This Is The Easy Way To Make Caramel

Gooey, sticky, sweet, and buttery caramel sauce is one of those ingredient components in desserts that doesn’t get much attention. Caramelized sugar is an addictive flavor that has a buttery and sweet nature but it’s more than just butter and sugar.  

At its most basic, caramel only needs 3 ingredients. However, there is the scary issue of making caramel. Making caramel can be difficult and a little intimidating. You have to melt and simmer your sugar until it’s amber in color before adding the cream which causes the super-heated sugar to bubble and spittle which many of you are afraid of getting splashed on. (We don’t blame you! That’s hot!) 

If you are scared or intimidated by making your own caramel, don’t be. We have an easy way of making caramel so that you never have to fear the hot sugar will splash and bubble nor burn before you can take it off the heat. 

The key here is not to do it the traditional way. Did you know that you can make caramel with almost all of the ingredients stirred in already at the beginning of the procedure? You can! Instead of melting the sugar alone or even with a little water which will just evaporate, we simmer the sugar in the butter together. 

What’s so smart about this technique is that you do not have to worry about super hot sugar, you do not have to worry about seizing the mixture and end up with a grainy sauce, and it’s a two-step process that’s not scary at all. Plus, by using brown sugar, you don’t need the sugar to turn amber. Instead, you can melt the sugar under the protective coating of butter. That’s because the two ingredients will not mix until you add the cream. What you get is a mixture of melted sugar with a kind of clarified or even browned butter on the bottom, creating a super flavorful caramel that you might not be able to achieve otherwise.  

Ready to try out this technique? Here’s what you do:

1. 1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, simmer 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1 tablespoon honey in 1/4 cup salted butter, occasionally stirring with a silicone spatula, about 3 minutes or until the simmering bubbles become big. Remove from heat.
2. 2. Stir in 1/3 cup all-purpose cream then cool completely. Makes about 1 cup. 

Once you have your cooled and thickened caramel, you can whisk this into your buttercream frosting to make an easy caramel frosting. 

Need other recipe ideas about how to use this caramel sauce in other recipes? Try our popular Caramel Chiffon cake, these decadent Caramel Cupcakes, or perhaps you’d like to make Churros to dip into the caramel sauce.    

ALSO READ:

***

Thinking about what to cook next? Join our Facebook group, Yummy Pinoy Cooking Club, to get more recipe ideas, share your own dishes, and find out what the rest of the community are making and eating!

Got your own version of the classic dishes? Pa-share naman! Get your recipe published on Yummy.ph by submitting your recipe here!