This is your basic caramel sauce, nothing fancy. In my opinion, a good starter recipe to maybe change to your liking afterwards.
The only way to get a nice dark color... is to put the sugar in a pan by itself, sugar melts when heated...then browns. Then add butter, then hot Boiled water & hot boiled cream...then the vanilla extract and salt.
Read MoreAgainst my better judgement, I decided to give this recipe a try. This absolutely didn't work for me. I followed the recipe (and ingredients) exactly and ended up with a watery, sugary...?....something. It couldn't be called a sauce. Maybe using brown sugar will help, but as is, this recipe doesn't work !! Boiled for about 20min to try and get the sugar to caramalize - didn't happen. Added the cream anyway (hoping for a miracle) and let it boil for another 20min..... Sorry - won't be using again.
Read MoreThe only way to get a nice dark color... is to put the sugar in a pan by itself, sugar melts when heated...then browns. Then add butter, then hot Boiled water & hot boiled cream...then the vanilla extract and salt.
This is the perfect "base" recipie! I did use half brown sugar and half white sugar to give it a little bit more chew. Also, I was using this caramel for a topping on my Snickers Brownies so I added about 1 cup of marshmallows at the end with the cream to give the sauce a bit of the nougat taste that I was looking for. This sauce turned out great!
So delicious! I used Spiced Rum instead of water and evaporated milk instead of cream and it was delicious!
This is absolutely delicious! Important to do exactly as the directions indicate and DON'T stir until the sugar dissolves. I made only 1/2 of the recipe and it made about 3/4 of a cup. Easy, delicious, and gorgeous color!
This sauce turned out wonderfully. It seemed like a large quantity so I halved the recipe prior to making it, and I still had plenty. A nice smooth texture.
I needed this recipe as a base but I'm impatient. I used brown sugar instead of white and I melted the sugar with the butter until it started getting thick. I then added the cream as described and it was immediately smooth and creamy. If I had wanted it thicker, I just would have used less cream. My method took me about 5 min with similar results. Hooray for a good choice of ingredients-that's 4/5 of the recipe. The one star down is because of the preparation time.
This recipe was fantastic; exactly what I was looking for to make a caramel dip for snacking on apple slices. To those who had this turn out as a thin, creamy mess, you must simmer the sugar until it is a rich, golden brown before adding the sugar. It can't just be thick and boiling. It has to be darkening, all the way through. A thick-walled saucepan is best, and yes, the times are probably for a gas range, so plan on more time with a coil or flat top range.
Mmm this is recipe is just what I was looking for in a caramel sauce. It is a bit tricky to make though...after reading reviews I decided to add 1/4 c. brown sugar and 1/2 c. white (for a half batch of the sauce). I tried to melt the sugar first and after waiting for it to melt (or even start to melt) after about 15 minutes I added the butter to the sugar, I heated up the water and half and half (which I used in place of the heavy cream) to a low boil and added this to the sugars and stirred until the sugar was dissolved. I simmered this for 10-15 more minutes, then put it in the fridge to cool. I was a bit conserned that this was going to be to thin, but after being in the fridge it did thicken up. I used this with the Butter Brickle Freezer Dessert Recipe, making 8 servings of the sauce I had enough for the 2 layer dessert, plus more to drizzle on top. Yum, definetly a keeper!
This is the best carmel sauce I have ever made!! The butter and cream make it soooo yummy. I took the advice of another user and split the sugar to half brown and half white. Outstanding!!
Against my better judgement, I decided to give this recipe a try. This absolutely didn't work for me. I followed the recipe (and ingredients) exactly and ended up with a watery, sugary...?....something. It couldn't be called a sauce. Maybe using brown sugar will help, but as is, this recipe doesn't work !! Boiled for about 20min to try and get the sugar to caramalize - didn't happen. Added the cream anyway (hoping for a miracle) and let it boil for another 20min..... Sorry - won't be using again.
Very good. It took 15 minutes for sugaring process #1 and over 20 minutes for process #2 on my gas stove. It's very good but you have to know to allow over 1/2 hour standing over it just in case you have a similar experience. It is definitely worth a try.
This is a good and helpful base recipe, and I thank Dessertlover for submitting it! I did tweak it as follows: omit the water, and instead add a heaping tablespoon of one of the following: Lyle's Golden Syrup (see note at end of this review), corn syrup, or honey. Cook the sugar and Lyles/corn syrup/honey together - with nothing else - until the desired color is reached. The darker you go, the more intense the flavor (stop before actually burning). Replacing the water with a syrup does several things: it makes a thicker final product; it allows the sugar to get much darker and to also get darker faster; it REALLY helps to prevent unwanted crystallization. You can abuse this mixture quite a lot and still avoid crystals. I add the cream, butter, salt and vanilla after the sugar + syrup mixture gets very dark amber. Then I reheat this final mixture to about 230 degrees F. This high temperature makes a thicker sauce. If you don't want it thicker, just reheat the final mixture to re-liquify it as per the original instructions. About Lyle's Golden Syrup: I use this in place of corn syrup all the time. It is made from sugar instead of corn, and I am extremely allergic to corn. It is very similar in texture to corn syrup, but much better tasting - it has a light caramel taste, so it is perfect for making caramels. It is more expensive than corn syrup - about $5 - $6 for 11 ounces. And it is a bit hard to find (amazon does have it). But it lasts forever.
Delicious! I let it cook for about 12-13 minutes in the initial cooking process (sugar, water, butter); it wasn't quite as dark as I expected but I didn't want to burn it. Also, when it cooked in the second round I cooked it the full 10 minutes, and it did seem quite thin, which I had read in some reviews. However, after letting it cool and set in the fridge it thickened up just fine. As I mentioned, it was a little pale, but it tasted amazing so I don't think I'd change a thing!
Would have liked it to be a little thicker, although once it got cold, it did thicken more. Good flavor. Used 1/2 white, 1/2 brown sugar. Would have liked a little more descriptive directions; I felt they were a somewhat vague.
Incredible! Served with pecan pie (recipe from Brigsten's restaurant in New Orleans). I did allow the sugar to melt by itself first (1/2 brown, 1//white) before adding the hot cream, water and vanilla. Considered doubling the recipe but glad I didn't, 1 batch was more than enough and I have leftovers! Super easy and definitely on the regular dessert list now!
This is a keeper! I used a can of evaporated milk instead of heavy cream, and maragarine instead of unsalted butter because it's all I had, but it worked very well. I cooked part 1 for about 15 minutes, stirring constantly, until it was a beautiful golden brown color, then added the milk slowly, stirring constantly. Then, I cooked part 2 for about the same length of time, 15 minutes or so. It's in a bowl, still hot on my counter, and I'm not sure how thick it will end up being when it cools to room temperature, or in the refrigerator. If it's a bit runny, oh well... It tastes yummy, and I cannot wait to dip some apples in it or pour it over ice cream or drizzle over cheesecake! Yummo.... Happy Thanksgiving!!! And thanks for the recipe! My family will love this!
Pretty good....could be a little richer, maybe I will use brown sugar next time and see if that helps. I didn't have any trouble with the instructions like some of the reviews stated. I made the recipe as stated.
This recipe is perfect. Thanks for describing what will happen when different steps are being done. I made this to drizzle over a pumpkin cheesecake and now am making it to dip apples in. Very versatile, easy, and yummy recipe.
Wonderful result, although I had a few minutes of panic during the process. It took much longer that 5 to 10 minutes to caramelize the sugar, and it really solidified when I added the cream, but in the end it was delicious and the perfect consistency.
This is a wonderful caramel sauce. If you cook it only 5 minutes it is much too thin to dip apples slices. But I cooked for about 15 minutes after adding the cream and it was thick and delish! Just test consistency on a small plate: drop a teaspoon or so, wait til it is cool and sample. Really great and very rich!
Delicious! Perfect over ice cream. I added a couple of tablespoons of corn syrup to prevent crystallization, but other than that made as directed. Don't cheat the color by adding brown sugar. The flavor isn't nearly as good. Wait for the white sugar to caramelize. The wait is worth it and it WILL happen, I promise.
I was quite pleased with the end result. I will note it took 7 minutes for the sugar to dissolve and then another 10 to 13 minutes for it to reach the right shade. Added cream and then let it simmer for another 10 minutes. Set up lovely.
I think I messed it up a little and cooked it wrong, but it still tasted delicious. Awesome recipe!
Beautiful caramel and delicious dotted in and drizzled on top of my apple pie!!
Very good and thick. I tried it once with half brown sugar like others suggested but this makes it really hard to tell when you get the deep golden color to let you know the sugar is cooked to the right temp. It took a few tries to get it right but came out wonderful in the end.
Perfect ingredients, but I do think the directions are not descriptive enough. It took muck longer than described, I would say it took about a half hour start to finish. Like directions say, do not stir until sugar has melted. Next, the sugar will cook down, eventually forming a type of paste, brown to desired color. The rest of the directions are well written. Hopes this helps other beginners!
Easy to make, fantastic flavor. Served with "Caramel-Apple Crisp" by Kinza. As I was dishing up desert (they don't wait on me). I was hearing Wow's and this is great. Thanks for sharing.
OK everybody put your lips together and say “MMMmmmmmm”! That is what was being said yesterday at the beach with about 10 of my best friends. Made the full recipe (glad I did!) and went through several sliced apples. The only change I made was use the half white and half brown sugar version as suggested by several reviewers. Oh, by the way the sun and water was fantastic just in case you were wondering!!
Very good. The only changes I made were to cook the sauce longer for both the first and second steps, and to add about a tablespoon of spiced rum along with the vanilla. I was freaking a little because my sugar wouldn't brown. It finally darkened a little after about 25 minutes, and I freaked some more because the sugar had created sugary crystal-looking things and I thought I'd messed up. But after I added the cream it dissolved again and turned out very smooth. It thickened up some after cooling, and I ate it with apples. Will make again and play with it a little.
Taste was very good but something went wrong on the first step. The caramel never browned and then after about 16 minutes, it crystalized. After another 3-4 minutes, I gave up browning and put in the cream. **NOTE: just did some research online and if the sugar seizes up and gets hard (in step one), simply turn up the heat and allow the sugar to melt. As it does, it should take on a beautiful caramel color.
Usually I make this sauce to mix it with nuts and almonds, and pour over a brie cheese, to eat with water based cookies in parties, and it´s always a big hit... no one expects te sweet flavor of the caramel sauce with the saltiness of the nuts... and the cheese... heavenly
Simple and delicious! I'm scraping and eating the last bits of caramel out of the pan right now.
I didn't know making caramel was so easy! I was afraid when I made the recipe the first time because I got sugar clumps before I put in the cream. But the cream smooths it all out. It isn't as thick as jarred caramel though but I like that. I also use half dark brown sugar and half white sugar to give a nice color.
My husband loves this. My go tovsauce now for coffee and ice cream or straigh from the jar
Loved it! My daughter kept begging me to make caramel dip for apples and chose this recipe because one of the reviewers had used evaporated milk with success. I already used the heavy cream. For the next time, I will reduce the sugar slightly...it was sweet.
This is a great recipe! A lot of the other comments said that it didn't thicken, but it did fine for me after I refrigerated it. The most important part is NOT stirring it before the sugar dissolves or it will crystalize.
This was great.only thing I did different was to cook the sugar by it's self. Once sugar was melted and brown I added the rest.
Don't double. This turned into a recrystallized mess. I tried a different recipe that did not use water, and it was perfect.
Delicious! I boiled the butter & sugar too long on my first round, but it worked great the second time.
Very good and very easy to make - what could be better. I added a bit of brown sugar instead of using all white and think that enhances the flavour. Will definitely make this again - perfect drizzled over our Christmas gingerbread cake.
May take a couple of tries to get this recipe right, but it's worth it. I have made this recipe half a dozen times and here's what I've learned: 1) It will take way longer than 10 minutes for your sugar to dissolve and caramelize -- just leave it alone until it starts to turn golden brown and has a distinct caramelized aroma 2) SLOWLY pour in the cream -- otherwise you will have a gloopy mess (I usually let the cream sit out and come closer to room temp while the sugar is caramelizing) 3) Use all white sugar -- with brown sugar it's difficult to tell when it has caramelized and it might come out grainy 4) Use 1/4 cup less sugar -- as written, 1 1/2 cups is too sweet. Overall four stars for the misleading directions overly sweet taste when made as directed. Once you decrease the sugar and figure out the right time to add the cream, this is a five-star recipe.
Um, awesomeness? I'm only awarding 4 stars because I had to tweak it a tiny bit. I added the water and sugar to the saucepan and cooked until rich dark golden brown, then added the butter and cream. This did take more than a "pinch" of salt, IMO, but who knows what a real "pinch" is, anyway?? ;-) The consistency is perfect and the flavor is devine. Made to pour over Caramel Macchiato Cheesecake.
It took a LOT longer than the directions said (my sister thinks they were written for a gas stove) and it didn't go quite as described (the sugar/water butter mix ended up hard, crunchy and crystallized before browning at all, most of the golden color came after I added the cream) but I'm really happy with the result! Mine is nice and thick, probably because of how long I cooked it. Will definitely make this again.
So ridiculously easy and delicious. I made it twice and messed up pretty terribly the first time -- per others' suggestions, I used brown sugar and it was really grainy and separated. The second time around I used white sugar and didn't stir it at all; I just shook the sauce pan a bit as it boiled to keep the bottom from burning. It's true that once it starts to caramelize, it gets darker FAST, so make sure to have your cream measured and on-hand when it comes time. The finished product is incredibly smooth, thick and decadent. I made salted caramel hot chocolate with this and will always have some on hand to jazz up hot beverages.
Once you get the hang of simmering the sugar its really easy actually, and i used whipped cream cuz it was all i had on hand and it still tasted great lol.
A great caramel recipe...and for my first time making caramel, it turned out perfect. I did use the half Demerara sugar and half white, and I let this melt down a little - about 3 minutes on medium heat - on its own before adding the water and butter. I didn't stir this at all for about 8 minutes, and then added the remaining ingredients. Then I stirred it for about half an hour, adding 1tsp of cornstarch to help thicken it, still over a medium heat. Really happy with how it turned out...thanks for this recipe.
Pretty good recipe for caramel and very easy to do. I used turbinado sugar and regular cream since I didn't have heavy on hand. It's pretty thin, but I did need it thin for the caramel apple salad I was making. Even though I never left the pot, I'm pretty sure I burnt the sugar. For what it's worth, I will be using this recipe again!
Good. I used 1/2 white sugar and 1/2 dark brown sugar. Next time I'll cut back on the sugar a tad bit.
This was my first time making caramel sauce (for a cheesecake), and in the end, it turned out perfectly! But I would strongly recommend that you NOT stir the sugar mixture once it's completely dissolved, because it started to harden and re-crystallize when I did. Thankfully I was able to save it by adding more water and letting it do its own thing untouched. Once it looked golden brown, I added the cream and all was right again. I think next time I'll use spiced rum instead of water like a reviewer did for a more decadent caramel.
OKAY SOOOOOOOOO YES THE RECIPE AT FIRST IS WATERY BUT MY FELLOW CHEFS KEEP COOKING IT OF COURSE THIS IS A SAUCE NOT CARAMEL CANDY...BUT I DOUBLED IT THEN COOKED IT FOR ABOUT 45 MINUTES I ALSO ADDED AROUND 1/2 CUP CORN STARCH KEEEP COOKING IT I PROMISE IT WILL REDUCE DOWN AND BECOME THICKER AND RICHER BEST ADVICE KEEP COOKING AND STIRRING
I used 1 cup (to make it thick) evaporated milk, and it was heavenly. Cooking time for both stages 1 and 2 was longer than stated, about 15-20 min, but maybe I had the heat too low. It was great over cheesecake, and now I'm enjoying it in my lattes.
i used to buy tastefully simple caramel sauce for my icecream at $9 a pop(plus tax and shipping) after i tried this recipe i wont be doing that anymore. delish!!!
GREAT! Those that didnt get the right color, need to cook longer. Go by what it looks like, not the time it says. Mine got almost too dark but taste GREAT. Will never spend the money on jar caramel again!
just what I needed, I did use 1/2 brown sugar though and did a soft ball test in water
This was so good. You have to watch and not burn the sugar or it might turn bitter. Also, I didn't have heavy cream second time I made it so I used regular milk and it turned out just as good!
I followed this recipe exactly as it is written and it turned out perfectly caramel-y, rich and smooth, the FIRST time I made it. The second time however, was a complete flop. The sugar mixture would not brown for nothing, and I just ended up with a soupy, vanilla flavored mess. I am no food scientist so I can't explain this, but felt I should adjust my rating after having two completely different experiences while changing nothing. Maybe it's a matter of varying kitchen environment, who knows. I did move on to the Salted Caramel recipe on here, which calls for a different method, and that worked great.
Delicious – only suggestion is to make at least a few hours ahead of time because it took a long time for mine to thicken. I made this exactly as the recipe suggested and had no problems.
excellent just the way it is! I may try 1/2 brown sugar next time for more depth of flavor
I'm not much of a caramel person, but this hit the spot! So easy to make and delicious.
I followed the recipe exactly and ended up with an overly sweet caramel that seperated upon cooling. I will find a better recipe for next time!
I replaced the water with spiced rum as previously suggested and used it as a topping for apple bars - it was amazing! And a huge hit!
Okay maybe i did something wrong becuase everyone else seemed to love this. Is the cream suppose to be room temp? I wonder if the sugar mixture should be boiled for ten minutes and not simmered. Once i added the cream it did not boil vigorously :( Very soupy and not creamy any suggestions?
This is the perfect caramel sauce. I added the butter after the sugar started to bubble. I also added a little extra salt to make it "salted caramel". I highly recommend this recipe.
The first time the sugar recrystalized. The second time it was a watery white weird looking sauce. Then I read the #1 tip which is to heat the sugar by itself first to get that nice caramel color. The taste is a 4. I would try the recipe again with the change of directions..
Wow, yummy. Took a while to thicken..but worth it! Instead of vanilla I added a splash of Captain Morgans spiced Rum :)
I tried this just now. It turned into a science project. I'm sure it's just me. I've never made caramel sauce before. But it ended up turning into a strange smelling powdery substance. Most of the other reviews seem positive, so I'm going to give it another go. Hopefully I will get a little closer to my desired result!
This was so good. I added rum to half the sauce, and left the other sauce plain for those who didn't want it. It was so good, since I had leftovers, I couldn't stop dipping things in it!! Awesome :)
I have never made caramel sauce before, and was a bit worried that it would turn out to be a disaster... but this was so much fun to make and it turned out better than any caramel sauce I have ever had! Definitely need to let it cool for a bit and it will thicken up nicely.
Mine didn't turn out perfectly but I accept responsibility for that because I didn't follow the instructions ... I read the suggestion from another reviewer, to brown the sugar first. I guess I browned it too much because it has a burnt sugar taste. That's okay, as I like burnt sugar but, when I make it again, I will follow the recipe.
This caramel sauce is soooo good you can eat it with a spoon! I make this sauce to top Joey's Bread Pudding! The BEST!
Very easy and yummy! I did turn the heat up a little to get it to golden brown. I drizzle it on just about everything. I like to make it just to keep in the fridge for one of those craving nights.
Used to top my Caramel Banana Cake Roll. Easy to follow. I'll need to make this as a caramel dip for apples.
I am having a bad day with making desserts today. This did not turn out for me at all. I have another caramel sauce recipe I normally use, but wanted to try something different. Caramel sauces are very tricky in that, even the smallest crystal of sugar into the liquid sugar will crystalize it. I even used clean spoons to stir it. I made a 1/2 recipe, but that shouldn't have affected it. The recipe I normally use, has a spoonful of corn syrup in it. That aids in crystalization not happening. I got a caramel taffy lump sitting in some brown milk once I added in the cream. I really wanted this for a coffee recipe. Oh well, I guess I will be cleaning a pot for the next hour of hardened caramel. :(
I made this sauce last night to use as a topping for a cheesecake. The first time I made it I allowed my sugar to get too brown and the caramel tasted burnt. The second time I used 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 2/4 cup white sugar (I halved the recipe). It came out great, and it made about 1 cup of sauce. This recipe is great, you just have to have patience! It took about 20 minutes (not 5-10) for the white sugar to begin to brown. I have an electric range so that could be why. Either way, it tasted great and I will be making this again!
Tastes delicious! Even my very picky 6 year old said it was good. "Better than grandma's!" Is what she said. I did follow recommendations to do half white and half brown sugar. It was runny but hopefully with some fridge cooling it will thicken up, or perhaps more practice on my part. I will make this again!
For new caramel makers like me, add a touch (half tsp) of lemon juice to the water, sugar, and butter mixture. This will keep the sugar from recrystallizing.
Absolutely perfect as is- you can cook the initial sugar/water/butter mixture as long as you want to make it a nice brown color. There is no need to alter this is any way; what a wonderful surprise! My family went crazy over it... I will make this again and again.
I followed Eillen's method of cooking & I believe it would be great except I think I darkened my sugar too much. & it has a slightly burnt taste. Next time I will turn the heat from medium to low when melting sugar. But pretty easy and I liked it
I love this recipe. Very easy and achieves the caramel flavor I love from scratch. Some say it's impossible to achieve browning as directed. However, it works perfectly but not in 5-10 minutes. Be patient and allow 25-30 mins for the browning process. I attempted to add pics of what it looks like when you should first start to stir, when it is browned enough to add the cream, appearance after cream is added, and the final product.
I have no idea what went wrong, I followed this exactly how it was suggested . . . TWICE!! both times had the exact same result, it didn't thicken. Too bad I tried it on Christmas day to go with the gingerbread. All was not lost, we just used whip cream instead.
I often made this caramel sauce at for our senior citizen center dinners and it was always a huge hit. It was a very simple recipe to follow and turned out how I expected.
Followed recipe exactly, also did not caramelize or set up for me. Sad that I wasted the ingredients
It was good but it was too buttery for me. It took a lot longer time to cook but in the end it was completely worth it! ??
This was good but tasted too much like cream. Next time I think I will use brown sugar with white sugar to get a better color. It turned out too light.
I did not have any unsalted butter so I had to use Blue Bonnet and it still worked quite well. I will try again when I get some real butter. Just follow directions even when it gets crusty because it will turn smooth and creamy. It takes awhile to turn brown but it will eventually. Also, be careful when adding cream because it does steam and froth.
Changed it up a bit after reading the reviews. 3/4 cup butter and only two cups sugar. Let it get to golden brown before adding the cream.
