starbucks caramel macchiato

[Ohiojude]

Starbucks
Caramel Macchiato
If you've got an espresso/cappuccino machine you're well on your way to recreating a top-choice Starbucks coffee drink. For the caramel part, you can use any caramel sauce that you find in the grocery store near the ice cream toppings. Pick your favorite. Just note that to make this recipe work best you'll only need 3 tablespoons of a richer caramel sauce (like the stuff Starbucks uses), but more like 4 tablespoons of a lighter sauce (such as fat-free Smuckers). For the vanilla syrup you can use the bottled syrups, such as those made by Torani, or just whip up a your own clone from scratch. By the way, if you want to make this clone super accurate, pick up bottles of the authentic vanilla syrup and caramel sauce sold in Starbucks stores.

Vanilla Syrup
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup fresh espresso
8 ounces milk, steamed with foam

3 to 4 tablespoons caramel sauce

1. You can use vanilla syrup from a bottle for the drink or make your own vanilla syrup following this Top Secret Recipe: Simply combine 2 cups water and 1 1/2 cups sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, then add 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract. Remove from heat and cool. Store in a covered container.
2. To make your coffee drink, add two tablespoon of vanilla syrup to a 16-ounce glass. Add 1/2 cup fresh brewed espresso followed by 8 ounces of steamed milk.
3. Add 3 to 4 tablespoons caramel sauce to the drink. Stir before drinking.

Makes one 16-ounce drink (grande size).