Steamers! Hot Chocolate's overlooked cousin. I love steamers. Also called "Hot Cows", a steamer is a hot drink of steamed milk with a flavoring of your choosing. Last winter the local coffee hut made bank on me and my adoration for this creamy, warm, seasonal drink. I thought that making my own steamer was impossible without an espresso machine and it's steaming wand. After a few google searches and articles on foam for cappuccino....the possibility of making steamers at home without an expensive Italian machine was made possible. Enjoy!
Put a cup of milk in a jar that has a lid, like a mason jar. You want the milk cold and you don't want to fill the jar up to the top. You need room in there to shake it.
Shake the jar for 30-45 seconds to get some nice foamy bubbles. Look at the picture, do you see the foam layer & the milk layer....that is what you want! Take off the lid & microwave the milk for 2 minutes or less {if you don't like it as hot as I do}
Pour the milk into the mug holding back the foam with a spoon {I like foam so I just pour it all in}.
Dispense the flavored syrup of your choice. I really like Toranio syrups. They come in a gazillion flavors. They can be a bit spendy. I would suggest Cash & Carry and World Market for a good selection at a good price.
You don't want to over do the syrup. A little goes a long way. I would put in a teaspoon at first and add a little more to taste. If you have one of those blue toppers {what is the technical term for that anyways?} "draw" two circles in your cup.
I added a bit of pumpkin pie spice to the top or cinnamon would be yummy too. I was going for a pumpkin pie cupcake flavor - delish!!
Enjoy!!!
Hint: Wash out the milk jar immediately. It's alot easier to clean!!!
