Homemade classic caramel sauce
Silky Caramel Sauce
Yields approximately 1 cup
Ingredients
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
6 tbsp (3/4 stick, 85 g) butter, cubed
1/2 cup (125 ml) heavy whipping cream
Procedure
The first thing to do is prepare all your tools and equipment. Making caramel is quick business, so it's imperative to have everything ready from the beginning. It might also be a good idea to have a bowl of ice water and some oven mitts near you in case you get burnt. Trust me, cooked sugar is extremely hot and can do serious damage. Make sure the butter and cream are measured and ready to go.
Place the sugar in a heavy-bottomed large saucepan and cook over med-high heat. Once the sugar starts to melt around the sides, stir quickly with a wooden spoon or whisk and then let it come to a boil. Do not stir once it starts to boil! Just let it boil and turn to a deep amber colour. As soon as it starts to look amber, add the butter and whisk quickly until completely melted. Remove pan from the heat and add the cream slowly, otherwise the cream can foam up and rise quickly and splatter which can be dangerous so be careful. Keep whisking as you add the cream. Just keep stirring until you get a nice smooth texture. Leave to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes to thicken up. Once cool, you can pour it into a glass jar and refrigerate. It will still be quite runny at this point but once you put it in the fridge for a few hours it will thicken up.
Before serving, depending on the consistency that you want, warm it up in the microwave or on the stovetop on very low heat or small intervals. You can also add flavourings or alcohol after adding the cream. Caramel can last a long time in the fridge if kept in a clean glass container. I'm ashamed to admit that I pretty much always have a jar at the back of the fridge for emergency caramel needs that has lasted months. Just check on it from time to time to make sure it hasn't gone bad. Enjoy on just about anything! Drizzle on brownies, cupcakes, cakes, cheesecake. So many options!
Comments