Caramel Macchiato Recipe

Before you start

The coffeehouse caramel macchiato is a vanilla latte assembled upside down. Vanilla syrup goes in the cup first, steamed milk follows, the espresso is poured over the foam so it marks the top, and a lattice of caramel sauce finishes it. The first sips are coffee and caramel, and the vanilla sweetness rises as you drink toward the bottom.

At home the decisions are about sweetness and order. A quick vanilla syrup gives you control that bottled syrups do not, and a thick caramel sauce sits on the foam instead of sinking. Keep the build sequence, because stirring it into a uniform drink makes it a caramel vanilla latte, which is fine, but it loses the layered effect that defines this one.

Ingredients

• Vanilla syrup100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar — for the syrup; makes about 160 ml
• 100 ml (scant ½ cup) water
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• Drink15 ml (½ oz) vanilla syrup — from above
• 240 ml (8 oz) cold whole milk
• 18 g espresso coffee beans — ground fine for a double shot
• about 36 g (1¼ oz) water, as brewed espresso
• 1 to 2 tbsp thick caramel sauce — store-bought or homemade

Method

1. For the syrup, warm the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar fully dissolves, about 3 minutes. Do not let it boil hard.
2. Take the pan off the heat, stir in the vanilla, and let the syrup cool for a few minutes. Measure 15 ml into the warmed mug.
3. Steam the milk to 60 to 65°C (140 to 150°F) with a moderate foam layer, about 1 cm (½ inch) thick. Pour it over the syrup, letting the foam sit on top.
4. Pull a double shot of about 36 g in 25 to 30 seconds into a small spouted cup.
5. Pour the espresso slowly into the center of the foam so it marks the top and settles into a band just below it.
6. Drizzle the caramel over the foam in a crosshatch, then a circle around the edge. Thick sauce at room temperature sits on top; warm, thin sauce sinks.

Tips for success

• Taste before adding more syrup. With caramel on top and vanilla below, 15 ml of syrup already makes a fairly sweet drink.
• If your caramel is runny, chill the bottle for 15 minutes so the drizzle holds its lines on the foam.
• For a lighter coffee flavor use a single shot; for the closest match to the large coffeehouse size, use 300 ml of milk and keep the double.

Substitutions

Homemade vanilla syrup

A store-bought vanilla syrup works; most are about 1:1 sugar to water, so use the same 15 ml. A split vanilla bean simmered in the syrup gives a rounder flavor.

Whole milk

Oat milk gives a nutty, naturally sweet version. Almond milk foams thinly, so the espresso may sink rather than form a band.

Caramel sauce

Dulce de leche thinned with a teaspoon of hot water makes a milkier, less bitter topping. Salted caramel adds a welcome edge against the sweet syrup.

Variations

Iced caramel macchiato

Add vanilla syrup and 180 ml cold milk to a glass of ice, pour the espresso over the top and finish with caramel.

Upside-down

Steam, pour and stir everything together; it tastes the same but loses the layers.

Troubleshooting

The caramel sank and disappeared

The sauce was warm and thin or the foam was too light. Use thicker, cool sauce and aerate the milk a few seconds longer.

It is cloyingly sweet

Halve the vanilla syrup to 7 ml and drizzle caramel only in a light lattice. The drink should still taste of coffee.

The syrup crystallized in the jar

Undissolved sugar crystals seeded it. Warm the syrup gently until clear, and next time make sure every grain dissolves before cooling.

Storage

The assembled drink should be served immediately. Store the cooled vanilla syrup in a clean, sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to about 3 weeks; discard it if it turns cloudy, smells off or shows mold.