I have mentioned before that I went to grad school in Louisville, Kentucky, and if you know anything about Kentucky, you know about the bourbon trail! This is bourbon country! And while I may not drink it neat, it sure tastes amazing in this bourbon caramel sauce!
Homemade Caramel
Now I am by no means a candy maker! The thought of boiling sugar or tempering chocolates is scary to me. All I can imagine are 3rd degree burns and ruined pots. Luckily, making caramel sauce at home isn’t that difficult, surprisingly enough. Just four simple ingredients and you have the perfect topping for ice cream and dip for apples.
- Sugar
- Butter
- Heavy Cream
- Bourbon (optional, but why wouldn’t you?)
Caramelizing the Sugar
I’ve made homemade caramel a few different ways before. Some recipes call for the sugar to dissolve in water, some use brown sugar. I found that to get the richest, deepest caramel flavor, the key is to cook the sugar in a dry pan. It seems odd to put nothing but sugar in a pan, but allowing the sugar cook all on its own for about 15 minutes until it reaches a beautiful amber color creates a deep, almost nutty, earthy flavor.
It can be a little scary how quickly the sugar goes from clear liquid to dark and bubbly, but brown food is good!! Once the sugar has dissolved in the pan and reached the right color/ temperature (invest in a candy thermometer, it will save a lot of caramel sauce from a burnt disaster!), it’s important to remove it from the heat.
Sugar can burn quickly, so you want to slow down the cooking process. It will also bubble up when you add the remaining ingredients, so in the event it boils over, you don’t want to clean that up off of a hot burner.
Stir in butter and heavy cream, don’t forget the bourbon, to create a silky, lucious texture! And it’s as simple as that.
What goes well with Bourbon Caramel Sauce?
What doesn’t is probably a better question! This delicious sauce can be drizzled over just about any snack.
- Ice cream
- Pretzels
- Brownies
- Peach Cobbler Cheesecake
- Apple Slices
- Caramel Machiatto
Whatever you dip, drizzle, or swirl this bourbon caramel sauce on, it will surely beat the storebought stuff!
Bourbon Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 9 tbsp unsalted butter
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp bourbon
Instructions
- Add sugar to a heavy bottomed sauce pot over medium heat. Whisk frequently. The sugar will begin to clump up as it warms and dissolves.
- Once all the sugar has melted (this takes about 15 minutes) stop whisking and let the sugar continue to cook. The sugar will begin to turn a light amber color. Swirl the pot around a few times throughout this time so the sugar cooks evenly
- Once the sugar reaches a medium amber color (not too dark or it will taste burnt, about 320-330° if using a thermometer), remove it from the heat and add in all of the butter while whisking. Be careful as the butter will cause the sugar to bubble up a lot.
- Once the butter is fully combined, add the heavy cream and bourbon. The caramel will bubble up again so continue to which vigorously.
- Allow the caramel to cool in the sauce pan for at least 20 minutes before transfering it to a mason jar. The sauce will thicken as it cools.
