There are so many uses for a good bourbon salted caramel sauce. You can drizzle it onto some ice cream, finish off your apple pie, add it as a sticky layer in your chocolate cakes for added decadence, and use it as a piece de resistance on your bread pudding. Can I get an amen?
Life is short. Eat dessert first, right?! I like to make bourbon salted caramel sauce to cook my apples in. That becomes a delicious base for apple pie and fruit crisp filling.
One of my favorite Food Network stars is Sandra Lee. She hosted a show called “Semi-Home Made.” I loved how she was a realistic cook in knowing that very few people have time and energy to cook everything from scratch. Sometimes you need help from the store, but there are ways to play things up and to put your own spin on prepared foods. I made this bourbon salted caramel sauce to go with brownies that were made from a Ghirardelli brownie mix. Sorry not sorry.
Without further ado, I hope you enjoy this recipe. Caramel is actually really easy to make at home if you have the know-how and a little bit of patience.
Cooking Equipment Needed for Bourbon Caramel Sauce
If possible, use a sauce pan that is lighter in color when you’re making caramel sauce or caramel. Dark pans make it more difficult to tell if the sugar has gotten to the perfect level of caramelization, which is crucial for making a successful caramel.
Do not use plastic cooking ware (e.g., plastic ladle) to stir the caramel. It will melt and ruin your caramel and cooking ware. Instead, use silicone or wooden spoons for the job.
Safety First
Caramel requires that you heat sugar until it melts and then browns. Be VERY careful when melting any sugar because you need to heat sugar to very high temperatures to melt it. NEVER dip your finger in to have a taste when you’re making this sauce or any candy because you will burn yourself.
Secrets to the Perfect Caramel: Don’t Look Away!
Caramelized sugar goes from perfectly golden brown to very dark/burnt in seconds. Watch your melted sugar very carefully and do not let it leave your sight once it starts turning brown! Fun fact: this is the same process that you will have to undergo to make the caramel sauce for flan. 🙂
How much salt do I put in salted caramel?
Just a pinch. Maybe two. Don’t overdo the salt. Always taste for flavor. Of course, wait until the caramel sauce cools a LOT before putting it in your mouth. Please, no burnt tongues please!
Price Comparison
A jar of Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce from Trader Joe’s will rack you up approximately $11 and has about 10-15 servings in it. In making this caramel sauce, the sugar costs about $.20, the heavy cream is $1, the butter is $.20 worth, and the Bourbon is about $.20 worth. I made this for about $1.60 and it was about 4 servings worth.
Store-Bought ($.73) vs. Home-made ($.40).
Even though price difference looks relatively small, the difference in flavor is definitely worth it to me! But let’s be honest. Life is really busy. Since the savings are not as stark in this one and the jarred sauce is perfectly tasty, feel free to buy your own caramel sauce if you don’t have the time. It’s important to budget your time for home-made food where it really matters in terms of flavor and your wallet.
Bourbon Salted Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp or splash of Bourbon
- 1 tbsp butter
- pinch of salt to taste
Instructions
- Place the sugar in a saucepan and allow to heat on medium high heat. Allow the sugar to begin melting. If necessary, use a spoon to mix the remaining sugar crystals with the melted sugar for even melting.
- Once sugar is all melted, turn fire to medium or medium-low heat and allow the sugar to slowly brown, approximately 3-7 minutes depending on your pan and stove settings. Watch very carefully.
- Once sugar is light brown in color (the color of light brown sugar), immediately add in heavy cream. Slowly stir until the chunks of caramelized sugar have fully dissolved into the cream. Then add splash of Bourbon.
- Continue stirring and cooking on medium heat until sauce just coats the back of a spoon or until it reaches its desired thickness. At the end of cooking, add in butter and salt to taste.
- Allow to cool and then taste for seasoning. Add additional salt to taste. If it needs thickening, add additional brown sugar.
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