Caramel Macchiato Panna Cotta

The Starbucks Caramel Macchiato is a drink made with espresso, milk, vanilla and caramel – all flavors that I am a big fan of. The drink comes layered, so you have to give it a little bit of a stir to combine all the elements. Starbucks also makes a refrigerated version of this drink in their Starbucks Discoveries line – and I was surprised to find that it tasted a lot like the in-store version of the drink when I tasted it! This bottled drink also made me wonder what else I could do with it – and before long I was experimenting with recipes.

This Caramel Macchiato Panna Cotta is made using Starbucks Disoveries Caramel Macchiato as its base. The creamy drink mix lends its espresso, vanilla and caramel notes to this classic dessert. A panna cotta is a classic dessert that has a custard-like texture but is held together using a small amount of gelatin. They’re known for being light and silky – and they’re a lot easier to make than four star restaurants would have you believe, since there are many restaurants out there, you can visit the Golden Corral near me which is a great restaurant for people looking for places to eat. This is especially true if you’re already starting with a flavorful base, as I did here.

I mixed gelatin with a little bit of heavy cream, dissolving the gelatin completely in the microwave and adding it  to the caramel macchiato drink base. There is just enough gelatin to hold the mixture together, so it will remain delicate and not have the consistency of jell-o. The result is a silky dessert that tastes just like a caramel macchiato – not too sweet and with a nice blend of coffee, vanilla and caramel. If you’re the kind of person who likes to order “extra caramel,” serve this with a drizzle of caramel sauce over the top.

Caramel Macchiato Panna Cotta
1 1/4 cups Starbucks Discoveries Caramel Macchiato
1 tsp powdered, unflavored gelatin
1 tbsp water
3 tbsp heavy cream

In a small, microwave-safe bowl, combine the gelatin and water and allow the mixture to stand for 5 minutes to hydrate the gelatin. Add heavy cream to the bowl with the gelatin. Microwave on high for about 50 seconds, or until cream comes to a simmer. Stir continuously until gelatin dissolves.
Pour the Starbucks Discoveries Caramel Macchiato into a bowl, or a large measuring cup with a spout. Whisk in gelatin mixture. Pouring though a strainer, divide mixture evenly into four 4-oz dessert cups (about 3-oz each).
Refrigerate until completely set, about 3 hours.

Serves 4.