Have you ever wanted a delicious bowl of vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce only to find that your child has finished the remaining caramel sauce for…hamburgers? Yes, the kids will eat it all, but muster up your courage to make it yourself. Making your own caramel sauce from scratch is a lot easier and a lot tastier than you might think. In addition, it takes almost no time at all to make it, because it is so easy and fast. All you need is some sugar, butter and cream to make your own caramel sauce at home! Curious how? Follow the steps on how to make caramel sauce below!
Ingredients
Dry and Wet Method
- 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) sugar
- 112 g butter
- 3/4 cup (175 ml) cream, room temperature or warm
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) water (wet method only)
Cream Based Caramel Sauce:
Makes about 2.5 cups of sauce:
- 100 g unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar (brown sugar)
- 1 cup cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Step
Method 1 of 3: Making Dried Caramel Sauce
Step 1. Gather your materials
Cream and butter should be measured and placed next to the pan to be ready to add. Making caramel sauce is a quick process; If you're wasting time looking for ingredients when your sugar starts to burn, then you won't get the caramel sauce you want.
Step 2. Mix butter and sugar
Over medium-low heat, add butter and sugar to a 2- or 3-quart thick skillet.
Do not stir the sugar and butter while they are dissolved. If you need to stir, stir the mixture gently to combine the ingredients, but not too much, as you will need to allow the caramelization process to start at the bottom and work its way up
Step 3. Heat the mixture
Let the sugar and butter mixture over medium-low heat for 5 - 8 minutes. Keep an eye on the caramel sauce. Rotate the mixture if necessary to prevent it from scorching, but do not stir.
- If you find that you burn some of the sugar before the rest melts, the next time you make more caramel sauce, add half a cup of sugar water at the start of the process. This is called "wet" caramel sauce. (See below)
- Using a wet caramel sauce recipe will help the sugar cook more evenly, although it will also result in a longer cooking time because all the water must evaporate before the sugar can caramelize.
Step 4. Check the colors
After 5 - 8 minutes, the sauce should start to turn light brown in color. You will still see a small amount of unmelted sugar crystals.
If any of the sugar syrup starts to harden on the edges of the pan, use a brush to mix it back into the mixture
Step 5. Keep the sauce over medium-low heat
Continue cooking until the remaining sugar crystals caramelize and foam begins to form. The color of the sauce should have turned dark brown. This could take two minutes, or five more.
- This period of time is the time when you really need to prevent the sauce from scorching. Do not leave the sauce unattended at this stage.
- If you're worried that the sauce will burn, you can reduce the heat. Better to cook a little longer than rush and overcook the caramel sauce.
- Keep resisting the urge or urge to stir the sauce. Rotate the pan if you need to stir the sauce, but still don't stir!
Step 6. Remove the pan from the stove
Once all the sugar crystals have caramelized, remove the pan from the heat, and add the cream a little at a time. Now is the time when you can finally use a stirrer or whisk to stir.
- Add cream in small batches and mix vigorously and quickly. The mixture will foam and expand.
- When you've mixed all the cream, the sauce will turn a darker color. The sauce will continue to bubble as the cream is incorporated into the sugar and butter mixture..
Step 7. Strain the mixture
Pour the caramel into a heatproof bowl or bottle through a sieve. Thus the remaining sugar crystals that do not melt and become caramelized do not enter the finished sauce.
Step 8. Allow the filtered caramel sauce to cool to room temperature
Except of course the caramel that you're going to drizzle on the ice cream!
Store caramel sauce in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Warm before serving
Method 2 of 3: Making Wet Caramel Sauce
Step 1. Gather your materials
Cream and butter should be measured and placed next to the pan to be ready to add. Making caramel sauce is a quick process; If you're wasting time looking for ingredients when your sugar starts to burn, then you won't end up with the caramel sauce you wanted.
Step 2. In a 2 - 3 liter skillet, mix sugar and water
Turn the stove on high and wait for the mixture to begin to boil, stirring constantly.
- When the mixture begins to boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and stop stirring altogether.
- Allow the mixture to simmer undisturbed until it turns dark yellow or brown in color. It should look like a dark beer color.
Step 3. Remove the pan from the heat
Mix the butter into the sauce, then slowly and carefully pour in the cream and stir regularly. Be careful the sauce will bubble!
Scrape off the thickened portion of the sauce at the bottom. If lumps form, place the skillet over the heat again, and stir until the lumps dissolve
Step 4. Make the sauce until it has a nice, thick consistency
The sauce mixture should be uniform after slight cooling and stirring.
Strain into a heatproof bowl or glass jar and wait until the caramel sauce has cooled enough to serve
Method 3 of 3: Cream-Based Caramel Sauce
Step 1. Place the butter in a skillet with a thick bottom
Heat slowly (low heat).
Step 2. Add sugar and cream
Keep stirring until the sugar is dissolved.
Step 3. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes on low heat
Keep stirring; this will prevent the sugar from crystallizing.
Step 4. Remove from heat as soon as the sauce has just thickened
Step 5. Add vanilla extract
Stir well.
Step 6. Serve
This sauce can be used warm or cold.
If you need to store it, it will last up to 7 days if covered and refrigerated
Tips
- Add a pinch of vanilla (about half a tablespoon) after you add the cream to give the sauce a nice aroma. You can also add an aromatic food oil for variety. Raspberry, lemon, and orange oils, for example, will taste delicious in the right amount.
- Dip apples in caramel sauce or spread over top. Garnish, and let cool in the refrigerator to make apple confectionery.
- Once cold, caramel sauce makes a delicious addition to vanilla or chocolate ice cream.
- Sometimes if the cream you put in is very cold, the sugar that has become caramelized can bubble and splatter. To prevent this, you can warm the cream first.
- If you don't have cream, you can also use milk, although the resulting caramel sauce will be much more runny and runny.
- Add 1 tablespoon or more of cocoa powder if you like chocolate. It can also reduce the smell and taste of burning if you lightly burn your caramel sauce.
- Although the caramel sauce will be thinner when it's warm, if you notice your sauce is too thick, add a little more cream during the cooking process until it's just the right consistency.
- Wait until all the sugar has melted, then add the butter directly. Or, let the sugar brown for 10-15 seconds after all the sugar has dissolved for a stronger taste and aroma.
- The caramel sauce is also very tasty and goes well with fruit. Combine baked peaches or pears with caramel sauce, or add a little more caramel sauce to banana foster (a dessert made of bananas and vanilla ice cream with a sauce made of butter, brown sugar, and some alcoholic beverages).
Warning
- You have to be extra careful when cooking sugar. Once the sugar dissolves, it has a much higher temperature than boiling water, and is very sticky.
- Use a mat or gloves when handling bottles that have been filled with hot caramel sauce, as the bottles can be very hot and could burn your hands.
- Be sure to pour the hot caramel sauce into a jar or thick Pyrex glass. Do not use ordinary glass bottles or those that are not intended for temperature changes or heating, as the high temperature of the caramel sauce can break the bottle.
