Coffee house withdrawals- Nut Free Caramel Macchiatto

I’m pretty sure most would agree that a good cup of coffee is the only way to start the day, I know that I wouldn’t be able to function without a cup or three every morning.

Just ask my kids. They know, that mom NEEDS her coffee.

For example, when Bree was younger probably age two or three, I was having a bad mom day, and I was stressed and short tempered. Bree came up to me and said Mom why don’t we go to Starbucks and get you a Latte so that you will be in a better mood.

Ok, I knew I had a problem when my two or three years old recognized my addiction to a Venti Caramel Macchiato or Vanilla skinny latte. I apologized to Bree for my mood then I agreed I needed a Starbucks fix off we went to Starbucks then the playground.

It was a beautiful warm spring day so, I ordered a Venti iced non-fat caramel macchiato, Bree ordered her favorite Birthday cake, cake pop. We went to the playground both in great moods 🙂

When Starbucks added coconut milk it was very exciting since dairy and I don’t mix very well. Even better the coconut milk didn’t contain any nut warnings. To say I was excited was an understatement. I could now have a mostly dairy free and a complete nut free latte, macchiatto whenever I needed a pick me up.

The specialty drinks from Starbucks where more of an occasional treat. A treat for whenever I went to a Target or drove by a Starbucks 🙂

I used to get so excited for my next trip to Starbucks now with the addition of almond milk the thought riddles me with anxiety. The specialty drinks from Starbucks of a treat for whenever I went to a Target or drove by a Starbucks 🙂

Just as fast as the coconut milk latte’s had entered my life, It had to leave when Starbucks added Almond milk to the menu, given my almond allergy I had to give up my latte and macchiato fix soon 😦

Luckily, Starbucks did a great job of announcing the new menu item and gave a date they would start offering the Almond milk in the stores. I had time to say goodbye, and I enjoyed every sip of my last Venti Coconut milk caramel macchiato.

I had briefly spoken with a Barista who told me they would be using the same steamers for all the non-dairy milk. Therefore, if I ordered a latte or something with coconut milk the risk of cross contamination was almost 100%…

Dunkin Donuts has also added Almond Milk to the menu’s however, I never order my specialty drinks from Dunkin’s so, I wasn’t as upset when they added this as a dairy free option.

I have always preferred my specialty drinks from Starbucks and basic black coffee from Dunkin. When I do order a coffee from Dunkin’s I only order a black hot or iced french vanilla coffee, after speaking with my local Dunkin Chain the risk of cross contamination with the almond milk is very low for a black coffee. I’m sure the same applies to a Starbucks iced coffee.

I was pretty disappointed for a while, on the flip side, my husband was thrilled at all the money we were saving now that I wasn’t regularly ordering fancy Venti Starbucks drinks.

During my brief pity party, over everyone’s love for Almond milk ruining my simple coffee pleasure. (I’m over it, I swear….) I replaced my Keurig for a Ninja Coffee Bar, and I love it. (FYI… This post is not a promotion in any way, I just have been happy so far. I have had a few issues with the machine at first.)

My favorite part is how good the iced coffee tastes, it doesn’t taste watered down at all. I also LOVE the milk frother. I buy Dunkin Donuts coffee, and I adjust the strength based on how I’m feeling.

Today, I made a faux iced caramel macchiato, and it was so good and a lot cheaper than going to a coffee house. I’m only calling it a faux because I have no idea how to make a real caramel macchiato!

The Stressed Nest Chef Faux Caramel Macchiato Recipe

1 cup of ice
1 cup of brewed strong coffee (pinch of cinnamon in coffee grinds)
1/2 cup of Lactaid milk (any milk works!)
Hershey’s caramel sauce

I had pre-brewed a 1/2 pot of iced coffee on the specialty brew setting of my ninja using three scoops of Dunkin Original Coffee. I used about one cup for this recipe.

I poured the 1/2 cup of milk into my milk frother and frothed it cold. I think you can skip this step if you don’t have a frother. I just love my frother, and I believe that it gives the drink that coffee house like feeling. If you don’t have a frother, you can put the milk in a sealed mason jar and shake!

*pre frothed milk