Brown Sugar Caramel Sauce
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Top your favorite desserts with this easy deliciously sweet Brown Sugar Caramel Sauce. Five ingredients and less than 15-minutes.
Brown Sugar Caramel Sauce is a buttery sweet sauce used for dipping or topping desserts. I use this sauce for Caramel Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls, Caramel Monkey Bread, and to top Chocolate Chunk Pecan Blondies with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Brown sugar for caramel
A basic caramel recipe consists of sugar, butter, milk or cream, and some sort of flavoring. While many recipes use granulated white sugar, this one uses brown sugar. Because of the color and texture of brown sugar, it is easier to produce an auburn sauce without the risk of burning the sugar. The taste it still amazing and the texture creamy and silky.
Ingredients and equipment
Light brown sugar
Salted butter
Heavy cream
Vanilla
Kosher salt
Heavy bottomed pot
Whisk
Rubber spatula
Measuring utensils
Instructions
To make caramel sauce, whisk together the brown sugar and cream. Use the rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the pot to avoid crystallization.
Next, add the butter to the center of the pot and turn on the flame to low. Allow the sugar and butter to melt without stirring.
Bring the sauce to a boil; should take about 8-10 minutes. Remove the pot of caramel from the heat and whisk in the salt and flavoring.
Add flavor to caramel sauce
Extract– Flavoring extract is probably the most common additive to enhance or change the taste of caramel. Vanilla is the flavoring used in this recipe but almond, coconut, or coffee extracts are nice as well.
Salt– Adding salt to caramel creates a delicious contrasting taste that’s amazing on desserts like Banana Pudding. Try a 1/2 teaspoon of flaky salt (aff link) or kosher salt.
Spices– Spices like cinnamon or ginger add a festive and/or seasonal flair liken to fall or Christmas. Cardamom adds a more floral taste. To add dry spice to caramel sauce, wait until the sauce is cooked and removed from the heat. Then whisk in 1/4-1 teaspoon of the spice to taste.
Coffee– Dark roast instant coffee can be added for an earthy sophisticated taste. Add about 1 tsp of dark roast or espresso instant coffee granules to the pot with all of the ingredients. Proceed with the recipe.
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Brown Sugar Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 c light brown sugar
- 1/2 c salted butter
- 1/2 c heavy cream
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- In a heavy pot, whisk together the brown sugar and cream. Use the rubber spatula to scrape down the sides.
- Next, add the butter to the center of the pot and turn on the flame to low. Allow the sugar and butter to melt without stirring.
- Bring the sauce to a boil; should take about 8-9 minutes. Remove the pot of caramel from the heat and whisk in the salt and vanilla extract.
Hi! This tastes amazing! Thank you for sharing this recipe. My caramel is on the runnier side, not as thick as I thought it would be. Will it thicken up as it sets? Not sure what I could have done wrong lol
Hi Teresa. Not sure what went wrong but it could possibly have been the temperature was too low for the amount of time it needed to boil. Try raising the flame a bit next time. Hope that helps!
This turned out perfect. I made this sauce for a cheesecake and everyone was raving about it. 😀
Always glad to hear!
I made this sauce as a topping for the cream cheese pound cake from this site. The recipe was easy to follow and the perfect drizzle for a cake and vanilla ice cream. This site has been a staple as I grow as a better cook and baker for my small family. Will definitely use this sauce, especially for ice cream!
Excellent!