[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}
alice says
It should last for at least a few months. The cream is pasteurized and normally lasts a long time.
betz says
Thanks for the great recipe! Question: How long will this last refrigerated? (Not long in my house, but I gave a jar to my folks at Christmas and they still have it. My mom wants to know how long it’ll keep) Thanks!
Jackie says
one word for this sauce is: AMAZING! Also I want to say a big THANK YOU for posting pictures for each step. I didn’t have a thermometer and was worried that it wouldn’t come out right, but your pictures helped so much!
alice says
Moe: Yay.. glad it worked for you!
Moe says
I did it! I most say it much more thicker and creamier than what grandma use to make. I just put it on the cake and it look soooooo attractive. I can’t wait until everyone try it. Thanks alot and Merry Christmas you’re awsome you tha girl.
Moe says
I’ll keep you posted not I’m keep you posted. Duh sorry typing to fast. You know.
Moe says
I’m about to attempt making a homemade caramel cake with…….you guess your recipe! I’m so excited about it because this will be my first time making it this way. My grandma use to make it with evaporated milk and it was to die for. Hear goes I’m keep you posted.
Tina says
Do you know how long this will last in the fridge?
sharon says
I was looking for an easy recipe and found this one…I started reading the comments and reflected on the first time I made caramel – it failed many many times. Being determined, I read about the food science and it’s all about the sugar crystals. If you do not wet down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush while heating the sugar, you risk the crystals flaking off back into the syrup and this is what causes the “dry sugar” effect described above. Alice had mentioned using corn syrup as optional, which disrupts the potential for this especially when first starting to make carmel, as it changes the structure of the sugars. This is described in better detail in “ON FOOD AND COOKING” by Harold McGee
Glenda says
Ok – I tried it today… attempt #7 and it turned out!! I did the same thing but it turned out 🙂 Thanks for this recipe!!!
Glenda says
I have made this 6 times this morning and it did not turn out once. I am so bummed 🙁 Each time it crystallized and never turned amber….
Nat says
Ah yes! How long does this deliciousness last for? (expiry date)
Kiley says
This was so easy! One question though. I was planning to mail it to relatives as gifts…does it need to be refrigerated immediately? Or is it safe to mail?
Charlotte says
It’s so easy and fast to do. I accedently overdosed myself on this jummy caramel sauce with thick unhealthy vanilla Haagen-Dazs ice cream. Thank you for a brilliant info display : )
Charlotte x
Michelle says
Yeay, it worked this time. Like, like, like!! Now I won’t have to show up to dinner empty-handed! 🙂
Michelle says
Maybe that was it, I didn’t have the temperature on as high as it would go. Getting ready to try it again at a higher heat now.
alice says
Hi Michelle,
It sounds like to met the heat wasn’t high enough to start caramelizing the sugar syrup. Based on what you’re telling me, sounds like the sugar kept cooking on a lower heat and turned into candy. You want to cook the sugar at a higher heat so it starts browning.
Michelle says
Help? My sugar never browned at all! It went right from the pretty white bubbly stage to white fluff to solid sugar. I notice in your photos you show what looks like a teflon pan..I don’t have a teflon and used stainless steel. Does that make any difference? Grrrr. There went my contribution to a dinner I’m going to tonight. 🙁
pkn says
Thank You! I will try ASAP!
Betty says
I tried this and its wonderful .I can make light color or dark .,Both are wonderful.Thanks a lot
staceys says
oops. Mine did the same thing Linda’s up there did. 7up to dry sugar in 5 seconds. I’m going to start from scratch again. My guess was the burner was too hot.. Round two coming up!
Megan Leone says
Excited to try this! Thank you for the recipe.
VERENICE says
Hi,
thanks for this great recipe~~~
sorry, but I have a question… can you give some names of The HEAVY CREAM??? ’cause I never bought it before!!
thankyou very much!!!!
regards from Mexico!!!
Chelsea says
Alice,
I tried this recipe last night, and in the end, it worked out wonderfully! Except, I tried and failed twice before I got it right. In your directions, you don’t say to stop stirring after the sugar/water starts to boil. I guess that’s crucial because I looked up another recipe online and it said to make sure to stop stirring after it boils, or it will clump up and never turn colors. After I stopped stirring mine looked just like the pictures in the step by step! It looks pretty, haven’t tried it yet cause it was too hot. Thanks for the recipe!
Michelle says
Thank you Alice! I will try it again this weekend!