Basic Caramel Sauce Recipe and Variations

Below is a basic caramel sauce recipe and a few variations to tempt your tastebuds.

Tip: Caramel dessert sauces and ice cream sundae toppings should be incredibly rich and silky smooth. You need to cook the sauce just long enough to bring it to a boil, but not too long or otherwise it will harden upon cooling. Using a candy thermometer, bring it to a soft ball stage, which is between 235° F–240° F. At this stage, if you took some of the syrup and dropped it into cold water, it would begin hardening and form a soft ball, thus the terminology.

Basic Caramel Sauce ½ c. white sugar ½ c. brown sugar ½ c. heavy cream ¼ c. butter In a smaller saucepan, combine all four ingredients and bring to a boil. Do not overcook. See tip above. Cook only to a softball stage and use a candy thermometer for best results. Remove from heat and add 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Cool and serve with whipped cream on your favorite dessert or ice cream sundae.

Variations to basic Caramel Sauce Recipe