Salted Caramel Sauce

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Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce is one of those small kitchen wins that delivers huge payoff. It’s fast, impressive, endlessly versatile, and tastes better than anything from a jar. Once you try this recipe, you’ll want to keep a jar in your fridge at all times.

Prep Time5

Active Time10

Cooling Time10

Total Time25

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: comfort food, from scratch, homemade, quick and easy

Yield: ounces

Calories: 160kcal

Author: Sweet Ordeal

Materials

1 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. water
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 tsp. salt

Instructions

In medium sized, light colored saucepan, add sugar and water. Stir over medium heat until combined (should look like wet sand). Then, at a low boil and without stirring, cook until sauce turns a medium amber (like honey or light maple syrup). This takes about 5 - 7 minutes. Don't let it get too dark.
If any stray crystals form along edges, swirl the pan or brush down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush.
Immediately remove from heat and slowly add the cream, which will bubble vigorously--this is normal. Stir in the butter and salt. Cool slightly before serving (it thickens as it cools). Refrigerate leftovers. Enjoy!

Notes

The sauce will continue to cook, even after you remove it from the heat source, so make sure you remove it when it's a medium golden color. Avoid cooking the sauce until it's dark, which will result in a burnt, bitter flavor.

Crystallizing: Stirring the sauce when it's boiling will cause crystals to form, which you do not want. Stray crystals forming along the edges act like “seeds” and trigger the whole pot to crystallize, which is when you need to swirl the pan or brush the crystals back into the sauce with a wet brush.

Watch the heat, keep it no higher than medium.

Nutrition