For the caramel:
1 cup Baird Farm birch tip infused maple syrup
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
a pinch of salt
for 1 serving of coffee:
1 cup milk
8 ounces hot coffee or 2 ounces hot espresso
2 tablespoons maple birch caramel
To make the caramel:
In a small pot, bring the maple syrup to a boil over medium heat and gently stir to keep it from rising up in the pot. Boil for about 10 minutes or until the syrup reaches 225 - 230 degrees F. Use an instant-read or candy thermometer to check. Turn off the heat and carefully add the milk, butter, and salt, gently stirring to combine. The caramel will be thin at first but you can make in advance and store it in a jar in the fridge where it will thicken up to a typical caramel consistency. You will have about 1 cup of caramel, enough to make about 6 coffees, and will last for at least two weeks in the fridge.
To prepare a latte:
Heat 1 cup of milk in a small pot. Use low heat and stir to prevent boiling over. When hot, use a mixer, blender, or milk frother for about 30 seconds to whip the milk and create foam. Add 2 tablespoons of the maple birch caramel to the bottom of a large mug. Pour in the hot milk, using a spoon to hold back the foam. Pour the coffee into the mug over the back of a spoon in order to create the layered effect and have the coffee rest on top of the milk. Spoon the remaining milk foam on top of the coffee and drizzle over more caramel.