A Caramel Latte is one of the easiest sweet coffee recipes to make at home. All you need is 4 ingredients and about 5 minutes.
It’s very nearly fall. And you know what that means. Time for sweet and warming coffee drinks!
Today’s recipe is perfect for chilly fall mornings if you’ve already reached your Pumpkin Spice Latte quota for the year, a Caramel Latte.
Caramel lattes are one of the easiest sweet coffee recipes to make at home. All you need is caramel, coffee or espresso, a little sugar, and milk.
Ingredient Notes
- Coffee: True lattes are made with espresso, but most people don’t have espresso makers in their kitchen, so this recipe uses brewed coffee. You can use whatever coffee you have on hand, brewed strong for a more intense coffee flavor. If you’d like to use a shot of espresso instead of coffee, not a problem. Increase the milk in the recipe to 3/4 cup and replace the coffee with a shot of espresso.
- Caramel sauce: Almost any caramel sauce will work in this recipe. If caramel sauce isn’t something you keep stocked, pick some up the next time you’re at the store or make my quick shortcut caramel sauce .
- Milk: Starbucks uses 2% milk in their coffee drinks by default, but you can use any milk you’d like including non-dairy milks. The higher fat your milk, the creamier your drink will be.
- Cream: If you don’t keep cream on hand, you can leave it out, but I love adding a little splash for extra richness. Half and half also works well. You’ll definitely have some leftover heavy cream, so check out my post What to Do With Leftover Whipping Cream for storage tips and recipe ideas for the leftovers.
Store-bought Caramel Alternatives
If you don’t have any caramel sauce on hand, you have a couple make-at-home alternatives:
Shortcut Caramel : This recipe uses brown sugar, so it’s not a classic caramel, but it’s very quick and easy (and delicious). Dulce de Leche : Have a can of condensed milk on hand and don’t mind waiting a couple hours? Make some dulce de leche and use it in place of caramel to make a dulce de leche latte . Caramel Sauce : And if you want a real, classic caramel, go ahead and give this recipe a try.
How to Make a Caramel Latte
- In a small pot ( a butter warmer works well), combine milk, caramel, and sugar and heat over medium heat until milk is steaming and sugar and caramel are completely dissolved. Whisk vigorously until foamy or you can use a handheld milk frother if you have one.
- Pour 1/2 cup of strong coffee into an 8-ounce mug and then pour in the caramel mixture. Give a little stir, and taste. If it’s not quite sweet enough, add a little more sugar. Then top with whipped cream and more caramel sauce if desired and enjoy!
Can I make an iced version of this latte?
Absolutely. Go check out my Iced Caramel Latte recipe for detailed instructions (plus how to make it into a frappuccino). The ratios are all the same, but the preparation method is a little different.
Is there caffeine in a caramel latte?
Yes. A coffeehouse latte made with a single shot of espresso contains about 60-100mg of caffeine. This recipe has about 48mg.
Can I double this recipe?
Sure. This recipe doubles or triples with no preparation changes needed. To change the recipe yield, hover over the serving size in the recipe card below or click if you’re on mobile, and slide the slider.
Can I make a caramel latte in the microwave?
You can! Heat your milk in the microwave until steaming and then stir in the caramel and sugar until they completely dissolve into the milk.
You can either add the coffee directly to the milk or pour your coffee into a separate mug, foam the milk and caramel mixture using a handheld milk frother, and pour the foamed milk over the coffee.
Looking for More Warming Recipes for Fall?
- Homemade Mocha
- White Chocolate Mocha
- Easy Hot Chocolate
- White Hot Chocolate
- Salted Caramel Mocha
- Cinnamon Dolce Latte
Recipe Notes
- This recipe makes a 1-cup (8-ounce) latte. If you want to fill an oversized cup, 1 1/2 or double the recipe.
Ingredients
- ▢ ½ cup milk any percentage
- ▢ 1 tablespoon caramel plus optional more for topping
- ▢ 1 teaspoon ( 4g ) granulated sugar or to taste
- ▢ 1 tablespoon heavy cream optional
- ▢ ½ cup strong coffee
- ▢ Whipped cream optional for topping
Instructions
- In a small pot, over medium heat, combine milk, caramel, sugar, and optional heavy cream. Heat, whisking frequently until milk is just beginning to steam. If desired, whisk vigorously until milk is frothy.
- Pour coffee into an 8-ounce mug, and stir in caramel mixture. Add more sugar to taste if needed. Top with optional whipped cream, and drizzle with more caramel if desired.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
We’re well into my summer milkshake series (to see that series, start with How to Make a Milkshake ), and I’ve saved my personal favorite until now.
Time for an Oreo Milkshake!
The Best Oreo Milkshake Recipe
A good Oreo shake is one that is creamy and thick but not so thick you can’t drink it with a straw, with the perfect ratio of Oreos to ice cream.
This is just such a shake, and I’m pretty positive you’re going to love it.
Ingredient Notes
- Oreos: For that classic cookies and cream milkshake flavor, use traditional chocolate and cream Oreos (or store-brand cookies), but feel free to experiment with different flavors. Any Oreo variation will work here.
- Vanilla ice cream: For best results, use a high-quality vanilla ice cream you enjoy.
- Milk: You can use any milk for your milkshake, but the higher fat your milk, the richer your shake will be. You can even substitute a little half and half or heavy cream for some of the milk for an extra rich and creamy shake.
How to Make an Oreo Milkshake
In your blender, combine ice cream, milk, and 4 Oreos. Blend until mixed and pour into a glass.
Take one more Oreo cookie and crush it in your hand before dropping the pieces over the shake. This way you’ll get chunks of Oreo while you drink and pieces at the bottom of your glass when you finish, which every Oreo milkshake connoisseur knows is the best part.
Top with optional whipped cream , add a straw , and enjoy!
More Cookies and Cream Milkshake Recipes
For even more Oreo milkshake flavor combos, try adding these to the base shake recipe:
- Bailey’s Cookies and Cream Milkshake: Replace 1/4 cup of the milk with 2 ounces (¼ cup) of Irish cream liqueur like Baileys.
- Chocolate Oreo Milkshake: Blend 1 to 2 tablespoons of fudge sauce or chocolate syrup in along with the Oreos.
- Peanut Butter Oreo Milkshake: AKA the Parent Trap milkshake, add 1 slightly heaping tablespoon of peanut butter to the shake before blending.
How can I make an Oreo milkshake without a blender?
If you’re craving an Oreo shake, and the only thing standing between you and that frosty dream is the lack of a blender, no worries! Unlike Strawberry milkshakes or Banana milkshakes and other shakes that have mix-ins that really need to be pulverized, Oreo shakes are particularly good candidates for making without a blender.
- Just crush your cookies in a baggie with a rolling pin.
- Then place ice cream in a large mason jar and microwave it for 15 to 30 seconds, until ice cream has begun to melt but is not fully melted.
- Add milk and cookie crumbs, and then put the lid on and shake until everything is mixed. Before you pour it into a glass, if there are any ice cream bits that haven’t mixed well, use a spoon to stir them in.
And that’s it, instant, blenderless milkshake .
Can I use other cookies besides Oreos in my milkshake?
Sure! Feel free to experiment and go wild. I think Nutter Butters would be particularly good or maybe Thin Mints…
More Milkshake Recipes
- Chocolate Milkshake
- Vanilla Milkshake
- Coffee Milkshake
- Caramel Milkshake
Or check out my Milkshake Recipes Cheat Sheet
More Cookies & Cream Recipes
- Small-batch Oreo Cheesecake Bites
- Small-batch Oreo Cupcakes
- Cookies and Cream Frosting
- Cookies and Cream Popsicles
Recipe Notes
- This will make approximately 1½ to 2 cups, enough for one restaurant-sized shake or two smaller ones.
Ingredients
- ▢ 1½ cup vanilla ice cream about 3 scoops
- ▢ ½ to ¾ cup milk *
- ▢ 5 Oreo cookies divided
- ▢ Whipped cream optional
Instructions
- Combine ice cream, milk, and 4 of the Oreo cookies in your blender. Blend until pourable and pour into a glass.
- Use the bottom of a glass or your hand to crush the final Oreo into small pieces (but not crumbs) and add the pieces to the the top of your shake or over whipped cream if desired. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Tender apple crumb muffins with caramelized cinnamon apples and a crunchy crumbly brown sugar crumb topping.
These muffins are an apple cinnamon dream, packed full of caramelized fruit, they are sweet, cinnamon spicy, and amazing. And the crunchy streusel top is just the icing on the cake.
This is a small-batch apple crumb muffin recipe, so as written, it yields six gorgeous little muffins, but you can double it with no preparation changes if you want a bigger batch.
Functionally, small-batch recipes bake up just fine in modern muffin pans (no need to fill empty slots with water, etc.), but if you want a 6-cup pan, this is the one I own *. It’s cute, compact, and is less to clean, so I love it. 😉
Ingredient Notes
- Apples: This recipe calls for one cup of diced apples, which is equal to about one large apple. If you are a little over or under a cup, don’t worry about it. Granny Smith Apples are my preferred baking apples, but most apples (not Red Delicious) will work fine for these muffins.
- Egg white: Since this is a small-batch recipe, you don’t need to use an entire egg, just the egg white. Check out my post What to Do With Leftover Egg Yolks for ideas on what to do with the extra yolk (I recommend a small batch of snickerdoodles ).
- Unsalted butter: I developed this recipe using unsalted butter, but if all no have is salted butter, not a problem. Just reduce the salt in the recipe to a pinch of salt.
- Sour cream or plain, unsweetened yogurt: Either yogurt or sour cream can be used in these muffins. If using yogurt, Greek or regular plain, unsweetened yogurt work just fine.
How to Make Cinnamon Apple Crumb Muffins
- This is a super easy, straightforward recipe to make. You start with some diced apples–I like Granny Smith, but use your favorite baking apple–and cook them with butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon, until the apples are softened and brown sugar has caramelized into a thick, gooey sauce.
Make up my quick and simple muffin batter, made with either yogurt or sour cream (it’s up to you). Add the apples and let the brown sugar swirl its way into the batter.
Then you mix up a simple brown sugar streusel, drop it over the top of the muffin batter, and bake. In about 16 minutes, you are going to have some big, beautiful muffins on your hands!
How do you store apple crumb muffins?
Muffins are best on the first day, but you can store them at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Don’t store them in the fridge as that will make them dry out more quickly.
Can you freeze apple crumb muffins?
Yes. These muffins freeze well. Just wrap each muffin individually in plastic wrap and then store in a freezer bag for up to 2 months.
When you’re ready to eat one, allow it to come to room temperature on the counter for at least 30 minutes (you want to make sure the apples inside aren’t still frozen when you eat them).
I love these muffins, can I make a bigger batch?
Absolutely. You can double the recipe with no preparation changes made, or you can replace the two egg whites with one whole egg.
To change the recipe yield, hover over the serving size in the recipe card below or click if you’re on mobile, and slide the slider.
You Might Also Enjoy
- Dut ch Apple Pie
- Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Donuts
- Small Apple Cinnamon Cake
- Small-batch Apple Pie Bars
- Homemade Chicago Style Popcorn Mix
Ingredients
Cinnamon Apples
- ▢ 1 cup peeled and diced apples *
- ▢ 1 tablespoon ( 14 g) unsalted butter *
- ▢ 2 tablespoon ( 25 g) packed brown sugar
- ▢ 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Muffin Base
- ▢ ⅔ cup ( 80 g) all-purpose flour
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ▢ ⅛ teaspoon all spice
- ▢ ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ▢ 3 tablespoons ( 42 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- ▢ ¼ cup ( 50 g) granulated sugar
- ▢ 1 large egg white
- ▢ 3 tablespoons sour cream or plain yogurt
- ▢ ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Streusel
- ▢ 2 tablespoons ( 25 g) packed brown sugar
- ▢ 2 tablespoons ( 15 g) all-purpose flour
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ▢ 1 tablespoon ( 14 g) unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F and line muffin tin with 6 liners.
Cinnamon Apples
- In a small saucepan, combine apples, butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Bring to a simmer, and cook until apples are softened and sugar is caramelized, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Muffin Base
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, all spice, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, cream softened butter and sugar. Add egg white, yogurt/sour cream, and vanilla, and mix well. Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Fold apples into the mixture, making sure to scrape all the caramelized sugar out of the pan with them. Fold just until apples are distributed throughout the batter. You don’t want to completely mix in the swirls of sugar and cinnamon.
- Divide batter between prepared muffin cups.
Streusel
- In a small bowl, stir together flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add in melted butter and stir until completely mixed. The mixture is going to seem a little wet, but don’t worry about it. Drop small scoops of the streusel over the top of your muffins. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Notes
Easy Caramel Latte
Ingredients
- ½ cup milk any percentage
- 1 tablespoon caramel plus optional more for topping
- 1 teaspoon ( 4g ) granulated sugar or to taste
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream optional
- ½ cup strong coffee
- Whipped cream optional for topping
Instructions
- In a small pot, over medium heat, combine milk, caramel, sugar, and optional heavy cream. Heat, whisking frequently until milk is just beginning to steam. If desired, whisk vigorously until milk is frothy.
- Pour coffee into an 8-ounce mug, and stir in caramel mixture. Add more sugar to taste if needed. Top with optional whipped cream, and drizzle with more caramel if desired.
- Serve and enjoy!
