- ¼ cup (56 grams) butter (I use salted)
- 1 cup (200 grams) lightly packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup (120 ml) heavy or whipping cream (light cream or double cream may be substituted; do not use milk)
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon kosher or sea salt (use ¼ teaspoon for regular caramel sauce)
7-Minute Salted Caramel Sauce
Yield: approximately 1¼ cups
Drizzle homemade caramel sauce on ice cream, cakes, pancakes, waffles, pound cake, cheesecake, and apple pie – or enjoy it by the spoonful! I also like to stir the sauce into coffee and use it as a dip for apples. Stored in a jar and tied with a bow, the sauce makes a lovely gift as well.
For a foolproof sauce, read the helpful tips, below, before cooking the sauce.
For a foolproof sauce, read the helpful tips, below, before cooking the sauce.
Ingredients
Instructions
Chop the butter into four pieces. Add the butter and the remaining ingredients to a medium saucepan set over medium-low heat.
Cook, stirring consistently, for 7 minutes. At the 5-minute mark, the mixture should be starting to simmer. (See helpful hints.) For the final 2 minutes, the sauce should be at a good simmer but not a full rolling boil.
After 7 minutes, remove from the heat. The sauce should be a little thinner than you would like it to be, as it will thicken upon cooling. (Resist the urge to taste without cooling because the mixture will be HOT.)
Allow the sauce to cool slightly and serve warm, or transfer to a jar and cool completely before refrigerating.
Helpful Hints
• Preheat the burner if your stovetop is electric.
• The mixture should be starting to simmer at the 5-minute mark. Adjust the heat up slightly if the mixture is not beginning to simmer at this point, or down if it begins to simmer before.
• Use a medium-size pot. It offers a little more surface area than a small one, and the sauce will cook more evenly as a result.
• Stir or whisk the sauce frequently and almost constantly during the final 2-minute simmer.
• The sauce should be a little runny when you remove it from the heat. It will thicken as it cools—but won’t be too thick.
Larger Batches: I recommend making several batches instead of doubling or tripling this recipe, as the added volume may prevent the sugar from melting evenly.
Storage: Covered and refrigerated, the cooled caramel sauce will keep for at least month and may be frozen for up to 6 months. Note that the sauce will be fine if held at room temperature for a day, alleviating any worries of it sitting out when traveling or if, for example, the sauce is given to a teacher during the school day.
Reheating: To return the refrigerated sauce to a drizzling consistency, warm it on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave in 15- to 20-second bursts, stirring in between.