Salted Caramel Sauce
Glossy, saucy, sticky and decadent homemade salted caramel sauce. You can make this as light or as dark as you would like. Drizzle on all kinds of sweets to take them to the next level!
Total Time 20 minutes mins
Course Sauce
Cuisine Dessert
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 2/3 cup room temp water
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter at room temp
- 1 tsp salt plus more to taste if needed
Combine the sugar and water in a clean sauce pan (don't put it on the stove yet.) Mix together the sugar and the water until fully combined and the sugar is dissolved as much as possible.
Put the sauce pan with the sugar water onto the burner on medium heat. While watching diligently and not stirring at all (very important not to stir, because it will cause sugar crystals to form,) let the mixture cook for 7-10 minutes. First, the mixture should begin to steam as the water cooks off. Once the water is cooked off, a clear syrupy sugar mixture should begin to bubble in the pan without the steam.
When you see the silky syrup form, stand by with a whisk and the rest of your ingredients. This next part happens fast! Let the syrup continue to cook until you see it begin to turn light amber in color. Once the sugar mixture smells sweet and slightly bitter/buttery, and the color is a light/medium amber, remove the pan from the heat immediately! Do not let the mixture get too dark (dark brown/deep amber red) in color because that means it will have a burnt bitterness to it.
Pour the heavy cream into the pan and whisk until the bubbles settle (about 30 seconds - 1 minute.) Then, add the butter and salt, then continue to whisk until fully combined. Let this mixture sit for 10 minutes to thicken and cool.
After 10 minutes or so, dip a tasting spoon into the cooled caramel and wave your hand over it to make sure it doesn't feel too hot to taste. If it feels like a neutral temperature, give it a taste and adjust the salt levels accordingly, if needed. Enjoy immediately or jar and keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Keyword granulated white sugar, heavy cream, kosher salt, unsalted butter