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Salted Caramel Sauce 3 ways

Salted Caramel Sauce 3 Ways

Adapted from Alice Medrich. As always when dealing with cooking sugar, read through the entire recipe before you begin and be sure you have everything you need out and available.
Course Dessert
Servings 1 quart jar, approximately
Author TheSpicedLife

Ingredients

  • 1 cup golden syrup, such as Lyle's Golden Syrup
  • 2 cups sugar
  • ½ t fine sea salt
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 3 T unsalted room temperature butter
  • 1 T vanilla extract
  • 1/4 - 1/2 t coarse sea salt

Possible additions:

  • 1 t ground vanilla beans
  • 1/2-1 t ground ancho chile pepper
  • 1/2-1 t ground cayenne chile pepper
  • 2 T decent quality bourbon (nothing that breaks the bank but nothing cheap tasting or overly sweet either)

Instructions

  1. Have ready a heat-proof storage container. I like canning jars for caramel sauce.
  2. Combine the golden syrup, sugar, and fine salt in a large (3-4 quart), heavy saucepan (stainless steel or copper, for example).
  3. Place the pan on medium heat, stirring with a wooden or silicone spoon. Also keep a pastry or silicone brush in a bowl of water next to the stovetop--brush down the sides of the pan to wash the sugar and syrup from the sides. When the edges of the sugar mixture start to bubble, cover the pan and leave for 3 minutes.
  4. After the 3 minutes, uncover the pan and wash down the sides of the pan once more.
  5. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan--do not let it touch the bottom--and let the candy mixture boil. Do not stir or disturb it. Keep an eye on the thermometer--as you do this more often, you will get a sense for which parts go fast and which go slow. For example, I know from marshmallows that 220 to 245 can take a while. But 260 to 300 seem to go by pretty fast, so definitely do not wander away. You are looking for 305 F--I think mine hit 310, so you should be ok if it goes a little over.
  6. When the mixture reaches 305 F turn off the heat and stir in the butter chunks. Slowly pour in and stir the cream. It will bubble and steam dramatically, so be careful. Adjust the heat--it will vary by burner--so that it boils, but is not boiling out of control. Stir until any syrup at the bottom of the pan is dissolved into the mixture.
  7. Continue to boil, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches 225-228 F (228 will make a thicker sauce).
  8. Remove it from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. If you are making a Salted Bourbon Caramel Sauce, now is the time to stir in the bourbon.
  9. When the extract (and bourbon if using) has been mixed in, let the caramel cool down for about 1 minute.
  10. Now is the time to mix in either the ground vanilla beans or the (lesser amount of) ground chile peppers.
  11. Let it cool for another 2-3 minutes. If you made the bourbon or ground vanilla bean versions, mix in the salt to taste and then pour into the heatproof container.
  12. If you made the chile pepper version, dip a spoon into the caramel. Let it cool for a moment and then taste--if you want it spicier, mix in more of the spices now. Then pour it into a heatproof container.
  13. Let the caramel cool completely before placing a lid on it and storing it in the refrigerator.