Salted Caramel Sauce

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Caramel sauce might be one of Hubby’s favorite things ever. He will always choose a caramel treat over a a chocolatey treat. I’ve just recently gotten more comfortable making my own caramel sauce. It actually is so much easier than I thought it was. Having a candy thermometer is a must for making caramel at home. But that’s really all you need. If you haven’t made your own caramel sauce, do it. Trust me, it’s worth the minimal effort required.

I ended up making a triple batch of this salted caramel during the holidays. I ordered some cute jars online and gave them away as gifts to some family members. Hubby also enjoyed a bunch of this caramel sauce heated up over vanilla ice cream.

One Year Ago: Crunchy Nut Encrusted Chicken Tenders
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Salted Caramel Sauce

Salted caramel sauce is easier to make than you could ever imagine. And it makes a great gift!

Yield: 2 cups

Ingredients:

1 cup water
2 cups sugar
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp cold unsalted butter
1 tsp fleur de sel

Directions:

Add water to a 2-qt saucepan. Gently add the sugar to the center of the pot - it will mound, that's fine. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat.

Once boiling, uncover the pot and insert a candy thermometer. Continue cooking until the mixture registers 300 F and is just starting to develop some color, about 15 minutes.

Reduce heat under the pot to medium and cook until the syrup is amber and registers 350 F on the thermometer, about another 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour the cream into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. If it simmers before the syrup is ready, just take it off the heat and set aside.

Remove the caramel from the heat and add about 1/4 of the warm cream to the pot. It will bubble furiously so be careful. Once the bubbling subsides, add the remaining cream. When it stops bubbling, whisk gently to incorporate fully. Add the butter and the salt and whisk to combine.

Refrigerate up to 1 month.

Recipe from Cook's Illustrated, as seen on Erin's Food Files

Better than Store Bought, Condiments, Dessert, Gift Ideas, Other

4 comments »

19 Responses to “Pecan Pie Cookies”

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1

Carrie — October 19, 2009 at 12:25 pm

Wow those look awesome, I am going to have to add these to my cookie idea list which seems to be never ending
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2

Crystal — October 19, 2009 at 2:38 pm

These look delicious! I will have to try them. I have a recipe for pecan pie cake. It’s quick, easy and tastes just like pecan pie.
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3

Joe — October 19, 2009 at 5:36 pm

There is nothing better than a perfect pecan pie. These look great and really easy.
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4

stephchows — October 19, 2009 at 7:59 pm

perfect for a pecan pie addict!
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5

gaga — October 19, 2009 at 8:55 pm

These are such a great idea! One of my favorite pies is pecan, but I can never finish a whole slice because it gets too disgustingly sweet. These are perfect bite-size versions, I love it!
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6

Stephanie Wagner — October 19, 2009 at 9:38 pm

So thoughtful! My dad loves pecan pie, I’ll have to make these for his birthday this winter.
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Kat — October 20, 2009 at 12:18 am

What a great way to have pecan pie in moderation :). Sometimes I find pecan pie too sweet so the cookie base is a nice change.
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Jigginjessica — October 20, 2009 at 12:31 pm

These look and sound really great! I think these would be a perfect dessert addition to my families Thanksgiving!
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nutmegnanny — October 21, 2009 at 4:05 am

These looks great!
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Mansi — October 21, 2009 at 7:15 pm

I make these too, aren’t they simply delicious! loved your pic!:)

btw, they’d be perfect for my sweet celebration contest I’d be glad if you could send them in for my blog event!

I’off to check out your giveaway:)
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11

thereddeer — October 24, 2009 at 12:56 am

Yum! My hubby loves pecans so I might have to give these a try one day 🙂
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Amethyst — October 25, 2009 at 4:04 pm

These are perfect to add to my cookie bags for holiday gifts! Thank you for sharing!
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13

Tami — November 4, 2009 at 4:17 am

I love pecan pie so I can’t wait to try these little gems. 🙂
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How To Eat A Cupcake — November 4, 2009 at 3:04 pm

I totally saw the write up about Baking Gals in Taste of Home! I was so excited! 😉
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15

Tami — November 12, 2009 at 3:54 am

I made these this week for the Clean Plate Club Cookie Carnival. They’ve become a family favorite! Oh my are they good!!
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Tari McDonald — November 27, 2009 at 8:57 pm

Jen, you left a comment on my blog asking if I chilled my dough when I made these cookies (responded on my blog, but I’ll do it here, too!). I didn’t chill the dough, altough I think I will last time. Some of my cookies spread too much just making it following the recipe. Thanks for sharing and submitting it for the cookie carnival!
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booksncooks — December 11, 2009 at 2:37 am

You saved me this weekend – after being unable to find an ingredient for another recipe, I was in a jam, as all the desserts for my holiday party this weekend had chocolate in them. I remembered I had flagged these cookies to try out – I’ll be making these tomorrow night. Thanks!
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Shannon Pivetta — November 11, 2013 at 11:28 am
Does anyone know if these freeze well?
- beantownbaker — November 11th, 2013 @ 9:09 pm
  
  These freeze really well. I’m actually making a batch tomorrow night to freeze until Thanksgiving.

Salted Caramel Sauce