk. An incredibly popular drink in Italy, the macchiato can be adjusted with the addition of your flavor of choice.
Today, we'll go over the Caramel Macchiato - an incredibly popular drink at Starbucks.
Caramel Macchiato Ingredients
Homemade Caramel Sauce (or you can use a pre-made syrup)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Coffee
- 1 or 2 shots espresso
Toppings
- Whipped Cream
- Foamed Milk
How to make a caramel macchiato
Caramel Sauce
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat (don't burn it!)
- Add in heavy cream, brown sugar, salt and stir
- Cook for 4 minutes
- Remove from heat
- Add in vanilla
- Stir
Coffee
- Brew your shots of espresso - here's how
Milk Topper
- Steam your milk with your milk frother or steam wand from espresso machine
*Your going for cappuccino milk - more foam than steamed milk*
Making Your Caramel Macchiato
- Add espresso do your desired glass
- Add 1 tablespoon of caramel mixture
- Top with a dollop of steamed milk
- Add whipped cream (optional)
- Enjoy!
What does a caramel macchiato taste like?
Like caramel heaven!
If you're someone who can't handle drinking espresso straight but still want a drink on a smaller scale (size-wise) with max caffeine, a macchiato of any kind may be a great substitute. Since it's just a couple shots of espresso topped with milk and caramel sauce, it won't be as harsh as straight espresso but you'll still be getting that boost of energy you're looking for!
