Last week, Jason and I went to dinner with one of our closest friends and you know that feeling you get when you know there might be more to the dinner than there really is? Like all day, I was like, “something is going to happen” or “why do I get this unsettling feeling that my world is going to come crashing down soon?” Well, not totally crash down, but you get what I mean. So, we were talking and catching up and something was said that alluded to ‘colder weather’ and then it happened. They told us they’re moving to San Francisco :'(
Such a bittersweet moment. Of course we’re thrilled for this new adventure that they’re embarking on but my selfishness gets in the way and I don’t want them to leave us! I guess on the bright side, we can always visit them in San Francisco since it’s a very easy plane ride and hello, Napa weekend! It’s definitely a hard pill to swallow when you realize your close friends are moving across the country and you can’t just randomly call them up for lunch anymore but actually have to plan months out, but nonetheless, we wish them the best of luck.
I don’t like when friends move away. Everyone that I know should just bloom where they are planted. Just kidding :) I’m just being emotional.
Okay, so homemade caramel is REALLY easy to make. Sometimes I wonder why I even run to the store to get caramel candies and melt them. Caramel sauce at home is suuuuper easy and really does taste A LOT better than store-bought. It’s got a better consistency and not to mention it’s cheaper! I’m in love with salted caramel so what better way than to make jars of homemade salted caramel sauce?
You’ll want to bookmark this recipe because several upcoming recipes use this homemade salted caramel sauce! Can you tell I was pretty much up to my eyeballs (still am) in salted caramel so I decided I’d drizzle it on everything? You can always cut down the recipe and not make as much as I did but I like having some in the fridge just for those days that you feel like your ice cream or dessert needs a bit of a sprucing!
Before the recipe, I put a step by step on how the sugar meltdown will look. It’ll help you with the process and you won’t doubt yourself! It’s kind of weird in the beginning because everything clumps together and you’re like, “OMG DID I MESS UP?!” so seeing these photos will definitely ease those feelings! Just be patient and you’ll soon get a luscious homemade salted caramel sauce!
Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced into 1-inch cubes
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons of Kosher salt, please see notes
Instructions
- In a semi-deep non-stick pot, heat sugar over medium high heat, stirring often.
- The sugar will soon start to clump together. This is ok and what it is supposed to do! (See photos above)
- The sugar will soon start to break down into a liquid and you'll want to switch to a whisk to get rid of the clumps.
- Once the sugar is in liquid form, you'll want to continue swirling the pot until it boils until it turns an amber color.
- Once that happens, carefully add the butter. The mixture will hiss and splatter a bit. Continue stirring until all the butter has melted.
- Once the butter has melted, CAREFULLY add the heavy cream. Since the heavy cream will be cold, your mixture will bubble and splatter a bit as well. Stir the mixture then let boil for 3 minutes.
- Remove from heat, stir in the salt, and let completely cool before you pour it into any jars.
- Store in the refrigerator and warm up slightly to drizzle or use for desserts.
Notes
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Would this be a good recipe for the wrapped caramels at Christmas time?
No, this would not be because it wasn’t cooked to the candy caramel temperature. However! These would be perfect for wrapped caramels at Christmas time: https://www.tablefortwoblog.com/apple-cider-caramels/
Is there a way to cancel this for a longer shelf life? So that it doesn’t have to be refrigerated? Or to be given as gifts?
I’m not familiar with canning but I do feel that you’d be fine if you didn’t refrigerate this. I can’t be 100% positive though.
Hi Julie.
As I commented earlier below, canning dairy products is perfectly fine. I can understand why you would not want to recommend this because this is your blog and you may not want to be liable if someone gets ill by not following the proper procedures.
Also, this recipe contains quite a bit of sugar which also helps with preserving the milk and butter. As I’m sure you know, you can buy both evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk in cans at any grocery store. In fact, it became a commercial product in the 1800’s so that people without refrigeration or easy access to fresh food such as sailors or armies could have milk for their tea or coffee.
The only caveats I would mention is that once the container is open, it then should be refrigerated, as it has now been exposed to air or whatever is on your utensils (or fingers – if you’re the sort of person who sticks a washed finger into a jar of jam or honey when you just need that little boost of sugar to get you through the next hour before dinner ;-) ) . Also, if the container lid is not popped in before the first opening such as jam or applesauce. A bulging lid is definitely a danger sign, but that’s the case with any canned food, commercial or homemade.
Thanks for this information!!
I would not try canning this item at home. I would recommend making it as close to the gift giving time as possible, refrigerating it, and then when you give/send put a little note that they need to refrigerate even before opening. I would not recommend not refrigerating.
Hello! Thank you for your fabulous recipes! I attend to give some sauces as gifts, how long will it last in the fridge as it contains cream?
It should last a while. It lasted over 2 months for me.
Hello, I’m a teenager who would just like to make some nice caramel slices for my family (as I’m the one that bakes in the family, but because I live in Italy I couldn’t buy many of the ingredients to make the caramel part as you need in other recipes online so I was wondering, could I use this recipe for the caramel slices? Thank you very much, loved the article!
No, the caramel sauce would need to be cooked at a higher temperature to achieve candy-like consistency.
This recipe says to cook to 350 degrees …that is past hard crack stage! Is that correct?
Hi, thanks for pointing that out. I removed that since it seems to cause confusion. Just heat it up until it boils with a lot of bubbles.
How much will it make?
about 1 1/2 cups
I live in a ‘metric’ country (The Netherlands) and I can’t get my head around the 12 tablespoons of butter cut into dice. could you give me an estimate in grams? thank you so much!
I did a quick Google search and found a butter converter: http://www.traditionaloven.com/conversions_of_measures/butter_converter.html. According to that, it is 170.1 grams.
Regardless if metric or imperial, how do Americans measure SOLID butter in Tablespoons? Is it marked on the paper wrapping or do you have Tablespoons as a weight measure in your scales or something? In this recipe you use it diced so it’s obviously not melted to be measured as a liquid. I just don’t understand.
Yes, on our butter stick wrapping, it is labeled out by tablespoons with lines to count. See this photo here: http://www.improvevia.com/assets/~uploads/img/207/033a61b53401b417ea_large.jpg
Looks delicious
Can you double this recipe?
Yes
Can I can the caramel after making pressure or hot water
I haven’t done that myself but yes, you could can this caramel.
I am such a fan of salted caramel and this recipe has defintelty won me over. It is a very cost effective, quick, easy to make and absolutely delicious recipe. Where can I find more of your recipes?
The entire site.
I made this last night as part of a Christmas present full of sweet sauces for my sister and boss, and let me tell you…..this stuff is flippin amazing. My husband is upset that I’m giving it all away. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe, it will be made frequently.
what if you only have salted butter how much salt do you put in
I would actually not add any salt until you get a chance to taste it. 12 tablespoons of salted butter sounds like this caramel sauce would be salty enough without the additional salt added.
My sauce appears to have set once it has cooler Andy is no longer runn.
Is it possible to can this recipe for a winter treat?
Yes, you can. However, I haven’t done it myself but I think others have done it before!
Please, please, please do not recommend people can this to be shelf stable. This is not safe. There is absolutely no tested safe way to can ANY DAIRY products.
You might want to tell the Amish that. They’ve been canning milk for centuries and seem to be surviving just fine. My grandparents and all of their siblings were born between 1903 and 1925. All of them drank canned milk, as did their parents and their children and me and all of my cousins and siblings. Every single one of them lived at least their late 70’s, most into their 80s and my French Canadian grandmother only died two years ago at the terribly young age of 99 and 1/2. Not one of them died of food poisoning.
Milk is a low acid food, and canning it does require a certain amount of care, as do all low-acid vegetables and fruits. A pressure cooker should be used and it’s important to make sure that the temperatures of all items that will touch the food get up above 320 degrees Fahrenheit. You should also follow all the rules that you would for canning any food which is to make sure that you sterilize everything and once you have sterilized it, do not touch anything that will come in contact with the food with your hands and use jar and lid lifters and proper canning funnels, if a funnel is neccesary.
Also, if you can’t can milk, why is it completely available in both cans and ultra high temperature pasteurized boxes
Please stop spreading your misinformation, you are simply incorrect.
Hi I’m just wondering if you were to put the hot caramel sauce into a warm jar and seal it with warm lids to can, have you done this?
I haven’t done it myself and I have advised others to do it but I’ve gotten responses where people say you shouldn’t. So I really don’t know what the call is. I’m not experienced with canning.
Where did you get those spoons from?
World Market!
I too love salted caramel and I have not made it. I am 81 yrs old and it is hard for me to cook anything. But thanks for the recipe.
You’re welcome!
Hi, I made the salted caramel sauce but it taste burnt. Any idea what i did wrong?
thank you
that’s a very generalized statement. without being in the kitchen with you and seeing what you did or seeing the final product…it’s really hard for me to say. the only thing i can think of is that you actually burned the sugar while making the caramel sauce.
Do you think that I could make a big batch of this and then can it to preserve it for shelf life?
I’m not familiar with canning and preserving since this has dairy in it. I had mentioned previously that you could but then someone commented and told me I shouldn’t give advice since this has dairy…soo now I don’t know what advice to give. I would go with your best knowledge.
Can the finished product be stored in a canning jar and sealed while hot.
Hello,
i was hoping to make this for my christmas hampers but was unsure when should start. When is the self life for this??
Many thanks,
ignore the above i read other comments :)
Sounds amazing!! Where did you get the glass container/ jar?!!! Love it!
I got them from World Market! They’re Weck jars
lovely easy recipe thanks Cindy
My name isn’t Cindy lol
Thanks for sharing we absolutely love the caramel. It is a hit at our house.
I made a double batch of this yesterday. Came out delicious! The only change I made was to add 3/4 tsp extra sea salt and around 1-1/2 tsp vanilla. Definitely a keeper recipe.
Hi Julie,
I was wondering if the sauce would work for Caramel Apples?
Thanks.
It wouldn’t harden like how the coating is for caramel apples. It’d have to be cooked at a higher temperature.
Can the salted caramel sauce be sealed in canning jars in a hot bath and stored on the shelf?
I am not familiar with the canning method; ideally, yes but since I am not familiar, I don’t want to give suggestions that could be detrimental to one’s health.
I have made this carmel recipe several times and every time it turns out great! My favorite way to serve this is poured over a block of cream cheese and sprinkled with mini chocolate chips or toffee bits, served with apples or pears. I’ve also poured it into small mason jars and give it as gifts for teachers, relatives, neighbors… Always a hit!
Can you use heavy whipping cream instead of heavy cream? Are they the same? What about half and half?
I use heavy whipping cream interchangeably with heavy cream; half and half is not the same.