Apple Crisp Macchiato
Author:Apple Crisp Macchiato, Starbucks style! Make this delicious coffee shop-level fall drink either hot or iced. It's creamy, cozy, and warmly spiced, with rich, caramel apple-type vibes!
Ingredients
For the Apple Brown Sugar Syrup & drizzle (makes about 1½ cups)
- 2 cups (400 grams) brown sugar
- 2 cups (480 ml) good quality apple juice , (use apple cider in the US)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon , or apple pie spice
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
For the Apple Crisp Macchiato
- 2 tablespoons apple brown sugar syrup , use more or less to taste
- 2 shots (2 fl oz / 60 ml) espresso , or double strength coffee
- About 12 oz (355 ml) dairy-free milk , or enough to almost fill your mug (I like to use oat milk)
- optional apple crisp drizzle
INSTRUCTIONS
For the syrup
- First, make the syrup. Add the brown sugar, apple juice, cinnamon, and salt to a small pan. Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring or swirling occasionally, for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and carefully pour into a small jar. Use right away or store in the fridge until needed.
For the optional apple crisp drizzle
- Leave about ½ cup (120ml) of the apple brown sugar syrup in the pan after decanting the rest. Simmer for another 5 minutes so it reduces down and thickens further. Don't let it simmer any longer than 5 minutes. Store in a separate container in the fridge. It will be extremely hot so be careful and use a heat proof jar/container.
For the macchiato
- Spoon 2 tablespoons of apple brown sugar syrup into a cup or mug.
- Heat the milk and froth it. If you have an espresso machine with a steamer use that. If not heat in a pan or in a microwave then froth it really well with a handheld frother or pour into a French press and pump the strainer up and down repeatedly until really frothy.Froth is essential if you want the visible layers in your drink like mine. If you aren't bothered about having the fancy layers and don't want to drizzle the optional syrup over the top of your drink then you don't need the froth.
- Pull 2 shots of espresso or brew some double-strength coffee. Don't pour it into the mug yet.
- Pour the hot milk over the apple syrup, then spoon over the froth, leaving just enough room in the mug for the espresso.
- Gently pour the espresso in a thin stream onto the foamy milk, in one single spot so you don't disturb the foam too much. The coffee will form a visible layer at the top.
- Drizzle generously with apple crisp drizzle then enjoy!
Make it iced
- Add the apple brown sugar syrup to a glass then add the apple brown sugar syrup. Stir to dissolve the syrup in the coffee. Fill up the glass with ice then top up with cold milk. Or to make it frothy, fill a jar with ice then add the espresso and apple syrup. Put the lid on and shake until really foamy. Pour into your glass, adding more ice if necessary, then top up with cold milk.
NOTES
Storing - Store excess syrup in a sealed jar/container in the fridge for up to 4 weeks. Syrup can also be frozen although some crystallization may occur. To remedy this, once defrosted, warm up the syrup very gently in a small pan. This will dissolve the crystals.
If the apple drizzle becomes too thick when refrigerated, warm for 10 to 15 seconds in the jar in the microwave (watch carefully as it bubbles up very quickly), or sit the jar in some hot tap water for a few minutes with something heavy on top to stop it floating.
NUTRITION
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 174kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 140mg | Potassium: 474mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 760IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 466mg | Iron: 2mg
