{Simple Yet Glorious} Caramel Sauce Recipe

[donotprint] Caramel sauce is a wonderful sweet condiment to have on hand.  The beauty of making your own sauce is how simple it truly is.  A candy thermometer is helpful but not necessary if you have attentive eyes and a wooden spoon or whisk ready to be used in a seconds notice.

When people discover I make my own caramel sauce they are often surprised by how easy it is to make.  I’m surprised by how many people don’t realize caramel is basically sugar, water, butter, and cream.  I find the most problematic part of making caramel sauce is the sugar water burning, making it inedible or hardening to rock candy stage, which leaves you with (ehem..) candy.  However if you are concerned about this, I would recommend purchasing a candy thermometer such as the Taylor Classic Candy and Deep-Fry Analog Thermometer. The clear benefit of having a candy thermometer is knowing when to turn off the heat so your caramel does not burn.  You want to cook the sugar syrup to 350 degrees.  When I make caramel sauce, I just watch the sugar water change colors and from there I move quickly.

Homemade caramel sauce will be better than anything you can purchase from the store.  I recommend using it for desserts, sliced apples, beverages, ice cream, or straight out of the jar for a late night pick-me-up-treat-myself-with-a-large-spoon.  Once you make homemade sauce, there is no returning to store versions (never ever again).  And if you’re feeling really adventurous, add a few tablespoons of rum and you will have elevated your caramel sauce to “Gourmet” status.  With or without rum, enjoy!

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Simple Caramel Sauce Recipe

Makes 2 cups

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups sugar

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup heavy cream, heated to luke warm in microwave (30 seconds)

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup heavy cream, heated to luke warm in microwave (30 seconds)

*optional 2 Tablespoons Rum
*optional 1/4 cup corn syrup – for those of you who are concerned your caramel sauce will turn to candy)

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium sauce pan, add sugar and water (and optional corn syrup).  Cook the ingredients on medium-high heat.  Carefully watch the sugar syrup change colors around the outer edge to an amber-brownish color, or if using a candy thermometer – 350 degrees. Remove from heat immediately and using a wooden spoon or whisk, quickly stir everything to keep the sugar water from burning.  Your simple syrup should be a golden ale brown.  As you continue to stir, pour in 1/2 cup of warm heavy cream and pats of butter.  When the cream makes contact with the sugar water it will start bubbling violently.  Continue to stir until the sugar crystallization dissolves.  Finally, add 1/4 cup of additional warm heavy cream (and rum) until caramel sauce is nice and smooth.  Transfer to a heat proof jar and allow the sauce to cool on the counter slightly covered with plastic wrap for an hour.  Use immediately or seal the jar and store in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

Note: *As caramel sauce cools, it will thicken.  Before serving, re-heat in the microwave for 30 seconds for 1 cup.

{Related Post} Chocolate Ganache Recipe 3 Ways

{Just pour the water in and give it a stir…}

{Sugar/Water mixture cooking kind of looks like 7-Up.. don’t you think?}

{Now we’re going somewhere}

{Ahhh.. this is what we want.. but we don’t want it to burn so REMOVE from heat fast and start stirring that baby like you’ve never stirred before}

{Isn’t the color here beautiful? Wish I had a sweater this color, would be perfect for Fall – color should be a golden maple syrupy hue}

{This is the fun part… caramel ain’t real caramel until it has some HEAVY cream- now stir!}

{Looks like a crazy science fair experiment, except its better!}

{From 7-Up looking sugar water to this…. GLORIOUS!}

{Don’t you wish you could stick your finger in that stream of caramel?}

{Remember to soak your pan in warm soapy water… but not before scraping it down and licking your spoon… (as many times as you need to so you don’t have to clean as much later)}
{Related Post: Dulce De Leche}

Tagged as: caramel, condiment, dessert, Gluten-Free, sweets

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