I am absolutely thrilled to have finally found a recipe for making smooth and creamy, buttery sweet caramel sauce. When I've made caramel sauce in the past, it has turned hard and crystallized after a bit of time in the refrigerator. This sauce is quite thin when it finishes cooking on the stove and thickens as it cools. Straight from the refrigerator, it is still soft and scoop-able. The sauce warms easily and is pourable when it is room temperature. I served the caramel warm, drizzled over fresh peaches and vanilla ice cream. It was heavenly!Homemade Caramel Sauce
recipe adapted from Fifteen Spatulas and Mel's Kitchen Cafe
Yield: about 1 1/2 cups
1 cup sugar
1/4 water
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of kosher salt
In a heavy saucepan, combine the sugar and the water. Stir to combine and then cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves; about 4-5 minutes. There is no need to stir, simply swirl the pan over the burner occasionally as the sugar dissolves.
Raise the heat to medium high and cook the sauce, swirling the pan occasionally, until it is amber colored; about 7-8 minutes. Add the butter, be prepared for it to bubble and sputter, lightly stir or swirl to melt, do not scrape the sides of the pan or splash sauce up the sides of the pan. (This will cause crystallization, if you scrape the uncooked sugars back into the sauce.)
Once the butter is melted, remove from the heat and add the vanilla, heavy cream and salt. It will bubble again, but will calm quickly. Stir to combine (again, not scraping sides of the pan) and then let cool before transferring to a jar and refrigerating for storage. Enjoy!
Click here for printable recipe
ONE YEAR AGO TODAY: Chocolate Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
I might cry, that looks so good.
ReplyDeleteIt does sound perfect! I always have a thick glob, which is delicious by the way, but better eaten with a spoon instead of drizzled. On my list! Pinning it now! Thanks
ReplyDeleteOoohhh.. I'm so glad you found this too! I've had the same issue when making caramel sauce before. Can't wait to try this!
ReplyDelete**mouth watering** Someday, when I'm eating sugar again, I'm gonna make this! Poured over your ice cream with those peaches just looks divine. So glad to have a recipe that stays soft and isn't full of artificial ingredients. :) Have a great carmel-y day!
ReplyDeleteI need this right now, with a bowl of vanilla ice cream. Can you say breakfast?
ReplyDeleteDroolworthy! I am saving this for the later.
ReplyDeleteNot that this is EVER going to last in my household, but how long do you think this will keep in the fridge??
ReplyDeleteI am sure it would be fine for at least a couple weeks. I doubt mine will last that long though!
DeleteSmile. I'm making this tomorrow for a caramel cake. Do you mind if I share it on my blog? Thanks for making me smile. And thanks for all your sweet words on my own blog. Your comments always make my day!
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome to share the recipe, Monet. I hope you love it just as much as we do! Have a beautiful day.
DeleteThe sauce looks so rich and creamy, and putting the peaches in with the ice cream is brilliant.
ReplyDeleteMy kids would be thrilled if I made this for them... YUM!
ReplyDeleteOh. Wow. Drooling on the computer. Need to make this and pour over gobs of ice cream!
ReplyDeleteOh lord. I'd eat the whole jar.
ReplyDeleteKeeping this in mind. I had the BEST dessert ever this week, a salty caramel and bacon gelato that was UNREAL. I want to replicate it and will start with your caramel sauce.
ReplyDeleteCaramel sounds fabulous! Will you be serving this Saturday? I just need a spoon. Don't go to any trouble on our account. : )
ReplyDeleteThere is a small amount left in the jar. I will have to hide it from myself until we see you Saturday.
DeleteBeautiful photos. This is my favorite dessert served on vanilla ice cream. Do't think I've ever made my own caramel.
ReplyDeleteThis is the same recipe that I have for making caramel and let me tell you it is AMAZBALLS!!!! Perfection :)
ReplyDeleteHow could one ever say no to homemade caramel sauce. Yum!
ReplyDeletemy weakness! I would eat this out of the jar. what a great recipe! Now, A few flecks of maldon salt over the caramel as it coats a mound of vanilla ice cream...
ReplyDeleteThis looks so yummy! Can't wait to try it on my ice cream.
ReplyDeleteMaking this caramel this weekend! Can't wait :)
ReplyDeleteLove your photo. Looks delicious. :)
ReplyDeleteDelicious!
ReplyDeleteI made this yesterday for an ice cream social and it was perfect!!! So yummy!!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! How much does it make?
ReplyDeleteIt makes about a cup and a half. I've added that information to the recipe. Thanks!
DeleteI used your recipe and drizzled the Caramel over Banana pancakes.... Amazing! Thank you so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHoly Moly! I just made this, literally. This tastes super good! Thank you so so much because I am in Italy and can't find the kind of caramel I have been craving all fall!!!! THANKS SOOO MUCH!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!
ReplyDeleteSuper super super easy, an tastes fantastic. Thanks!!!
Hello,
ReplyDeleteThis looks amazing. Do you think I could use half and half instead of heavy cream?
Veronica
When do you add the pinch of salt? With the butter or whipping cream? Thanks, going to make this with apple pie for Thanksgiving, can't wait!
ReplyDeleteI just made this and my house smells like a candy store. AMAZING. I, too, was wondering when to add the pinch of salt so I just left it out. I didn't want to mess with the chemistry of anything. Haha. It was like a science experiment with all the fizzing and bubbling - but sure enough, it turned into caramel sauce! Thanks for an awesome recipe!
ReplyDeleteHi Miranda,
DeleteI just took a batch off the stove 5 minutes ago too! The salt is added at the very end. Thanks for the feedback, I'll make a note on the recipe. Half the time I forget it and it tastes great both ways. Have a great Thanksgiving!
Mary
water, can of unopened condensed milk, crockpot, put water in crock pot enough so the can is sitting completly in it cook 8 hours on low, bam, caramel
ReplyDeleteWish I had a crockpot to try that
Deletelight amber, not dark. ::facepalm:: and it turns FAST. i literally turned around to pick up the butter and turned back and that fast it was dark. i kept going anyway but it turned out to be a bad idea because it ended up burnt tasting. here we go with round two.....
ReplyDeleteI think u have to add butter just as it gets colour mine wasn't dark when I added butter and still tasted burnt
DeleteThis is sooo good... I used it as a topping for a chiffon-roll and it's great because it doesn't harden, even if chilled. Some of the stuff dripped down on the sides of the cake, which just enticed me to keep wiping it up with my fingers and like it off. (I know, I shouldn't be saying this. :-) Thanks so much, Mary!!!
ReplyDeleteAny idea how sucanat (dehydrated cane juice) would work instead of white sugar?
ReplyDeleteMissy,
DeleteI've never used sucanat, so I have no idea how that substitution would work. If you do try it, please let me know how it turns out for you.
Mary
I just made this caramel sauce and it was amazing! I was a bit unsure it would work at first... I doubled the recipe. It dissolved then crystallized. I panicked and added more water... it then dissolved again and started to cook more evenly with just swirling (i'm a stirring addict)! It then magically turned amber & I knew I hadn't failed. There is still a huge ring of crystallized sugar around the caramel, will not add back in. I added the butter and cream and my homemade vanilla and my house smells like a dream. I made this for a turtle cheesecake I'm bringing to a party tonight! Very excited to hear what people think. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete