Layered Caramel Macchiato

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A coffeehouse classic built the right way at home: vanilla-sweetened milk on the bottom, steamed foam on top, and espresso poured through last so it drops in dark ribbons instead of muddling. The five-minute caramel sauce is real caramelized sugar with cream and butter, so it tastes toasted rather than just sweet. Makes enough sauce for about eight drinks.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp water
• 1/3 cup heavy cream, warmed
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 4 tbsp finely ground dark-roast espresso beans (for 4 shots)
• Ice, if serving cold

Instructions

1. Make the vanilla syrup first: combine 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir just until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla, and let cool. You will only use 2–3 tablespoons per two drinks; refrigerate the rest up to 3 weeks.
2. Make the caramel: in a clean, heavy small saucepan, stir 1/2 cup sugar with 2 tablespoons water until it looks like wet sand. Set over medium heat and do not stir again — swirl the pan occasionally. Cook 5 to 7 minutes, until the syrup turns the color of a copper penny and smells nutty. If sugar crystals climb the sides, brush them down with a wet pastry brush.
3. Kill the heat and immediately pour in the warmed 1/3 cup heavy cream, standing back — it will steam and bubble hard. Whisk until smooth, then whisk in the butter, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. If any hard bits remain, return to low heat for 30 to 60 seconds, whisking, until glossy. Transfer to a jar and cool 10 minutes; it thickens as it sits.
4. Steam the milk: heat 1 1/2 cups whole milk in a saucepan over medium until it reaches 150°F and steams but never simmers, about 3 minutes. Pour into a French press or a deep jar and pump the plunger (or use a handheld frother) for 30 seconds until the volume grows by about a third and you have a layer of fine foam on top.
5. Pull the espresso: brew 4 shots (about 3 ounces total) in an espresso machine, or make 3 ounces of very strong coffee in a Moka pot or AeroPress. Keep it hot and undiluted — weak coffee will not hold its own against the milk.
6. Build each drink: drizzle 1 tablespoon caramel around the inside of a warmed 10- to 12-ounce glass. Add 1 tablespoon vanilla syrup, then pour in the hot steamed milk to about three-quarters full, spooning the thickest foam on last so you have a 1/2-inch white cap.
7. Pour the espresso slowly over the back of a spoon held just above the foam, aiming for the center. It will sink through the foam and stripe the milk in dark ribbons. Do not stir. Finish with a crosshatch of caramel over the foam and serve immediately, with a spoon or straw so the drinker mixes it themselves.
8. For an iced version: fill a tall glass with ice, add 1 tablespoon vanilla syrup and 3/4 cup cold whole milk, stir the bottom layer only, then pour the espresso gently over the ice so it floats and streaks. Drizzle with caramel.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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