This surprisingly easy caramel sauce has a sophisticated, sweet/smoky flavor. Here are a few of the many, many ways to enjoy it:
- Drizzled over ice cream, especially pumpkin, strawberry, coffee, butter pecan or chocolate. Sprinkle some Salted Graham Cracker Crumbs on top, or layer them in to make it a parfait.
- Drizzled over (or as a dip for) fresh fruit, especially apples, berries, orange segments and banana slices.
- Over slices of plain, un-frosted cakes such as pound cake or chocolate cake, then topped with whipped cream. Add toasted pecans or almonds for crunch.
- Over cheesecake (plain is good but pumpkin is amazing), or bread pudding (pumpkin is great here, too).
- Over chocolate brownies, or blondies, with or without vanilla ice cream.
- Over anything apple, such as apple pie or tart, apple strudel, apple turnovers, apple cake.
- In Caramel Budino.
- Any way, anywhere, a sprinkle of flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, really wakes up the flavor of the caramel.
Making this ahead and what to do with leftovers:
- This recipe makes about 1 cup of sauce, for about 6 servings, but it’s easy to double. Any unused amount will keep in the fridge for several weeks.
Caramel Sauce
April 22, 2020
: 6
: 1 hr
Ingredients
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons Lyle’s Golden Syrup, or light corn syrup
- ¼ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or 1/8 teaspoon Morton’s)
- 2 teaspoons bourbon, or ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
- Step 1 Bring all of the ingredients except the bourbon (or vanilla) to a boil in a small, deep saucepan over medium-high heat, whisking until the sugar dissolves. Once the mixture comes to a full boil, reduce the heat to medium and boil for 1 minute without stirring.
- Step 2 Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the bourbon or vanilla.
- Step 3 Let the sauce cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, then cover and chill until needed.