Easy Caramel Sauce
This homemade caramel sauce recipe more than delivers on its promise of ridiculously rich, thick, gooey caramel goodness.
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, warmed
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons (1 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
- A pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a high-sided medium saucepan, heat the sugar and water over medium heat to dissolve the sugar. Now, resist the urge to stir! It can cause the sugar to crystallize.
- Continue cooking the mixture until it turns a deep amber color and registers 340° to 350°F on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes. This can happen suddenly, so keep an eagle eye on the stove.
- Immediately remove the saucepan from the heat and slowly whisk in the warmed heavy cream. The caramel will bubble and hiss, so be careful. Continue whisking until smooth and luscious.
- Stir in the butter, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt until combined.
- Cool the sauce for a few minutes before pouring it into a glass jar. It will continue to thicken as it cools.
Notes
- Homemade salted caramel variation--Add 3/4 to 1 teaspoon of salt to the caramel sauce to suit your taste.
- Storage and freezing--Store the caramel in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 2 months.
- Scaling--I don't recommend doubling or tripling the recipe. Make individual batches, as needed.
- Reheating--Refrigerated caramel is very thick. To loosen the sauce, let it sit at room temperature for an hour, or microwave it in 10-second increments, stirring between each one, until warmed through.
Nutrition
Serving: 2tablespoons | Calories: 116kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 0.3g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 7mg | Sugar: 17g