DIY Caramel Macciato

Stay home and save your $4.00 for something more important! I love Starbucks, don't get me wrong, but who wants to drive in the snow for a coffee, when you can make one at home? (NOT ME!)
Here is the deal. I made this recipe 3 times before I got it right. (Something about not reading the directions carefully.) Sooo...I will break it down for you here. (This recipe can be found on page 87 in the October Rachel Magazine. That sounded a bit like church there. Turn to page 87 that's 8....7)
Moving on

{For the Caramel Sauce}
In a heavy bottom saucepan combine 1 cup of sugar with 1/3 cup of water and stir until sugar is dissolved about 2 minutes. Increase the heat to high and cook for 5 minutes until you get a nice medium dark color. Take off the heat and add 1/3 cup heavy cream 2 TABLESPOONS AT A TIME! This is important or it will splatter and burn you! Be very careful and I don't care how good it looks, if you touch it You Will Be Sorry. Turn the heat back down and stir until incorporated. About 3 minutes will do it. It is like hot lava at this point!! Let it cool.

Now AFTER it is cooled off you can add hot water a little at a time for a thinner sauce. I put mine in a Wilton Squirt Bottle (from the Wilton dept. at Michaels) so I can use it more easily.

YES you can cheat and buy the caramel in the store, but that would be too easy.

You can use strong coffee or espresso for this drink. If you don't have an espresso machine, just warm 2 cups of milk in a glass container in the microwave until bubbles start to form on the edges. Whisk a little to get some foam going and pour into a mug. Then add strong coffee, or espresso and then the caramel sauce on top! Yummy!