Salted caramel sauce is a burst of flavor, my absolute favorite, it has only one flaw, it’s addictive. It’s great for topping desserts, ice cream, cookies, creams, or simply eating spoonfuls of it, because unlike classic caramel, it has that hint of salt that makes it appetizing and less sweet. Try it on the coffee ricotta cream.
It is prepared in 10 minutes with only 3 ingredients and then stored in a glass jar in the refrigerator. In this recipe, I have flavored the salted caramel sauce with a hint of vanilla extract, sublime, if you don’t like it you can omit it, and if you want to switch to the classic sweet caramel version, simply exclude the salt.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: One 13.5 oz jar
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 7 tbsps butter
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Steps
In a wide, high-sided saucepan, pour half of the sugar over the entire surface and place the saucepan on the heat over a very low flame.
As the sugar melts, add the remaining sugar on top a little at a time, without moving it too much.
When the sugar is completely melted and becomes a slightly amber color, at a temperature of 311-329°F, turn off the flame and remove it from the heat.
TIP: If you have a kitchen thermometer you can measure the temperature, otherwise observe the color. If you cook it too long it will become dark and acquire a bitter aftertaste.
Once the saucepan is off the flame, immediately add the cold butter in pieces and quickly mix the mixture with a wooden spoon.
Then put it back on the heat over low flame and let the butter incorporate well with the caramel.
Meanwhile, you will have heated the cream in a separate saucepan, bringing it slightly to a boil.
Remove the caramel saucepan from the heat again, add the cream in a thin stream, the salt, the vanilla extract, and gently mix the mixture.
Be careful because a reaction will occur between the two mixtures before they blend together.
Put the saucepan back on the heat and let the cream incorporate with the caramel by cooking for about 3-4 minutes over low flame, always mixing with the wooden spoon, until the sauce becomes smooth and homogeneous.
At this point, turn off the heat and pour the salted caramel sauce into a small bowl to let it cool for at least 30 minutes before transferring it to a glass jar.
Initially, it will be semi-liquid but will thicken as it cools.
Store it in the refrigerator and after just 2 hours it will be the right consistency, creamy and spreadable.
