Browned Butter Salted Caramel Sauce

Browned Butter Salted Caramel Sauce has a rich flavor, unlike any caramel sauce you have tried before. Great when drizzled on ice cream, apples, and pie.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword browned butter, caramel, salted

Prep Time 8

Cook Time 12

Total Time 20

Servings

Calories 182kcal

Ingredients

6 tablespoons butter
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon coarse salt
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Prep

Grab a high-sided, heavy-bottomed saucepan for this recipe. A stainless steel or other light-colored pan works best because it's much easier to see the butter and caramel change color as they cook.

Brown the Butter

Add the butter to your saucepan and heat it over medium-low heat.
As it melts, it will foam up, that's completely normal. Keep whisking or gently swirling the pan every so often to help it cook evenly.
After a few minutes, you'll notice little brown specks forming on the bottom of the pan. These are the milk solids. Once they're a beautiful golden brown (not dark brown or black) and the butter smells rich and nutty, remove the pan from the heat right away.
Pour the browned butter into a small bowl to cool, then wash and thoroughly dry the saucepan before moving on.

Melt the Sugar

Add the sugar to the clean saucepan and cook it over medium-low heat, stirring often with a rubber spatula.
At first, the sugar will begin melting into a pale, syrupy liquid and may look a little clumpy. Don't worry, that's exactly what you want! Keep stirring and gently breaking up any larger clumps as they form. Gradually, the sugar will melt into a smooth, amber-colored liquid.
Before moving on, make sure every last sugar clump has completely melted.

Make the Caramel Sauce

Slowly pour the cooled browned butter into the melted sugar, whisking constantly as you pour.
Turn off the heat and remove the pan from the burner. Gradually add the heavy cream while whisking continuously.
The mixture will bubble and foam up quite a bit, but don't panic! Just keep whisking, and it will settle into a smooth, glossy caramel sauce.
Return the pan to low heat and let the caramel gently simmer for 1–3 minutes, whisking occasionally.
Keep in mind that the caramel will continue to thicken as it cools, so if it seems a little thin now, give it a little time.
Once it's cooled slightly, stir in salt and vanilla.

Serve

Enjoy your caramel right away, or let it cool completely and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2–4 weeks.

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