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The Iced Caramel Macchiato is hands down my go-to drink at the Starbucks drive-thru – I swear it gives me life some days! What better summer activity, than creating a popsicle version of this treat to have on hand anytime. This is the perfect, small-but-mighty, quick caffeine fix with the bonus of fewer calories and sugar.
There is something so magical about the caramel macchiato layer of espresso drizzling down into the milk – I wanted to mimic that exact look (or as similar as possible) with these pops. After some trial runs, it was determined that while the layering of milk: espresso was aesthetically pleasing, the popsicles made by adding all the ingredients together yielded the best taste. Although the ingredients go into the molds at the same time, they are not blended together, so they do give a slight marbling look…we’ll say these have the ’10 minute after drive-thru caramel macchiato layers”- look.
Even Bailey loves her Starbucks treats !
So many variations can be made with this- have some fun and experiment using our favorite creamers, sweeteners, and blends of coffee or espresso! That’s the best part of making recipes at home – completely customizable with controlled ingredients.
Let’s start with the coffee…
For this recipe you can use whatever brew you love most – just keep in mind that lighter and regular brewed coffee will taste a bit watered down once the pops are done. I opt for the dark roast/espresso cold brew concentrate. I purchased this cold brew container for the refrigerator in 2018 and still use it religiously in the summer! This is one of my favorite Amazon finds that saves me money by having a cold brew on tap at all times. I’ll link it below if you wanted to check it out. Cold brew coffee is available, already brewed, in most grocery stores near the orange juice and creamers – you can always just make your own at home using ground coffee beans.
My Favorite Tools/Accessories Used In This Recipe Video
You just place the ground coffee or dark roast/espresso in the stainless steel basket and fill the glass jar with room temp water. It brews and stores in the refrigerator. Remove the brewed coffee grounds when it’s reached the desired potency – I usually just let it sit overnight for about 8 hours and it’s perfect. BONUS: It is so easy to clean and take apart fully with just a few pieces.
My coffee grinder. I never make coffee now from ground bags – I purchase coffee beans and freshly ground before each brew. It makes a world of difference
Durable stainless steel pop molds are long-lasting and free from plastic contaminants. Easy to clean and the frozen pops just glide out every time. I purchased mine with the bamboo sticks vs. the stainless steel sticks- I have too many kids (and adults) that will instinctively throw out the stick like a normal pop.
For the creamy milk layer…
This recipe was developed using a simple sweetened half & half layer. The authentic Starbucks Macchiato is typically made with low-fat milk (or non dairy alternate such as coconut milk) – but for the pops a cream is more ideal given the size of the molds vs the size of a Starbucks cup. A “Grande” (medium) Caramel Macchiato is 2 shots of espresso poured over almost 16 ounces of ice and milk. For our 4ounce molds, a small amount of cream will help to offset the strength of the brew similarly to the 16ounces of ice/milk.
Variations: Your favorite coffee creamer, coconut milk (full fat) or cream, non dairy creamers (sweetened or unsweetened).
Add-ins….
These pops are yours – make them your way! You can add chopped chocolate for a mocha chip vibe – keep in mind they will sink to the bottom which will be the top of the popsicle. Add chopped chocolate-covered espresso beans for even more jolt. If you decorate the frozen pops with caramel drizzle, return them to the freezer on a flat pan for 30+ minutes, or else the caramel will just slide off and make a mess (trust me!) Alternately use melted chocolate drizzle.
Links to Our Favorite Ingredients Used in Video:
Frontier Coop Vanilla Extract: https://amzn.to/35EjpPj
Ghirardelli Caramel Sauce (squeeze bottle): https://amzn.to/3vGW2zi
Butternut Mountain Farm (Vermont) Organic Maple Syrup: https://amzn.to/3gHPDPZ
Vermont Organic Coffee: https://amzn.to/2UlkVn7
Caramel Macchiato Popsicles
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
What better summer activity, than creating a popsicle version of this treat to have on hand anytime. This is the perfect, small-but-mighty, quick caffeine fix with the bonus of fewer calories and sugar.
Ingredients
2 cups cold/hot brew coffee or ground dark roast/espresso cold brew
1 tbsp maple syrup
2/3 cup half & half OR your favorite creamer
½ tsp vanilla extract
Caramel drizzle
Instructions
- Cold-brew ground dark roast/espresso or double brew a strong coffee, Allow it to fully chill before using in popsicle molds.
- Mix together the half and half, vanilla extract, and maple syrup.
- Pour cream mixture into pop molds about 1/3 of the way up.
- Drizzle a bit of caramel sauce into the mold (optional)
You can par-freeze (3o minutes) the pops at this point, with the wooden sticks in place, if you want to make pretty layers. If you don’t care about the coffee/cream mixing continue with the next step…
- Add a few chunks of crushed ice
- Pour in chilled coffee/espresso so that each popsicle mold is a little over 3/4 full
- Allow to freeze at least 2 hours
- Enjoy!
Notes
Add optional caramel drizzle to the pops – returning to the freezer (30min) on a flat pan or else the caramel will just slide right off.
Use flavored creamer, coconut milk or yogurt instead of half&half – omit maple syrup if using sweetened replacement.
Replace maple syrup with your preferred sweetener.
Add chopped espresso beans or chocolate to the pops- they will sink to the bottom (which will be at the top of the frozen popsicle)
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