Easy 7 Minute Salted Caramel
Thursday, 17 January 2013
The adorable striped spoons are from Sucre Shop
Some things in life just seem unnecessarily complicated. Take wedding planning, for instance – we’ve created this huge industry that charges exorbitant prices for what should just be a joyous celebration with your loved ones. And there are so many details to think of! Pinterest and blogging has certainly made weddings (as well as crafting, cooking, and a slew of other things) more complicated. There’s more pressure to do things in a cute, perfect-looking way.
But I’m not really here to complain about wedding planning stuff. I’m actually here to tell you I discovered this awesome, un-complicated way to make caramel that doesn’t involve a candy thermometer and is practically impossible to ruin. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve ruined a batch of caramel, by stirring too much or heating it up too quickly, or a myriad of other issues. When I was creating a salted caramel mocha cheesecake for a Crock Pot contest, I needed to find an easier version of salted caramel sauce. I came across a seemingly too easy version of caramel over at Pioneer Woman, and was shocked to find that not only did it work, but it tasted just like a regular, complicated caramel sauce!
I tweaked her recipe a bit and came up with this delightful 7 minute salted caramel sauce. You basically boil all the ingredients for 7 minutes-it really couldn’t be any easier! I made some delicious brownies with this stuff, so stay tuned for that recipe soon.
Here’s how you do it:
1. Place butter, brown sugar, heavy cream, and salt into a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Whisk until everything is combined.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 6 minutes, whisking occasionally.
4. After 6 minutes, add vanilla (be careful, it will bubble up). Whisk together and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from heat and let cool.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together butter, brown sugar, heavy whipping cream, and salt.
- Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer for 6 minutes, whisking occasionally.
- Whisk in vanilla (be careful, it will bubble up) and cook 1 more minute.
- Pour caramel into a jar, then refrigerate until cold.
- Store in refrigerator. To serve, microwave briefly until sauce is pourable.
No. 1 — January 17th, 2013 at 8:26 am
Having a jar of this deliciousness is going to be dangerous! I just may eat it all!
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet recently posted How To Make Sugar Hearts
No. 2 — January 17th, 2013 at 9:19 am
Thanks Stephanie. I have been wanting to try a caramel recipe that uses brown sugar. Can’t wait to try it on my crockpot chocolate cake this weekend.
Christina @ Be Mindful. Be Human. recently posted Radish Chips
No. 3 — January 17th, 2013 at 4:03 pm
No thermometer? No scalding myself? SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!!
Becca from It’s Yummilicious recently posted Lip Smacking Good Lemon Bars
No. 4 — January 17th, 2013 at 4:04 pm
SHAME ON YOU….I am fat enough and this is information not unlike the nutella brownies I found online last week that I did not need! just kidding…fat yes but also hungry and grateful. Feel free not to post but I love your food!
Shannon McGrail recently posted Autism and Reading Comp…more examples
No. 5 — January 17th, 2013 at 4:11 pm
A blogger after my own heart! I love salted caramel and I put it on everything. I will definitely have to give this a try soon!
No. 6 — January 17th, 2013 at 4:15 pm
Steph, this is AMAZING. I’ve been wanting to make caramel for the longest time but have always gotten too lazy to go out and grab a candy thermometer. Now I can use this recipe for all of the other recipes I have bookmarked that require salted caramel. You’re a lifesaver, can’t wait to try this recipe!!!
Stephanie @ Life Tastes Like Food recently posted How to Make the Ultimate Football Snackadium
No. 7 — January 17th, 2013 at 4:16 pm
OMG!!!! OMG!!! I don’t even own a candy thermometer, so this is perfect for someone like me! Yay!
No. 8 — January 17th, 2013 at 5:01 pm
Um, can’t even tell you how much I love this!! Salted caramel is only 7 minutes away… now that’s a dangerous thought!
Laura (Tutti Dolci) recently posted meyer lemon-brown butter bars
No. 9 — January 17th, 2013 at 5:44 pm
Wedding planning:
Pretty tables
Yummy food
Dance till you drop
Get good pictures
Don’t wear a boring strapless dress like every other bride on the planet
That’s my advice, don’t sweat the small stuff, people really don’t remember.
No. 10 — January 17th, 2013 at 11:49 pm
This is how I make my caramel too! Definitely the easiest method, instead of just melting the sugar until in caramelizes then adding the other ingredients. Your pics look great!
No. 11 — January 18th, 2013 at 9:32 am
Shut UP! I can’t believe how easy this looks… dangerously easy! But I totally love you for posting this recipe. I wonder if the caramel would thicken up more if you cook it longer? Is it stiff enough to coat apples, etc.? xo
No. 12 — January 18th, 2013 at 1:41 pm
Dawn – isn’t this amazing?! Hmm, it might thicken more, definitely worth trying. I used it to top brownies and put them in the fridge over night. It was still gooey the next day, so it would be very messy as an apple coating. You could slice apples and drizzle it over though.
No. 13 — January 19th, 2013 at 1:02 pm
I have never attempted caramel sauce before, but what the heck, I’m gonna give it a try. I love your set-by-step photos!
Mama’s Gotta Bake recently posted Chocolate Pecan Cookies
No. 14 — January 21st, 2013 at 7:08 pm
That looks so good! And easy! And good!!!
Just in case I wanted to give some as a gift, do you know how long it keeps?
Sarah recently posted Pasta with Bacon and Herbs (or No More Smug Face After This, I Swear)
No. 15 — January 23rd, 2013 at 6:00 am
[...] week I shared this incredibly easy 7 minute salted caramel and you know I couldn’t just let that sit around in my fridge for long. I made some brownies [...]
No. 16 — January 24th, 2013 at 9:18 am
yes, same Q – how long does it keep? i assume it needs to be kept in the fridge…maybe a week or ??
No. 17 — January 24th, 2013 at 8:44 pm
Sarah & Heidi, I totally forgot to put that it needs to be refrigerated. I just added that to the recipe. I don’t know the exact amount of time, but I’d say it’s probably good for a week or 2.
No. 18 — March 10th, 2013 at 3:39 pm
This is a great recipe. I wanted my own salted caramel to use in recipes such as the Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Turtle Thumbprints I am going to make later today. Wonderful!
No. 19 — March 17th, 2013 at 11:13 am
I hate say this, but as I was stirring away on the stove I suddenly thought “this can’t be _real_ caramel sauce.” So after it was made, I let it cool enough to take that taste that would make me wish I chose a harder recipe. So I thought. Girl! This stuff is _awesome_!! What a great, rich, homemade taste. I’ll be making this again!! THNAKS!!