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This has been a favorite Café recipe for years, and though I shared it in the early days of the blog (with these Cider Poached Apples w/ Cinnamon Pastry Stems), it's difficult, if not impossible to find in the deep, dark recesses of The Café archives.
I felt like the delicious, unadulterated sauce needed a page of it's own, so here it is! Once you make it, I think you'll agree; it's so much better than anything you can purchase.
And guess what? I'm quite certain you already have all the ingredients needed to prepare it. If you have 10 minutes to spare, (less time than it takes to run to the market) you can have your own jar, cruet, bottle of this fabulous Ridiculously Easy Caramel Sauce. And you'll NEVER use that grocery store stuff again.
P.S. Did you notice the yummy dessert in the photos? You'll want to make a batch of Ridiculously Easy Caramel Sauce over the weekend. That way you'll be all set for the World's Easiest Apple Crumble, Monday's post. You don't want to miss this one!
- 1 stick butter 4 ounces
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar you can use light brown sugar too, but the sauce will be a bit lighter in color
- ½ cup whipping or heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla or vanilla bean paste
- a pinch of sea salt
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Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add brown sugar and whisk vigorously to combine.
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Add cream. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add vanilla and a pinch of sea salt. Stir until combined. Serve warm or allow to cool. Stir vigorously, then store in refrigerator. Mixture will thicken as it cools. After refrigeration, warm slightly in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Christopher says
Chris,
I made this with some reduced peach juice from frozen summer Colorado peaches. I reduced the juice with 1/3 of the brown sugar. I then used less heavy cream. What you get is this terrific caramel sauce with a burst of summer peaches. Oh wow. My wife and visiting children loved it. We used it on a peach cake and on Sunday pancakes. This is a brilliant recipe. Thank you for your wonderful blog and recipes. Many blessings!
Christopher Woodruff, Greeley Colorado
Chris Scheuer says
That sounds delicious, Christopher! Thanks for the kind comment 🙂
Carole Ann O'Connell says
The sauce is smooth, delicious, and easy to prepare.
Thanks for a perfect recipe.
Chris Scheuer says
Thank you, Carole Ann!
Helena says
Will it work with Splenda brown sugar? Looking for an alternative for diabetics.
Chris Scheuer says
I have not tried this with Splenda, Helena so I cannot say for sure.
Mary Patten says
May I please have the pdf labels for this Caramel sauce. I absolutely love this sauce. So much.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Mary, we do not have labels for this one. It was published before I started making the labels.
Carol Manning says
Great taste, smooth and super easy.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Carol!
Dianne G. says
I absolutely love all your recipes. Will you please provide me with the label for Ridiculously Easy Butterscotch Sauce?
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Dianne! We will send the labels your way.
Sarah says
I added some rosemary to the pan as the butter was melting to infuse it with just a bit of rosemary flavor. It was fantastic!
Chris Scheuer says
That's an awesome idea, Sarah! Thanks for sharing your results!
Cheryl says
It is absolutely delicious!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Cheryl! I'm so happy you enjoyed it!
Cindy says
Ridiculously Easy Caramel Sauce
WHY-
Prep Time: 3 hrs 2 mins??????
Cook Time: 3 hrs 2 mins?????
Bob Carter says
Can this be used to make caramel corn or will it stay runny?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Bob, no this will not work for caramel corn but this is a wonderful, easy caramel corn recipe: https://thecafesucrefarine.com/salted-toffee-microwave-caramel-corn-in/
Please excuse the awful photos. It was right after we started the blog and had no idea of how to take pictures of food 🙂
Dee says
Amazing. Never been able to get cruel m Caramel right before thank you!
Deidre Halvorson says
Can you freeze homemade caramel sauce? I would like to make and freeze it ahead for Christmas gifts
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Deidre, I haven't tried freezing the sauce but it keeps well in the refrigerator for at least 10 days to 2 weeks.
Dee says
Your delicious and easy recipe is for butterscotch sauce. Caramel sauce is made with white granulated sugar melted to amber colored syrup. Thought the cooks here should understand the difference between the two.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Dee, you're totally correct although it will pass for caramel sauce for most people. I actually have a wonderful recipe for the real deal - and it's almost as easy as this one! https://thecafesucrefarine.com/microwave-caramel-sauce-real-deal/
LOUISE NICHOLAS says
Salted or unsalted butter?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Louise, I use salted butter.
Anita says
This was TO DIE for!!!!! I would love to make a large batch to give out as favors at my sisters baby shower. Could I triple this recipe? Quadruple?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Anita, thanks so much. Yes, you could definitely triple this recipe (or more). Enjoy!
Ann says
Does this harden when heated up and poured over ice cream? I'm trying to find a recipe that won't harden up.
Kari says
I LOVE this recipe! My friend discovered it few years ago and it's been my go-to caramel recipe ever since!
Question - have you ever tried to bake desserts with this recipe? I tried it once and the caramel kind of...evaporated into the rest of the mixture (I was making an apple crumble that required you drizzle caramel sauce with the apples before popping it into the oven).
Do you think the recipe can be modified (less cream?) to help it keep its consistency in the oven? Or should I stick to drizzling this heavenly sauce over/on top of goodies instead?
Thank you!!!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Kari,
I love that sauce too but for baking, I would probably go with this one: cafe sucre caramel real deal
It's pretty easy too and I think you'll have better results.
Tom says
After researching a gazillion (ok...maybe a dozen) different caramel sauce recipes to go over a chocolate turtle cake, I decided on yours. I'm glad I did! Not only was it easy, the sauce turned out smooth, delicious, and was the perfect addition to the cake. I didn't have vanilla bean paste, but used an all-natural, alcohol-free, vanilla from the coop (it's more like a vanilla syrup than the regular runny stuff). Anyway, thanks for the recipe!
P.S. Let's be honest, the poor reviews about it being grainy is probably more due to operator error than a recipe issue : )
Chris Scheuer says
Tom, we're so glad it worked out for you. We've got a jar in our refrigerator right now! It's almost a staple in this house!