Silky smooth homemade Salted Caramel Sauce that uses only 4 ingredients and is ready in 10 minutes!

So rich. So smooth. So creamy.

This is my go to recipe for Salted Caramel Sauce with all the tips and tricks to get it right every single time!

No thermometers, no fancy equipment needed. Just four basic ingredients and a whole lotta patience.

Lets go!

HOW TO MAKE SALTED CARAMEL SAUCE

To make the salted caramel, add granulated sugar to a heavy bottom saucepan over medium heat. Use a wooden spoon to stir to prevent the sugar from burning. The sugar will slowly start to melt and brown.

Once the sugar has completely melted, it will start to change color quite rapidly. As soon as its turns golden amber, carefully add butter to the sauce pan. Once the butter has melted, slowly pour in the cream. There may be some splashing due to the difference in temperature. Let the caramel simmer for a minute. Remove the caramel from heat and add the salt. This part is always a bit subjective. If you prefer regular sweet caramel to the salted variety add in about ¼ of a teaspoon to start, while for salted, I start with ½ a teaspoon and then adjust from there until I get the flavor I like. You can always add more salt but you cannot take away if you add too much!

Leave the caramel to cool down to room temperature. The caramel will continue to thicken. Pour cooled caramel into a jar and store in the fridge. The salted caramel will thicken as it cools, so just zap it in the microwave before using if you want it a little more ‘drizzle’ consistency.

The trick with making caramel sauce is in cooking the sugar just right.

The darker the sugar gets, the more intense caramel flavor your sauce will have. Too light and your sauce will be pale in color and taste like straight sugar. Too dark and your sauce will have a bitter taste that will ruin everything.

So as soon as the sugar reaches that picture perfect caramel shade, add the butter, immediately followed by the cream.

Below are some more tips to make the perfect salted caramel sauce every single time.

TIPS FOR THE PERFECT SALTED CARAMEL SAUCE:

• Use a heavy bottom and tall pan. Stainless steel works better than a nonstick pan because you’ll need to see the color of the mixture.

• I do not recommend making any substitutions to this recipe. For example, do not substitute granulated sugar with icing sugar nor brown sugar. It just won’t work.

• Take care not to add the cream to the sugar prematurely. If you do, the result will be more like sweetened condensed milk.

• Make sure all your ingredients are ready to go when you start making the sauce.

• Always keep an eye on it because the caramel knows when you’re not looking and will burn as revenge.

USES FOR SALTED CARAMEL SAUCE

Once you have a batch of salted caramel on hand, you will want to drizzle it over everything! Over brownies and apple pie bars, over waffles and pancakes.

You can use it as a filling in cakes and cupcakes, or make salted caramel frosting. You can add a dollop to your coffee or you can eat it by the spoonful…

The options are endless!

Salted Caramel Sauce Yields: 1 cup Ingredients: ·         1 cup (200g) granulated sugar ·         6 Tbsp (90g) salted butter, room temperature cut up into small pieces ·         1/2 cup (120ml) cream ·         1/2 to 1 tsp salt Directions: Heat sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Sugar will start to clump together and after about 5 minutes it will melt completely into a thick amber liquid. Be careful not to let the sugar burn. Once you get the right color, immediately add in the pats of butter. Mixture will bubble up. Stir the butter into the caramel until it is completely melted. Slowly pour in the cream while stirring. There will be more bubbling and splattering in this step so again, be careful. Allow the mixture to boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the salt. Let the sauce cool in the saucepan before transferring to a jar to store in the fridge. Caramel solidifies in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove to desired consistency. Notes: Covered tightly, this sauce lasts in the fridge for up to 1 month, and up to 3 months in the freezer. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature, and then warm up before using. Adjust salt according to taste. Recipe adapted from allrecipes