Quarantine has now lasted well past the one month mark. Consequently, I have not overpaid for coffee in a long time and let me tell you, I miss it. Of course, I can always make coffee at home but Starbucks coffee just hits differently. And yes, I do think Starbucks coffee is better than Dunkin coffee but that’s besides the point. 

Anyways, in the midst of my boredom, I decided I would try to recreate my favorite Starbucks drink, a caramel macchiato. I started my adventure in the same place every other adventure begins, the internet. After completing some research, I found a perfect and seemingly easy caramel macchiato recipe. 

I went to my kitchen and began my attempt at being a barista. Only minutes into my adventure, I noticed there was an ingredient missing. Vanilla syrup, a key part of the recipe, was nowhere to be found in my house. However, I was not going to let this stop me. Determined, I returned to the internet and found a vanilla syrup recipe. 

After about a half-an-hour of stirring and cooling, I had successfully made some vanilla syrup. It was time to continue making my coffee. I measured out the milk, brewed the coffee and added my syrup and ice. Everything was looking up, until I realized the most important ingredient of a caramel macchiato was missing, the caramel. 

After many minutes of searching I came to the shocking conclusion that my family owned no caramel. How is that possible you may ask. I have no clue. However, I was in too deep at this point. I refused to give up. 

Once again, I returned to the internet and found a recipe for homemade caramel. This recipe, however, was a bit more complicated than the vanilla syrup. I dived right in and began a tedious process of stirring. Even though at one point my caramel was dangerously close to boiling over, it was a success. 

Two hours and many dirtied dishes later, my caramel macchiato was ready. However, before I indulged into my new creation, I had to clean up my mess. This is a barista’s most important job. I cleaned all my used dishes and put all the ingredients away. It was now time to enjoy the fruit of my labor.

This process took an unbelievable amount of time and effort. I hoped more than anything it was all worth it. And, let me tell you, it definitely was. My caramel macchiato tasted just like I was sipping it out of the classic green Starbucks straws. It immediately brought back so many memories of me drinking this heavenly drink during my morning drives to Hoban. It was amazing and I highly recommend. 

If anyone was inspired by my attempt as a barista, here are links to all of the recipes I used throughout this process. 

Caramel Macchiato recipe:

https://spoonuniversity.com/how-to/how-to-make-an-iced-caramel-macchiato-as-told-by-a-starbucks-barista

Vanilla Syrup recipe: 

https://barefeetinthekitchen.com/vanilla-coffee-syrup-recipe/

Homemade Caramel recipe:

https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a24568214/how-to-make-caramel/