Caramel Macchiato Frappuccino, a milestone coffee recipe

Total: 20 min Diners: 2

My working life as an employee started as a barista at Starbucks. I was just nineteen years old and I had the latent feeling of wanting to get ahead on my own, of not depending on my parents. They had already done enough for me (although they are still there, at the bottom of the barrel every day) and I wanted to explore the world of those who were in charge of serving coffees like that “mocha” with chocolate and cream that I liked so much at that time. I admit I was happy there.

I had a great boss and the atmosphere was great. And I learned how to add syrups, throw espresso shots and above all how to manage customer relations. I also realized that one of Starbucks’ favorite drinks at the time was the Caramel Macchiato; both hot and in a cold frappuccino.

What’s in it? Whipped cream, coffee, milk, a caramel that’s more of a toffee, ice and, in the hot version, a little vanilla as well. I still remember it. Of course, at Starbucks everything came already prepared and all you had to do was mix the “bases”. The first and most important thing is to prepare the caramel, which must be completely cooled before use, and then crush it well when serving, having some good whipped cream at hand. Always whipped at home, the espráis are a quick shortcut that is not so quick. It takes five minutes to whip cream.

Of course, I use freshly brewed coffee and not instant powder and I recommend using crushed ice rather than whole cubes, for ease of the robot. I don’t add any more sugar because I don’t like it, but you could add a little to the base if what you want is to enjoy a dessert. Because yes, in reality this coffee is more of a snack drink than a breakfast drink.

The way to prepare it is terribly easy, you will only need a blender that crushes ice and nothing else, although I allowed myself to add a little xanthan gum to make the mixture more dense, as happens in the recognized coffee shops. I will not talk about their coffee, because it is not “my cup of tea”. Perhaps the most tedious part is preparing the toffee sauce, so I recommend making a larger quantity, not just the amount you need for the coffee, so as to have a leftover of something that takes a long time to spoil if kept in the refrigerator. Are you lazy? Well, I’d rather use dulce de leche than one of those bad caramels.

From Starbucks, we could also prepare their mythical Pumpkin Spiced Latte that they used to bring out (I don’t know if it continues) in autumn, the Christmas gingerbread latte or any of their frappuccinos, of course.

How to make a caramel macchiato frappuccino

Ingredients

. Freshly brewed espresso coffee (cold), 160 ml Whole milk, 250 ml Ice (better if pilé), 2 cups Whipping cream, 4 tablespoons Toffee, 3 teaspoons Natural vanilla extract, a pinch Xanthan gum, 1/4 teaspoon Sugar, optional and to taste

For the caramel

Sugar, 200 g Water, 4 tablespoons Butter, 30 g Cream, 60 ml

Step 1

Place the sugar with the water in a saucepan and turn the heat on medium. We don’t want the bottom part to burn quickly and the top part to remain unmelted. The caramel has a delicate process and is slower than fast, so it is best to be patient with it. We want all the sugar to melt and then start caramelizing.

Step 2

When it starts to take color add a little more water very carefully because it jumps and can burn and let it continue cooking over low heat. Be careful because the heat of the sugar itself, no matter how much we take it away from the fire, continues cooking and burnt caramel is extremely unpleasant.

Step 3

When the caramel is already blond, lower the heat to the minimum and add the butter and cream. Stir everything very well until you get a creamy toffee sauce but not too much because then when it cools it solidifies. Set aside.

Step 4

Whip the cream, which should be very cold, with a whisk. When we see that it begins to take shape, add the icing sugar and continue whipping until it is very firm. Place in a piping bag.

Step 5

To make the frappuccino, prepare an espresso coffee of about 80 ml. If we want it stronger it is advisable to make another coffee before watering down this one.

Step 6

Mix the milk with the coffee, a few drops of natural vanilla essence, a teaspoon of caramel and the xanthan gum. Add the ice and blend very well for 30 seconds. Or whatever our machine needs.

Step 7

Paint the inside of the glass with the caramel, pour the frappuccino, add the whipped cream on top and finish with more caramel to top it off.