Copycat Starbucks Iced Caramel Macchiato

Starbucks has an array of classic drinks that are always popular. The iced caramel macchiato is on the top three most requested drinks from the coffee shop, and it happened to be one of my favorite drinks too.  It is made with a shot of espresso, milk, and caramel sauce. Macchiato is translated to “stained milk” and you can see how true that is when you order one. The milk and espresso literally melt together to create a perfect blend. 

With all that being said, let’s make your very own tasty beverage at home to save yourself a few bucks and a few minutes of standing in line. The basics are pretty simple. Just combine vanilla syrup with cold milk, then add some ice, fresh espresso, and top it all off with caramel sauce. If you don’t have an espresso machine, you may want to consider using instant espresso or another strong brewed coffee. Espresso is slightly different from coffee as the water is steamed through the coffee, so it is a little stronger than traditional drip coffee.

This recipe is a copycat, so it’s not the actual propriety recipe that is property of Starbucks. It’s only approximations (for the real thing, visit your local store). The copycat recipe is easy, fits the bill, and can be made simply and in no time at all.  I made this iced caramel macchiato, which tasted similar to the Starbucks kind, for under $3 and under 5 minutes. That is less than the cost of a trip to Starbucks and it really isn’t time consuming.

Happy sipping!

Copycat Starbucks Iced Caramel Macchiato

For  recipe in Indonesian, click HERE

Ingredients:

·         2 teaspoons Starbucks vanilla syrup

·         1 cup cold milk of your choice

·         1 cup ice cubes

·         2 shots espresso (or 80 ml strongly brewed coffee)

·         Caramel sauce or syrup to drizzle

Directions:

1.       Add vanilla syrup into your cup or glass.

2.       Pour in the milk of your choice.

3.       Add ice cubes.

4.       Pour 2 shots espresso over the icy vanilla milk mixture.

5.       Drizzle with caramel sauce or syrup.

6.       Stir well and sip.

Bahasa Indonesia

Bahan:

·         2 sdt sirup vanilla Starbucks (sesuaikan dengan selera Anda)

·         1 cup susu dingin

·         1 cup es batu

·         2 shots espresso (atau 80 ml kopi instan seduh)

·         Saus karamel

Cara:

1.       Masukkan sirup vanilla ke dalam cangkir atau gelas.

2.       Tuang susu dingin.

3.       Tambahkan es batu.

4.       Tuang 2 shots espresso.

5.       Beri saus atau sirup caramel.

6.       Aduk dan siap diminum.

Sautéed Spinach with Mushroom

Spinach and mushrooms make a super-fast combination that’s perfect for two, and it’s easy to double or triple for a crowd. Sometimes I’ll simply sauté spinach with a bit of garlic and olive oil, making for a quick side. But sautéing spinach with mushrooms adds a depth of flavor that made it a good partner for grilled steak.  Yes, this classic combination can be served as a savory side dish or as an entrée which excellent served with beef or chicken—with grains or piled atop a thick slice of toast. It’s also makes a great filling for crepes or omelets.

This recipe for sautéed spinach with mushrooms takes only about 10 minutes to cook and is best served piping hot. So if you are making this dish as part of a dinner, have all the other elements of the meals done or in their last stages before starting the sauté steps for mushrooms and then spinach.

Sautéed Spinach with Mushroom

For recipe in Indonesian, click HERE

Ingredients:

·   1 pound baby spinach, rinsed but not dried; or 2 pounds bunch spinach, stemmed and rinsed but not dried, coarsely chopped

·   ½ pound mushrooms, wiped clean, trimmed and sliced

·   1 bell pepper (green/yellow/red), seeded, de-ribbed, and cut into thin strips 2 inches long and ¼ inch wide

·   1 small onion, cut into thin strips

·   2 garlic cloves, minced

·   1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

·   Salt and freshly ground pepper

·   1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

·   2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1.       Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a nonstick large skillet or wok. Add the garlic and onion. Cook and stir until fragrant.

2.       Add the mushrooms and stir until seared and beginning to sweat, about five minutes. Add the bell peppers.

3.       Turn the heat to medium, add thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir together for another minute or two until the mushrooms are tender.

4.       Add the spinach and stir until wilted, about two minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the sesame seeds.

5.       Remove from the heat. Serve hot or warm.

Bahasa Indonesia

Bahan:

·   450 gram baby spinach, cuci bersih tapi tidak usah dikeringkan; atau 900 gram  bayam segar, pisahkan batang dan daunnya, cuci bersih tapi tidak usah dikeringkan, iris kasar

·   225 gram jamur, bersihkan dan iris tipis

·   1 buah paprika (hijau/kuning/merah), buang bijinya, iris tipis dengan panjang 5 cm dan lebar ½ cm

·   1 buah bawang bombay, iris tipis

·   2 siung bawang putih, cincang halus

·   1 sdt daun thyme segar

·   Garam dan merica bubuk

·   1 sdm wijen, sangrai

·   2 sdm minyak zaitun

Cara:

1.       Panaskan minyak zaitun di atas wajan antilengket dengan api sedang-besar. Masukkan bawang putih dan bawang Bombay, tumis hingga harum.

2.       Tambahkan jamur dan tumis sekitar 5 menit. Tambahkan paprika.

3.       Kecilkan api (panas sedang), masukkan daun thyme, garam dan merica. Bisa ditambahkan  gula sedikit. Tumis 1-2 menit lagi sampai jamur layu.

4.       Masukkan bayam, tumis sampai sedikit layu sekitar 2 menit. Koreksi rasa, tambahkan garam dan merica bila perlu. Beri taburan wijen.

5.       Angkat dan sajikan selagi panas atau hangat.

Galaxy Donuts

Who can resist a donut? Especially if they are freshly homemade and coated with a sweet glaze. Deliciously fluffy and airy on the inside, and tender on the outside.  Incredible, and that’s even before you add the marbled icing.

This homemade donut recipe I would like to share is sure to please everyone in your family. One of the things that I love about this recipe is that you can just toss all the ingredients in a stand mixer and let it do most of the work. It comes from the350degreeoven.com and tastes just like Krispy Kreme Donuts. 

The best part about the glaze is that it is super easy and fun to do. It was made using a marbled icing technique. Marbling icing is a simple technique for all decorators of all skill levels to master, and the icing does a lot of the work for you.  These donuts look like a mini galaxy which are totally out of this word, and they are as beautiful as the night sky.  Your kids would love it.

Galaxy Donuts

For recipe in Indonesian, click HERE

Ingredients:

Dough:

·         300g all-purpose flour

·         55g sugar

·         45g butter, softened

·         ½ tsp salt

·         ½ cup milk

·         2 tsp active dry yeast

·         ½ cup water roux - tangzhong (recipe below)

·         Oil for frying

Water Roux - Tangzhong:

·         40g all-purpose flour

·         1 cup water

Glaze

·         3-4 tbsp whole milk

·         2 cups powdered sugar

·         1 tsp vanilla extract

·         1 drop blue base food coloring

·         1 drop pink or red base food coloring

Directions:

1.       Make the tangzhong by mixing all ingredients in a small sauce pan over medium heat until it thickens and swirl lines begin to form.  Set aside to cool. This is a dough enhancer, add only ½ cup to the dough.

2.       Add all the ingredients for making the dough in a stand mixer and knead for about 15 minutes, allow it to rise for approximately 45 minutes, then punch down, and allow to rise a second time for 30-45 more minutes.

3.       Place the dough on a floured surface and roll out to about ¼” thick. Try not to handle the dough too much besides dumping it out, just  sprinkling more flour on top of the dough and rolling it out. The more you handle it, or if you try to kneading it again, the tougher it will get.

4.       Punch out as many rounds as you can with 3” cutter, then use 1” cutter to punch out center of each round. Gather donut holes and scraps and re-roll. Repeat process until all dough has been used.

5.       Place cut donuts on a floured surface like a cookie sheet and don’t let them touch.

6.       Allow to rise for another hour.

7.       Heat oil to approximately 350 degrees F or just heat the oil over medium heat until warm.

8.       Make the glaze while the oil is heating (you want to dip the donuts in the glaze while they’re still warm).

9.       Fry donuts in oil for 30-45 seconds on each side or until golden brown.

10.   Decorate donuts. Position cooling grid over parchment paper. Dip top of donuts into glaze, shaking off excess icing. Place on cooling grid.  Add more color as needed to continue creating marble effect. Let donuts dry 10 to 20 minutes.

Marble glaze:

·         Whisk 2 cups powdered sugar, 4-5 tbsp milk, and vanilla extract in a small bowl until smooth.

·         Add one drop blue base color and 1 drop pink base color. Using toothpick, swirl colors together, being careful not to overmix.

Bahasa Indonesia

Bahan:

Donat:

·         300g tepung terigu serbaguna

·         55g gula pasir

·         45g mentega, suhu ruang

·         ½ sdt garam

·         ½ cup susu cair

·         2 sdt ragi instan aktif

·         ½ cup adonan tangzhong

·         Minyak untuk menggoreng

Water Roux - Tangzhong:

·         40g terpung terigu serbaguna

·         1 cup air

Glaze

·         3-4 sdm susu cair

·         2 cups gula bubuk

·         1 sdt ekstrak vanila

·         1 tetes pewarna makanan biru

·         1 tetes pewarna makanan pink atau merah

Cara:

1.       Buat adonan tangzhong dengan cara mencampur semua bahan dalam panci kecil yang dipanaskan dengan api sedang sambil diaduk sampai mengental.  Sisihkan.  Gunakan hanya  ½ cup adonan.

2.       Masukkan semua bahan ke dalam mangkuk mikser dan uleni selama 15 menit hingga kalis elastis. Pindahkan ke dalam mangkuk lain yang telah diolesi minyak dan ditutup lap atau wrap. Diamkan selama 45 menit sampai mengembang.   Kempeskan adonan dan diamkan kembali selama 30-45 menit.

3.       Pindahkan adonan ke alas yang sudah ditaburi terigu, gilas sampai ketebalan ¼”. Usahakan jangan terlalu sering menguleni adonan, cukup taburi adonan dengan terigu dan gilas dengan rolling pin menghindari adonan menjadi keras.

4.       Cetak menggunakan cetakan donat atau dengan cutter berdiameter 3 “ lalu gunakan cutter berdiameter 1” untuk melubangi bagian tengahnya. 

5.       Letakkan donat di atas wadah yang telah ditaburi terigu dan jangan disentuh agar donat tidak berubah bentuk.

6.       Diamkan selama 1 jam.

7.       Panaskan minyak dengan api kecil-sedang.

8.       Buat glaze selagi minyak dipanaskan agar sewaktu dicelupkan, donat masih dalam keadaan hangat.

9.       Goreng donat selama 30-45 detik dengan sekali dibalik atau sampai warna coklat keemasan.

10.   Celupkan donat yang masih hangat ke dalam marble glaze, goyangkan untuk membuang kelebihan glaze. Letakkan di atas cooling rack hingga glaze mengering selama 10 sampai 20 menit.

Marble  glaze:

·         Aduk 2 cups gula bubuk, 4-5 sdm susu cair, dan ekstrak vanila dalam mangkuk kecil sampai bercampur halus dan tidak ada gumpalan.

·         Tambahkan 1 tetes pewarna makanan biru dan 1 tetes pewarna makanan pink atau merah. Buat pola marble dengan menggunakan tusuk gigi, usahakan tidak overmix. 

Bajigur ~ An Indonesian Traditional Refreshing Hot Beverage

Indonesia is rich in spices and also traditional drinks that are fresh, unique, and healthy. Many Indonesian people believe that the use of a mixture of spices as the manufacture beverages would provide health benefits so that the typical drinks like bajigur is still favored by many.

Bajigur  is a refreshing hot beverage native to the Sundanese people of West Java made with coconut milk, coffee, Javanese Palm Sugar (gula jawa), cinnamon, salt, ginger, and pandan leaves.  The drink should be consumed while it is still hot, usually when the weather is cold, or when temperatures are decreasing and it’s often served with small snacks like steamed banana or sweet potato and boiled peanuts.

Bajigur

For recipe in Indonesian, click HERE

Ingredients:

·   200 ml thick coconut milk

·   400 ml water

·   80 gr Javanese palm sugar (gula jawa)

·   1 teaspoon instant coffee

·   1/8  teaspoon ground cinnamon or 2 cm cinnamon

·   ¼ teaspoon salt

·   ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

·   2 cm ginger (optional)

·   2 pandan leaves, knotted

Directions:

1.    Place all ingredients in a pot and bring to boil onto medium heat. Stir frequently to prevent the coconut milk from curdling.

2.    Discard the pandan leaves and strain into 2 serving glass.

3.    Served while it is still hot with steam banana or sweet potato and boiled peanuts.  

Bahasa Indonesia

Bahan:

·   200 ml santan kental

·   400 ml air

·   80 gr gula jawa

·   1 sdt kopi bubuk instan

·   1/8  sdt kayumanis bubuk atau 2 cm kayumanis

·   ¼ sdt garam

·   ¼ sdt ekstrak vanila

·   2 lembar daun pandan, ikat

Cara:

1.       Rebus semua bahan hingga mendidih sambil terus diaduk agar santan tidak pecah.

2.       Setelah mendidih, matikan api. Buang daun pandan kemudan saring dan tuang ke dalam 2 gelas saji.

3.       Sajikan selagi panas bersama pisang atau ubi dan kacang rebus.