Caramel Brûlée Latte
This sweet caramel brûlée latte is the perfect way to embrace the holiday season! It's like a latte that stepped straight out of the north pole.
Servings 1 latte
Calories 220kcal
Ingredients
Caramel Syrup
- ½ cup water divided
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Caramel Sauce
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup butter salted or unsalted, room temperature, cut into 4 pieces
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream room temperature
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Caramel Brûlée Latte
- ⅓ cup espresso or very strong coffee
- ½ ounce caramel syrup or caramel sauce
- ½ cup whole milk or 2% milk, or your milk of choice
- ¼ cup whipped cream
- 1 teaspoon crushed toffee bits
- 1 tablespoon caramel sauce for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Caramel Syrup
- Combine ¼ cup water and ½ cup sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until dissolved, about 5 minutes or so.¼ cup water
- Cover and boil, about 3 minutes. Remove the lid and stir consistently until the mixture is a light amber color.½ cup granulated sugar
- Remove from heat immediately, then stir in remaining ¼ cup water and vanilla extract.¼ cup water, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 month.
Caramel Sauce
- In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine the sugar and water. Use a wooden spoon or heat-resistant spatula to stir frequently but gently. Once all of the sugar is dissolved, turn the heat up just a touch to medium-low and let the mixture come to a low boil.1 cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup water
- As the sugar low boils/cooks, it will start to turn colors. Keep a careful eye on the color to determine when it's done. The progression is champagne color to light brown to light amber to dark amber. When it is dark amber (a golden/red brown), remove it from the heat.
- Immediately but carefully add the butter. Mixture will start to bubble, but stir quickly with your wooden spoon or spatula (or switch to a whisk, as I prefer) to incorporate the butter as it melts.¼ cup butter
- When all of the butter is melted, slowly drizzle in the heavy cream while continuing to stir or whisk the mixture. It will bubble rapidly. This is ok.½ cup heavy whipping cream
- Once all of the heavy cream is incorporated, add the salt. Allow to cool before using (it will thicken as it cools).1 teaspoon sea salt
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 1 month. Heat in microwave or on the stovetop before using. Caramel will be fine at room temperature for a day or two if it needs to travel. Caramel may be frozen, up to 3 months. Thaw in refrigerator and warm as needed.
Keep an eye on the sides of the pan in case sugar crystals start to form during the cooking process. You can use a pastry brush dipped in water to keep crystallized sugar at bay, brushing it gently on the sides if needed.
Caramel Brûlée Latte
- Make your espresso or strong coffee. Then add it to a latte mug and stir in the caramel syrup.⅓ cup espresso, ½ ounce caramel syrup
- Make steamed milk. Use a milk frother machine or a milk frother tool to froth warm milk.½ cup whole milk
- Pour the frothy milk over the espresso.
- Top with whipped cream, crushed toffee bits and caramel sauce, if desired.¼ cup whipped cream, 1 teaspoon crushed toffee bits, 1 tablespoon caramel sauce
Notes
Tips & tricks
- You can easily adjust the sweetness in this caramel brulee latte by adding more caramel syrup or reducing the amount that the recipe calls for.
- If you are not making espresso, be very careful not to make your coffee too weak. The sweetness of the caramel and toffee needs that slightly bitter bite of bold coffee!
- Make sure you mix the syrup into the hot coffee so that it doesn't settle on the bottom of the cup.
Nutrition
Serving: 10ounces | Calories: 220kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 182mg | Potassium: 321mg | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 388IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 185mg | Iron: 0.1mg
