Easy Homemade Caramel Sauce with 5 Simple Ingredients

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Easy Caramel Sauce Recipe

Easy Caramel Sauce Recipe

Today In Crispybake’s kitchen. We’re making an easy caramel sauce with just five ingredients.

Caramel sauce ingredients on kitchen counter

Ingredients

○ a cup and a half of sugar (300 grams)
○ one cup of heavy cream
○ five tablespoons of room temperature butter
○ half a teaspoon of salt

Measured ingredients for caramel sauce

Cooking Instructions

  1. First up, measure out a cup and a half of sugar. That’s 300 grams. Now we’re going to add our sugar to a medium heavy-bodied saucepan. That pan is thick and heavy. You want something that will really conduct heat evenly. If you’ve ever had caramel, crystallize or fall apart or burn. Your pan is probably at fault. You’re an innocent bystandard.

    One, you’re using a light, thin-sided pan. That’s not going to help you out. But two, if you’re using a non-stick pan, most recipes don’t tell you, but non-stick will just crystallize your caramel. I’m not exactly sure why, but I know you should not use a non-stick pan. So I don’t use non-stick pans myself, but on Great British Bake Off, they make them use non-stick pans. I’m like, why? They have a lot of crystallizing problems.

    We’re going to place our pan over medium-high heat. And we’re going to stir for three to five minutes constantly until it’s melted and coming to a boil. In recipes, sugar is actually considered a liquid and it’s because it melts when you heat it.

  2. Normally, if you’re making a pure caramel just sugar with water, you’re told, leave it alone. Do not touch the sugar. This is different. There’s no water here right now. And we’re going to be adding cream. Why of a chance? Measure out one cup of heavy cream and warm it up. If you use ice cold cream for this, it’s basically going to explode. It’ll happen in my last video because I wasn’t paying attention. And don’t let that happen to you. Warm your cream up so it’s room temperature to a little bit warm and you won’t have things bubbling over and burning you.

  3. You’ll be stirring and stirring and stirring at home thinking, is something wrong? Am I supposed to add water to this? It’s not melting. Nothing’s going to happen. Nothing’s going to happen. And then everything happens and if you’ve left it alone, it’s burnt already and you’ve started over. So just have faith. Keep stirring and it’ll all melt up. Okay, starting to melt. So I’m going to keep stirring.

    If you see some sugar accumulating on the side of your pan, you can use a wet pastry brush and just brush it down. This will prevent burnt sugar and crystallization. Crystallization is where, instead of having a beautiful like watery flow of molten sugar, it has a crystal structure. It’s kind of crunchy. Not good.

    My sugar is mostly melted and at this stage, it should be a light brown color like pale blonde. If it’s going super dark, that means you’re going to burn your sugar, which happens to all of us. If you like burnt sugar, keep going if not start over again. If you’re using a propane burner, you’re going to want to go on medium or even medium low. It’s just hotter. Same for electric and if you have induction, it’ll be just right. Okay, starting to look like what sand in the bottom is very melty. So keep on stirring. This is great to do on a cold day by the way when you’re like making caramel. My hands are so warm. Look at that. It’s almost all melted. Don’t touch it. It’s hotter than fire.

    Melting sugar and brushing down sides of pan to prevent crystallization

  4. My sugar is melted. It’s coming to a boil and right now, I’m going to let it run for about one minute without mixing it. Maybe just a swirl here there as well as a little bit of water just to wipe the sides and brush it down. Okay. Let that darken and now we’re going to take it off heat immediately as soon as the color comes in.

  5. It’s time to add five tablespoons of room temperature butter right in and stir, stir, stir until the butter is totally melted. Oh, beautiful. There will be some water sputtering here or there. If you want less water sputtering, use a European style butter, which has more fat and less water. Also, if things separate at this point, don’t worry. You can stir, stir, stir, and the cream will bring things together. Sometimes you see like a layer of butter on top and a layer of caramel on the bottom. That’s okay. There we go. My butter just melted.

  6. Now I’m adding one cup of heavy cream and it’s either room temperature or warm. If it’s ice cold, things might explode. Okay. And I’m using a wooden spoon but really best practice as a whisk. All right. Everything’s combined.

  7. I’m going to return this to medium heat and continuing to boil for about one minute or until it reaches 220 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the softball stage. Just take a spoonful, drop it into your cold water. And you can see it forms these little like soft balls of sugar. They don’t dissolve away and in my fingers, it is like a perfect caramel sauce. Ah, how nice. This is my favorite thermometer. It’s called a javelin. It tells you instantly and very accurately how hot things are. We’re at 215 to 215, 20. Good. Heat off. That easy.

  8. Now we’re going to add in half a teaspoon of salt. Add in at least half a teaspoon of salt for contrast. Plain caramel without any salt. It’s not good. You need the salt. And stir that in. This isn’t going to give you that wonderful contrast. That really helps you taste the caramel so it’s not just a dull sweet flavor.

  9. Allow your caramel to cool in the pot for a few minutes. Do not put your fingers anywhere near this. And then we’re going to transfer to a heat proof bowl and let it cool to room temperature before using.

    This is so good for dipping apples in, for pouring over easy three ingredient no machine ice cream sundaes, for eating by the spoonful, decorating cakes with filling cupcakes with the work. You can use it for so many things. I love the depth of flavor that you can get from just plain old sugar. We’re going to use some salt in here so we have a nice salted caramel vibe, perfect for drizzling over treats like easy chewy salted caramel cookies with gooey centers. But the sugar will be caramelizing and you can control how much that happens. Some people love a really dark, almost bitter caramel, like I personally love bitter things. So if I was making caramel just for myself, it would be really on the dark side. That’s not your vibe. Go for a light, very blonde caramel. All of these will have wonderful complex notes of sugar. But you’ll be surprised by how much the flavor can change based on how you cook it.

    You can make your caramel well in advance. Keep it in an airtight container and it’ll be good in the refrigerator for up to a month. This batch is destined for my caramel cake, but first a spoonful to taste. It’s a symphony of complex flavor notes just from a little bit of sugar and a dash of salt. I hope you had a chance to make this recipe and if you like this video, check out my EasyTreats playlist.

    Finished caramel sauce poured and ready to use


Easy Homemade Caramel Sauce with 5 Simple Ingredients

Learn to make a rich, buttery, and incredibly easy homemade caramel sauce. This recipe, claiming to use five simple ingredients, details how to create a perfectly smooth, non-crystallized caramel, ideal for dipping, topping desserts, filling cakes, or simply enjoying by the spoonful. Follow the crucial tips to achieve the perfect texture and color every time.

  • 1 ½ cups (300 grams) sugar
  • 1 cup heavy cream, warmed
  • 5 tablespoons room temperature butter
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  1. Measure out 1 ½ cups (300 grams) of sugar. Add the sugar to a medium, heavy-bodied saucepan. It’s crucial to use a thick, heavy pan that conducts heat evenly, and avoid non-stick pans which can cause caramel to crystallize.
  2. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir constantly for 3 to 5 minutes until the sugar is completely melted and begins to boil. Trust the process and keep stirring; it will melt.
  3. While the sugar is melting, measure out 1 cup of heavy cream. Warm the cream to room temperature or slightly warm. Using ice-cold cream can cause the mixture to bubble over dangerously when added to the hot sugar.
  4. As the sugar melts, if you notice any sugar crystals accumulating on the sides of the pan, use a wet pastry brush to gently brush them down into the melting sugar. This prevents burning and crystallization. Continue cooking and stirring until the sugar is mostly melted and has reached a pale blonde to light brown color. Adjust the heat to medium or medium-low if using a propane burner or if the sugar is darkening too quickly.
  5. Once the sugar is fully melted and boiling, allow it to cook for about 1 minute without mixing, only swirling occasionally, to let it darken to your desired caramel color. Immediately remove the pan from the heat once the color is achieved, as it will continue to cook off the heat.
  6. Immediately add 5 tablespoons of room temperature butter to the hot sugar mixture. Stir vigorously until the butter is completely melted and fully incorporated. If the mixture appears to separate (e.g., butter rising to the top), continue stirring; the addition of cream will help bring it together.
  7. Gradually add the 1 cup of warm heavy cream to the mixture while continuously stirring. Using a whisk is recommended at this stage to ensure everything combines smoothly.
  8. Return the saucepan to medium heat. Continue to boil the caramel for about 1 minute, or until it reaches 220°F (softball stage). Using a candy thermometer is highly recommended for accuracy. Remove the pan from the heat once the target temperature is reached.
  9. Stir in ½ teaspoon of salt. The salt is essential for providing contrast and enhancing the depth of the caramel’s flavor, preventing it from tasting dull or overly sweet.
  10. Allow the caramel to cool in the pot for a few minutes before carefully transferring it to a heatproof bowl. Let it cool completely to room temperature before using. The caramel will thicken considerably as it cools.

a:8:{i:0;s:157:”The type of saucepan is critical: use a thick, heavy-bottomed pan for even heat distribution and to prevent crystallization or burning. Avoid non-stick pans.”;i:1;s:121:”Always warm the heavy cream before adding it to the hot sugar to prevent rapid bubbling and ensure smooth emulsification.”;i:2;s:156:”Use a wet pastry brush to keep the sides of the pan clear of sugar crystals, preventing them from falling back into the caramel and causing crystallization.”;i:3;s:254:”Control the caramel’s flavor by varying its color: a light blonde caramel is mild, while a darker caramel offers a more intense, slightly bitter complexity. Remove from heat immediately when the desired color is reached, as it continues to cook off heat.”;i:4;s:148:”If the butter and sugar separate (oil slick on top), continue stirring vigorously, especially after adding the warm cream, to re-emulsify the sauce.”;i:5;s:117:”A candy thermometer is highly recommended to reach the perfect softball stage (220°F) for ideal caramel consistency.”;i:6;s:122:”The salt is a non-negotiable ingredient that elevates the caramel’s flavor profile, preventing it from being overly sweet.”;i:7;s:111:”Store cooled caramel in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one month. Reheat gently if needed.”;}



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