I like chocolate, but I absolutely adore anything caramel. This sauce is so lusciously caramel with the hit of salt….it makes me go weak in the knees to think about it. The only issue is eating it by the spoonful straight out of the jar. No judgement here, but you may want to keep some for other sweet uses!
Give it a try, just be patient, and whatever you do, don’t walk away from the saucepot.
Salted Caramel Sauce
Course: DessertsCuisine: DessertDifficulty: EasyPrep time
5
minutesCooking time
15
minutesTotal time
20
minutesThe. Best. Salted. Caramel. Sauce. EVER!
Ingredients
2 cups granulated sugar
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
1 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
1 tablespoon fleur de sel (or any other flaked sea salt)*
Directions
- In a heavy bottom saucepan (3 qt or larger), pour in the sugar to form an even layer in the pan. Heat the sugar over medium-high heat, and as it starts to melt, start whisking. The sugar will begin to form clumps, just keep whisking, and it will melt back down as it continues to cook.
Warning-this next step happens FAST, and you can burn the caramel in seconds. So watch both color and temperature. (My last batch was to color and temperature almost as soon as it was all melted). Do not walk away…. - When all the sugar has melted, stop whisking and swirl it around in the pan. Continue to cook until the sugar reaches a dark amber color, and smells toasty. At this stage, it should be at 350°F. Use an instant read thermometer to verify temperature.
As soon as you reach 350°F, add all the butter at once. This will cause the caramel to bubble up, just be careful. Whisk butter until completely melted. - Remove the pan from heat and slowly add the cream. The cream will also cause the caramel to bubble, again, be careful. Whisk until all the cream is mixed in and the sauce is smooth. Whisk in the salt.
- Allow sauce to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Pour into glass jar(s), and let cool to room temperature. Sauce can be refrigerated for about 2 weeks. Warm sauce before using.
*If you don’t have flaked sea salt, don’t substitute other salt at the same proportion, as a tablespoon of kosher salt, for instance, would yield an overly salted sauce. If you want to use kosher salt, start with a teaspoon and then taste and add more to get to the desired saltiness you like. I do recommend getting a flaked sea salt for applications like this or as a finishing salt, it is worth it!