You’ll find multiple ways to eat this luxurious homemade Salted Caramel Sauce yourself, but it’s even sweeter to give it away as a gift. I made this sauce as part of my Hot Chocolate Charcuterie Board, so that you can add it to your hot cocoa, tea, or coffee, or use it for dunking. See how I make this Salted Caramel Sauce step-by-step in our VIDEO.
It just reminds me of holiday cafe drinks. I can imagine a warm latte, topped with whipped cream, and a drizzle of this smooth amber elixir. And speaking of the holidays, this sauce makes the perfect little gift in a jar!
I poured my salted caramel sauce into 4 oz jars and used them as the centerpiece of some portable Dessert Boards I made for Lincoln’s school teachers and Joe’s coworkers this year.
Make sure you get all my tips on how to make these Hot Chocolate Charcuterie Boards and gifts HERE.
We even created these FREE Salted Caramel Sauce printable labels that fit perfectly on top of these 4 oz jelly jars. We printed them on full-sheet sticky labels and cut them out, but you can just print them on regular paper or card stock and tape them on as well. *These labels were designed by Joe, so you are totally free to use them, but if you’re a blogger and use them, do us a solid and please direct people back to this site, as opposed to adding them to your own post. Thanks guys!
Even though this easy sauce is made with just 4 simple ingredients, getting the technique right matters. Here are my trouble shooting tips so you can be a sauce boss!
TIPS FOR ULTIMATE SALTED CARAMEL SAUCE SUCCESS:
1. Use a heavy-bottomed pot:
For this amount of ingredients, you should use something like this 4 quart heavy-bottomed saucepan. I mention the importance of having quality essential pots and pans HERE. Do not use a thin, small pot, because there will be a chance of the sugars burning, or not melting correctly, and bubbling over once you add the butter. I made the mistake 3 times of using the wrong pot and couldn’t figure out why my caramel was seizing and scorching. On my 4th try, I finally figured out I was using the wrong pot and switched to one that truly was heavy-bottomed, like my Le Creuset Dutch Oven. Watch my VIDEO!
2. Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature:
When your butter and cream are cold, they will not incorporate into your sauce as smoothly, and you will have more chances of it sputtering out of the pot. I cheated in one batch and the butter was slightly less than room temp. My sauce turned a little greasy and almost broke. I really had to whisk it to get it back together.
3. Have a bowl of ice-water nearby just in case:
I don’t mean to scare you, but if you accidentally burn yourself by getting melted sugar on your hand (this happened to me because I was a little careless), it’s helpful to have a bowl of ice water right next to you so you can dunk your hand in there right away. Trust me, you do not want scalding sugar on your hand without being prepared. You can choose to wear an oven mitt, but it’s a little hard to handle the whisk with it. If you have a heat-proof oven glove, that would be better. It also helps to have a long-handled whisk.
Now that we have that covered, the steps are fairly easy. We’re using the “dry method,” where nothing is added to the sugar. The sugar itself turns into crumbles and then eventually melts into a smooth caramel. You just have to make sure you keep on whisking! Once all the clumps are gone and you’re left with a smooth amber sauce, you add the butter all at once (do it carefully so you don’t splash it). You will see some foaming, but just continue to stir and it will settle down.
Once the butter is melted, take the pot completely off the heat and slowly whisk in the cream and add the salt. You’re done! The sauce will be runny, but as it sits, it will thicken. And once you put it in the fridge it will definitely solidify. You can microwave it for a few seconds to make it runny again.
You can even make these jars of Salted Caramel Sauce in advance. The caramel should be good for at least 2-3 weeks, but I don’t know if it will last you that long!
The sauce is made with flaky Maldon sea salt so I like to garnish a little on top at the end for garnish. If you want to grab some of the same 4 oz jelly jars I used, they really do make the perfect little gift size. By the way, even though this post is not sponsored, I did use affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission if you do end up purchasing any of these products mentioned at no extra cost to you. I’d be happy to answer any questions for you about these products.
WATCH HOW I MAKE SALTED CARAMEL SAUCE IN OUR VIDEO:
Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
- 1 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons Maldon Salt or any other flaky sea salt (add more if desired)
Instructions
- Add the sugar in an even layer over the bottom of a medium to large 4-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat the sugar over medium heat, whisking it carefully as it begins to melt. The sugar will begin to form clumps as it melts. Keep whisking as it continues to cook, until it is completely melted (no clumps) and has turned an amber color, and developed a toasted aroma. This is where caramel can go from good to burnt in a matter of seconds, so watch it carefully and use your instinct.
- As soon as the caramel reaches the right color and consistency, carefully add the butter all at once. The caramel will bubble up and foam when the butter is added, but will calm down once you start whisking. Whisk the butter into the caramel until it is melted. Remove the pan completely from the heat.
- Slowly pour the cream into the caramel, while whisking. The mixture will once again bubble and foam. Whisk until all of the cream has been incorporated and you have a smooth runny sauce. Add the Maldon Salt and whisk to incorporate. You can always add more salt later if desired, at the end.
- Set the sauce aside to cool in the pot for a few minutes and then transfer into a measuring cup so that you can transfer to your preferred glass jar(s) for storage. Let cool to room temperature. It will thicken as it cools to room temperature, and thicken even more once it's stored in the fridge. The sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 weeks.
