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.
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!
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 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). Stir and cook on medium-high heat until the sugar syrup starts to 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}
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OMG! Easy peasy, I will have to make it, definitely! Thanks for the explanation
I HAD forgotten how easy it is to make caramel sauce. Thanks for the reminder. I see a sweet project for the weekend.
This looks so tasty it could almost be illegal!
Looks so good, I want to face plant right into this stuff! How long will this delectable yumyum last in the fridge do you think? I can’t believe I’m even planning to have leftovers…
I’ve had a jar of this (plus salted butter) in the fridge every since the Daring Baker’s Macaron challenge, and I cannot stop eating it. Tartelette pointed me towards eating it on a banana, which is freaking awesome.
That was so Yummylicious!
You’re right – I want to lick the screen! Yum, looks amazing.
Amazing! What luxurious perfect caramel sauce. Now you’ve convinced me to make it. Gorgeous!
Holy crap I had no idea making caramel was that simple. This is happening ASAP.
And thanks so much for the step-by-step process photos. Especially the one showing the color of the syrup when you remove it from the heat, since everyone probably has a different idea of what golden ale brown means.
Love the pictures and the (new) blog design. Last time, I came to check it out, it was a little bit different.
Keep up the great work!
=)
how’d you get those cool action photos while making the caramel? three hands?
What a great sauce! I have made caramel a few times and I was amazed at how easy it was. I will give your recipe a try…it will be great over my new favorite, brown sugar ice cream
Yum!! I need some ice cream right now so that I can make this. I love caramel topped with some crushed peanuts sprinkled on top.
Thanks for sharing this. I totally burned it the last time I tried but you’ve given me the confidence to give it a go again – plus a craving!
Pegs: The sauce will last a pretty long time.. since the heavy cream is pasteurized, I would think at least a month.
This caramel sauce looks absolutely gorgeous, love the pics and wish I could just snag that bowl of ice cream with caramel drizzled on top…. Will try it and definitely add a little rum… Yum!:-)
I have a weakness for caramel sauce, if I had my own lying around I might just plow through the whole jar with a spoon, things could get a little out of control. That being said, I am going to have to make this soon because it seems like the perfect accompaniment for everything. Thanks for the helpful tips.
Looks great! I love caramel – but it’s so easy to burn!
TY for posting pics of the color change! I can’t wait to try it out!
Yum! Love the step-by-step pictures of the caramelizing sugar… and yes, the candy thermometer comes in very handy. I have made caramel with and without the thermometer… and the thermometer definitely yields better results. Mine even has a little timer that beeps at the desired temp, which is good when I stop paying attention!
Your pictures are always so gorgeous. When I first saw that you canned them, I immediately thought holiday gift! This is a perfect thing to cook up a big batch, can them and hand them out to friends!
I’ve made hot fudge sauce but never caramel sauce. Thank you for the photos and instructions. Caramel is my husband’s favorite flavor for anything…candy, frosting,or as an ice cream topping.
Oh my goodness. Yum. That looks so unbelievably delicious & simple!
I love making caramel sauce. It’s so easy and dresses up the simplest desserts. Also impresses friends at a dinner party!
Now that is what I was looking for with my apple dish a few weeks ago. The cream is what I needed.
Oh, yum. that looks terrific.
That looks awesome and SO easy! I can’t wait to try some!
Love love love your blog!
http://www.thegridirongirlsguidetothegoodlife.blogspot.com/
Simple!!! This is anything but simple for me. In the past I have burnt caramel sauces:-( Girl if this recipe and your directions work out you will make me a star!!!! My life will change. I swear I will bottle this and get rich selling it
Okay so maybe not but at least I’ll have the adoration of the husband and new found caramel negotiating power to make him do chores that I hate…maybe he’ll actually do old chores (gasp!) correctly!!!! OMG I have to try this.
Ahhh wowww making me so hungry! This caramel sauce looks so delicious!
Good on you for making your own caramel sauce! I agree how easy it is. It’s the only stuff that I put on my ice cream…. Nothing out of a bottle for me!
Great post, Alice!
P.S. Photo of cream being poured is awesome!
OMG – I LOVE you ~ caramel is MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE thing ever – even more than chocolate (can you believe it?!) I MUST try this…..
Yum!! I need some ice cream right now so that I can make this. I love caramel topped with some crushed peanuts sprinkled on top.
Alice- the craziest thing happened when I tried to make this sauce. It never changed color. I’ve made a chewy caramel candy every Christmas for 10+ years without problems. I go to make sauce, which doesn’t need to up to the temp that soft ball candy needs and yet it never got dark. Have you ever heard of that happening before? It thickened, but remained blonde…so strange.
Mmmmm. Heavenly! When you use your caramel as a cake filling, does it remain soft and not become brittle?
For the first step, why not omit the water? Just keep an eye on it and swirl but don’t stir. Also, may I suggest a laser thermometer? I have the Bonjour Laser Probe Combo Thermometer. It’s great for this kind of thing and especially for tempering chocolate. Just hold it over the mixture and you know the (almost) exact temperature. It’s $90 at Chef Central (plus I had a 20% off coupon).
Erika: My guess is the temperature wasn’t high enough for the sugar to start caramelizing.
Phyllis: Thanks for your tips. When the caramel is refrigerated it is still very pliable. When I re-heat it for 30 seconds, I will stir it and let it cool down to room-temperature. It is thick but pourable and holds it shape when chilled-but no not ever brittle. I was taught to add a little water to the sugar. I add a touch of cream after I’ve already added cream. I do this so it doesn’t turn into candy. Its just something I’ve always done when baking cakes. Thanks for your thermometer tips!
I had the same concern about my sauce not turning a deep enough golden color but sure enough the thermometer registered 350ºF and once I added the butter is became exactly the right color.
I’d also suggest using a lighter colored pan if you’re not using a thermometer. Tried it in a dark nonstick first time for easy clean up, with no thermometer and couldn’t see when it started to become golden.
truly glorious!!! never seen a tutorial so perfect for making caramel. Its funny but never had luck in getting this sauce right. After looking at ur step by step instruction iam confident that i will get it right !! thanks!.
Okay, so I tried this, twice, and both times I ended up with clumps of sugar crystals in the sauce, which never became smooth and also wasn’t dark enough. Did I not cook the sugar water long enough? I don’t have a candy thermometer, so I was just going by how it looked. Thanks for your help!!
Hi Deborah,
Yes, the sugar syrup will try to crystallize… but if you keep stirring and breaking it up the sauce will remain smooth. You can also add a couple of tablespoons of corn syrup-which will help prevent crystallization. If your syrup did not turn dark, then your sugar syrup never reached to the level of caramelization. They key to making caramel sauce without the thermometer is continuous stirring as well as watching the syrup change colors. Hope this helps.
Alice
Can I substitute rum with other type of liqueur?
if the cream is heated does this need to be refrigerated? or is it just a precautionary thing? is there something i can do differently so it doesnt need to be put in the fridge? i want to mail the caramel sauce? same questions for the ganache for the hot chocolate.
thanks
jess
Hi Jess,
As to shipping, ganache can be shipped without needing to be refrigerated as long as it it relatively cool (not being shipped to Hawaii or somewhere hot) and only being shipped to your destination within a few days. The reason why is the heavy cream is boiled. The heat and sugar act as a preservative – similar to jam. It is the same reason that truffles (ganache balls) can be shipped. Same would apply to the caramel sauce. Just make sure the recipient refrigerates it upon receiving. Hope this helps!
Alice
awesome! thanks so much for all the info!
Mine went from looking like 7-up to being dry sugar within seconds – all the water evaporated begfore it turned color. I just let the sugar melt and carmalize and continued from there and it sorta worked. Was my heat too high or too low maybe?
omg! i cant stop making this stuff! my fav has been on brei with wheat thins! one thing i kept messing up on was stirring it while it was cooking, yeah it kept turning to sugar, once i learned to not stir, no matter how hard i wanted to, it turned out great! all 5 times i have made it :teehee:
thanks for sharing this!