Easy Salted Caramel Sauce
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This Easy Salted Caramel Sauce comes together in minutes and is completely delicious. Have it with apple slices, pretzels, pancakes, ice cream or cakes – this recipe is perfect for fall desserts!
A few weeks ago I got a text from my friend Kara.
“You should make something with salted caramel!”
I thought for a second – what’ve I made with caramel???? Cookies? Confections? Cupcakes?
…..
Then it hit me – I’ve made nothing with caramel on my blog yet.
Seriously Fiona, get it together. Smooth, creamy, buttery, sweet – delicious caramel recipes are a kitchen essential.
Ok so now that we’ve established that I dropped the ball, let’s talk about caramel. Caramel is such a perfect flavor for so many reasons. First and foremost, it’s delicious. I could literally eat it with a spoon. Then, it goes amazing with anything that’s salty. Hello caramel pretzels. Caramel and peanut butter. Caramel and cashews.
But it’s also delicious on sweet things too. Chocolate, bananas, pancakes, apples. Literally, you can put caramel on almost anything and it only makes it better.
Making your own salted caramel sauce is actually very easy too. It only takes a few simple ingredients, about 10 minutes, and unlike making other confections – you don’t even need to use a candy thermometer.
To make salted caramel you’ll first heat the sugar over medium to medium/high heat while stirring with a large wooden spoon or heat-proof rubber spatula. The sugar will first form clumps and then turn into a golden amber colored sauce. Keep stirring until all the clumps disappear and then add in the butter. At this point it will start to boil so you’ll need to continue stirring so that it doesn’t burn. Once the butter has melted and the bubbling has calmed down a bit, pour in the cream and allow the sauce to boil while you continue stirring. Then remove from the heat and stir in your salt & vanilla.
No sweat. Delicious salted caramel. Pour it over pancakes, eat it with apple slices, put it on ice cream, dip some pretzels in it. Oh hey – it also makes a great gift. What other recipes do you use salted caramel in????
Salted Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
- 3/4 cup heavy cream, 30% - 40% milk fat
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
Instructions
- In a medium sized, heavy bottom sauce pan heat the sugar on medium to medium-high heat while stirring with a heat-proof wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Allow the sugar to first form clumps then turn into a thick amber sauce with no sugar clumps remaining.
- Add the cut up butter while stirring, allowing the mixture to boil while the butter melts and combines with the sugar. Once combined, slowly pour in the cream. The mixture will bubble up - carefully stir the sauce as it boils for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the vanilla and salt until combined. Allow to cool before using.
Nutrition
I’ve made this several times for any recipe that calls for caramel. Simple and delicious! I’ve also stored it in the freezer for future use, and it thaws perfectly. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Fiona. How long can this keep in a closed jar in the fridge? Thanks, love your blog!
About 2 weeks in the fridge in a closed jar. Then you’ll just want to reheat it slowly either in the microwave or a saucepan over low heat when you’re ready to serve. Thanks so much for your kind comments 🙂