Caramel sauce

For the past few months I have been experimenting with chocolate and caramel sauce. I think I have finally figured out how to achieve the perfect sauce for my coffee. For this blog post, I'm going to focus on caramel sauce. Usually I make caramel and chocolate sauce at the same time. I wasn't out of chocolate and I couldn't wait any longer to make caramel. I almost broke down and bought some Hershey's but it's hard for me to justify $2+ for a bottle that will last about a week in my house. I can get a 5 lb bag of sugar, not on sale, for that much and make about 5 bottles of sauce! Plus it wouldn't save me time, and I would actually have to get out of my jammies to go to the store!

On to the "recipe"! I use the term recipe loosely. I would rather use the word "ratio".

To get started you will need sugar, water, sweetened condensed milk and, if you want to do salted caramel, salt. I would recommend using the biggest sauce pot you have, also. The one I use is 3 qts. It has worked well. Another tool to use is a silicon spatula that doesn't have a plastic handle. The sugar gets really hot and I have had a plastic handle melt inside the silicone.

The recipe I typically use is-
5 cups sugar(2 parts)
2.5 cups water(1 part)
1/2 can sweetened condensed milk(this is the reason I make chocolate sauce at the same time. I use the other half in the chocolate) if you are only doing caramel you can still use the whole can of sweetened condensed milk. It's not going to hurt anything.

To start, put your desired amount of sugar in a pot. Heat over medium high heat. Stir occasionally until the sugar starts to melt. The more it melts the more frequently you stir. 

You want the sugar to be completely dissolved with no little chunks of sugar left. Sometimes when it's almost dissolved I turn the heat to medium. You don't want to burn the sugar. It's a stink that will linger in your house for days and a waste of sugar!

Once it's totally dissolved you remove it from the heat.

Next is the scariest part of the whole process! Adding water to the super hot melted sugar.

Be very, very careful!!

Start adding water about 1 Tbsp at a time and stirring a lot but be careful because there will be a lot of steam(steam burns are a possibility if you don't have a long enough handle on your spatula). The sugar will be bubbling the entire time you stir. When the bubbling lessens that's when it's time to add another tbsp water. A little remix of a poplar song comes to mind "just keep stirring, just keep stirring"(carefully!! Seriously!).

Once you have added all the water you need, stir it some more. You want it to cool a bit more before you add in the sweetened condensed milk or the milk will break and look curdle-y.

Honestly, this happened to the batch I made today. Surprisingly, it wasn't ruined. I almost trashed it. I poured some in a jar to cool a little. I shook it after about an hour. It all incorporated back together, so I proceeded to shake the rest and it's smooth and delicious. Crisis averted! I didn't take pictures because it would prove I'm not perfect! Haha!

That's all there is to it! I store it in the fridge because it weirds me out to keep anything with dairy in it on the counter. I refill Hershey's bottles to store my sauces because I'm too cheap to buy something else.

I took a picture of the ingredient list on the Hershey's caramel. I don't make caramel to be healthier(duh!), but it does make me feel a little better that I'm eliminating some of the ingredients on this list.

B.Y.O.Barista

Now that you have made a batch of toddy, you are wondering how you turn it into a delicious beverage (either hot or cold). A latte in your neighborhood cafe would be espresso and steamed milk. An iced latte would be ice, espresso, and milk (some cafe's use toddy in their iced drinks or some have toddy latte's on the menu). They aren't sweet until you ask your barista his/her favorite flavor combination. They can give you off the menu creations you may have never imagined putting in a cup. But I'm getting off track here. We're not going to the cafe to talk to our barista. We're in our house, dying for some caffeine smothered in sugar and milk fat, at least that's how it is in my house.

Lets get our toddy, milk or half and half (heavy cream if you have no desire to ever fit into your clothes again) and something to sweeten it up. I use Hershey's sauces and Torani syrups. They work perfectly for this. Your grocery store may have Torani sauces and syrups (they may be found around ice cream toppings and/or coffee). Some coffee shops do sell bottles of syrup. You can still support your local cafe without bankrupting yourself. I will warn you, it takes a good amount of flavor to get it sweet enough for most people (2oz per 16 oz drink).

When you have your toddy, milk, and flavor you're ready to go. The recipe is basically equal parts toddy to flavoring(but start with about half the amount of flavoring, you can always add more), topped with milk. Everyone has a different tolerance of sweet in their drink, so take it easy at first.


I have been obsessed with blended drinks this summer. The trick with blended drinks to get just the right amount is to fill the cup you will be using with ice and putting it in the blender. Add your toddy, flavoring, and milk until there is a slight jiggle with the ice. I use milk(2%) and half and half to get the effect of whole milk. Try what you normally use and adjust it if you would like. I buy 2% for my son and the half and half I keep on hand for hubby's morning coffee. He drinks drip in the morning. He just doesn't have any desire to learn to make a latte.

Iced drinks are very similar. Add your toddy, flavoring, and a splash of milk to a cup. Stir til its mixed up. Add desired amount ice, top with milk and stir just a bit.

Hot drinks are the most difficult to replicate because of the nice big espresso machines, with their wonderful high pressure boiler systems, made to froth and steam milk. the difference isn't great enough to keep me from making them in my microwave anytime the high of the day is under 80. Put your toddy and milk in a microwaveable cup. Don't fill it all the way, leave about 2 inches. It will be easier to sir and you have to leave room for the flavor. Microwave for 2-3 minutes on high. Stir it every 45-60 seconds.

 Tips-
 If your drink tastes thin, you may need more fat in your milk. That is what gives it a creamy thickness. Add a dash of cream or use higher fat milk.

You can use a splash of creamer's like coffeemate or international delight if you like it. Just don't use it as your only "milk" source. Its really sweet.

When you make a blended drink (frappe) pulse the ice crush button for 10-15 seconds, then turn it onto its highest setting until its smooth. It can take a minute or two depending on the blender.

Don't be afraid to pull stuff out of your pantry to add into your frappe's. Mini chocolate chips are awesome in blended drinks(I blended them in, but also garnished with a few). They also make hot mocha's just a little more rich. You can add in oreo pieces just wait to add them until you have already blended everything together or it will be a grey mess in a cup(trust me). Cinnamon, coconut, hot chocolate packets, honey, nuts, ect.

You can find the bottles of coffee flavoring other places other than the coffee shop and the grocery store. Gordman's, World Market, restaurant supply stores(if they are opened to the public) like Cash and Carry in Boise,ID(they do have other locations also). Restaurant supply stores have great prices (sometimes half off retail or more). sometimes, you are required to use cash if you aren't a business, so check before you go shopping and try to hand over a debit card. If the other options don't work for you go online. There are a bunch of different brands, search Torani, Divinci, and Monin. they are some of the most common brands. They all have a ton of flavor choices(available in sugar free also!).

Leave a comment with your favorite coffehouse creation and I'll do my best to help you replicate it. I will do another post with all kinds of drink recipes if I get enough interest, and I am going to try to kick my Hershey's habit and make my own sauces. When I find the perfect recipe for chocolate and caramel sauce I will be sharing them. If you have an amazing recipe please don't hold out! Let's keep making messes!!

My flavor collection consists of coconut, chocolate bianco(white chocolate syrup), chocolate milano, creme de menthe(green mint), tiramisu, honey vanilla and my Hershey's. I can make mint milano cookie(chocolate milano, creme de menthe), german chocolate(chocolate, caramel, coconut), caramel mocha, white chocolate caramel, white grasshopper(white chocolate, creme de menthe), classic grasshopper,or thin mint(chocolate, creme de menthe) caramel, chocolate milano, and tiramisu, combined, is delicious but doesn't have a name.

A pick-me-up anytime

Its only fitting my first "real" post be on coffee. Everyone that knows me knows I need/love coffee! I have worked in a few coffee shops over the years. It has definitely been the most fun job I have worked. There's nothing like passing joy in a cup to someone at 6 am (or 10 pm)!

Ok, now let me clarify, when I say coffee I mean latte. I'm not a fan of drip coffee. I love sweet, creamy, dessert in a cup, coffee. Its not that I have anything against drip coffee, its just not my cup of tea (or coffee). I noticed it upsets my stomach a little, so I have been a latte drinker (plus i am not good about drinking milk so i get a serving in a latte). A big perk of working in coffee is free/discounted coffee. My time at the coffee shops ended, and I transitioned to a full time stay at home mom(even though I only worked about 8 hours a week). At first we got coffee 2-3 times a week, now we rarely go out for it. I have used my barista knowledge and basic kitchen tools to save my family a ton of money.

I am going to teach you how to make Toddy! It is basically cold brewed coffee concentrate.you could get a toddy maker like this one here (i have had one for 5 or 6 years). It makes it super easy to filter the coffee grounds out, but it isn't necessary. All you need is a glass container that will hold approximately a quart or more, a mesh strainer, coffee filters, a mixing bowl, and your choice of coffee. Our budget doesnt allow for fancy whole bean custom roast coffee anymore, so I buy the big tubs when they are on sale. The great things about the tubs/cans is you can paint them and reuse them for pantry items.


To start the most important thing you need to know is its a 1:4 coffee to water ratio. I do about 1 cup coffee to 4 cups water but you may not need, or use, that much so make adjustments for your lifestyle. coarse ground works the best but pre-ground drip works fine. dark roast will give you a richer stronger flavor. hint: After you measure mark with a permanent marker a coffee line and a waterline. No more measuring every time.

Next add water. Now comes the really hard part.....Let it sit on your counter for 12 to 24 hours. I do about 24 hours.

















Come back after your Toddy has brewed and get your coffee filters and mesh strainer. position over bowl and start filtering!

When I'm done filtering, I use my hospital much to store my toddy in the fridge. the lid is perfect for pouring! Of course, if you don't have a hospital mug lying around you can use any container with a lid.               

Now that you have a fresh batch of toddy, you're probably ready to try making a latte. If you are brave enough, get in the kitchen and figure it out! If you want some guidance, you'll have to wait!! I promise I will guide you through building and flavoring drinks soon! There are some hints in the background of the last picture! :) Until next time, LETS MAKE A MESS!!!

Lets get started!

Lets face it, moms wear a lot of hats. Chef, maid, taxi driver, snot rag, entertainer, waste management specialist (tell me you don't notice when your child is irregular). We need as much help as we can! I want to share what I do to make my life easier and I'm hoping it will be things that a lot of families can use, not just moms. I hope you enjoy!
Shauna