Caramel Sauce
A simple stovetop caramel sauce made with sugar, butter, and cream, ready to drizzle warm over desserts or stir into something cozy.
Prep 5 min · Cook 10 min · Total 1 hr 15 min · Makes about 1 1/2 cups
Ingredients
- 1 cup of sugar
- 6 Tbsp butter, salted or unsalted
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Directions
- Set yourself up before you turn on the stove: place the cream and butter right beside the pan so they are ready the moment you need them. Caramel does not pause while you search the kitchen, and if you move too slowly, the sugar can scorch. For safety, make sure children are not nearby, and consider using oven mitts, since melted sugar gets much hotter than boiling water.
- Put the sugar in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart or 3-quart saucepan and warm it over moderately high heat. In a minute or two, it will start to liquefy. When you see melting begin, stir briskly with a whisk or wooden spoon. The sugar will clump up first and melt around the sides of the pan.
- When the sugar is melting well, turn the heat down a little so it does not burn. Continue whisking until every bit of sugar has turned liquid, then stop stirring. If you like, gently swirl the pan instead. This recipe behaves best in a thick-bottomed pan. If some sugar burns before the rest melts, next time add a 1/2 cup of water with the sugar at the start; it helps the sugar heat more evenly, though the caramel will take longer because the water has to cook off before caramelizing.
- The moment the sugar is fully melted and the syrup is dark amber, add the butter to the pan right away. Whisk until the butter is completely melted.
- After the butter has melted, remove the pan from the heat. Count to 3, then pour in the cream slowly while whisking constantly so it blends in. The caramel will bubble up dramatically when the butter and cream go in, which is why the saucepan needs to be at least 2-quarts, and preferably 3-quarts.
- Keep whisking until the sauce is smooth. Leave it in the pan for a couple minutes to cool slightly, then transfer it to a glass mason jar and let it stand until it reaches room temperature. Use pot holders when you handle the jar, because the caramel will still be very hot. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks, and warm it before serving.