The cloudy twilight edit

Caramel clouds, a softer twilight.

A homemade macchiato for the hour when the clouds turn lavender.

A tiny cloud blink for the cloudy hour.

Twilight Caramel Cloud Macchiato

One cup · about 5 minutes · decaf is lovely here.

Set out four things

• 3/4 cup milk or oat milk
• 1-2 espresso shots, or 1/4 cup strongly brewed coffee
• 1 teaspoon vanilla syrup
• 2 teaspoons ready-made caramel sauce, plus a little to finish

One step at a time

1. Milk first. Warm the milk in short microwave bursts until comfortably hot. Froth if you like; stirring is enough.
2. Make the base. Add vanilla and caramel to a heat-safe cup. Pour in the milk.
3. Coffee next. Slowly pour the espresso over the milk. Add a tiny caramel ribbon.

Iced shortcut: use cold milk and a handful of ice, then pour the espresso on top. Use a cold-drink cup for the iced version; the illustrations show that version.

Choose your sweetness. Skip the frother. Sip where the cloudy light feels kind. One cup is enough.