Copycat Recipe: My Take on the Starbucks Cinnamon Dolce Latte

Inspired by this post over at Farmgirl Gourmet, I decided to create my own cinnamon dolce latte based on the version from Starbucks. I finally got around to making it after pinning it over a month ago, and I'm sorry to say I waited this long. (There isn't a Starbucks in my hometown, just so y'all know.)

However, one thing was lacking in this tutorial: how to steam milk and froth it, particularly when you never used your espresso machine and donated it to Goodwill are lacking the awesome gadgets that make the job easier. The link she provided had been pulled due to milk exploding all over people (which is CRAZY and I've never heard of happening, but would have almost certainly have happened to me, given my luck in the kitchen). So, I researched it, figured it out on my own, and decided to post it here. The recipe is broken into three segments: (1) How to create your syrup; (2) How to froth your milk; and (3) How to put everything together in a delicious harmony of awesomeness.

Ingredients for cinnamon dolce syrup: 
3 cinnamon sticks
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
An airtight jar

1. Break three cinnamon sticks in half; put in 1 1/2 cups water. 
2. Bring mixture to a boil, then remove from heat and cover. 
3. Allow mixture to steep for 10 minutes. 
4. Remove cinnamon sticks from mixture.
5. Add 1 1/2 cups of packed brown sugar to cinnamon-infused water. 
6. Put mixture over heat, bring to soft boil, then simmer until all sugar is dissolved. 
7. Continue simmering for five more minutes to reduce the mixture (even after reduction, it really is *quite* watery). 
8. Allow to cool and put in an airtight container (I used an old pickle jar). You can store it in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. 

How to create frothed milk:
1/2 cup milk
Whisk, blender, or food processor

1. Pour 1/2 cup milk into microwave-safe cup and heat until milk is steaming, but not bubbling. I find about a minute in my microwave is best. Stir every 15 seconds to make sure it does not overheat and curdle.
2. After heating, whisk rapidly or add to food processor and whip until desired amount of froth is obtained. 

How to create the cinnamon dolce latte:

2 tablespoons cinnamon dolce syrup

1 small cup of coffee** (I use my Keurig and select the smallest cup)

1/2 cup hot frothed milk

Cinnamon sugar mixture (optional)

1. Add 2 tablespoons cinnamon dolce syrup to bottom of mug.
2. Heat and froth milk.
3. Since my Keurig brews coffee quickly, I then brew my coffee into the mug that contains the syrup. If you must make your coffee by other means, you should probably do this first. (Also, this is normally about 3/4 of a cup for me)
4. Stir the syrup and coffee to ensure it is blended well.
5. Add frothed milk to the concoction. 
6. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, if desired. 

**The great thing about doing this at home is you can use the coffee flavor of your choice. You want the coffee to be strong, but I always favor a medium roast, or Pecan Praline coffee if I can get it. :)

And that's all there is to it! Don't be discouraged at the number of steps required for this drink, because they're shockingly easy to follow and the resulting latte is absolutely delicious! (Plus it saves you a boatload of money you'd otherwise be forking over to Starbucks.)