Making caramel or other sweets at home can be very intimidating to begin with; the temperatures are really high and within a few minutes everything in your kitchen can seem sticky! However, this recipe is super easy, no mess and you don’t even need a candy thermometer. Salted caramel was originally created by the chocolatier Henri Le Roux just over 3 decades ago. This beautiful candy is so addictive, because the complex flavour means we never experience the hedonic adaptation that makes us feel full. Instead, we feel an escalation making us crave more and more and more. This recipe is ideal for adding that salted caramel perfection to any dish, for example my salted caramel brownies.
Top Tip: Get all your ingredients weighed out first and line up any equipment you plan on using. This will make it super simple when you are actually cooking, meaning you can relax and enjoy the process!
Makes: 350ml of caramel sauce
Cook time: 10 mins
Prep time: 5 mins
Ingredients
200g of white sugar
90g butter
120ml double cream
1-2 tsp of salt (personal preference)
Method
- Weigh out all your ingredients and get a large heavy bottomed pan, heat resistant/metal whisk and heat resistant spoon (I like using a silicone spatula as it gets right to the bottom of your pan).
- Add the sugar to the pan and stir continuously on a medium heat. It will begin to melt and clump together, but don’t worry just keep stirring and it will turn into a beautiful amber coloured liquid.
- As soon as the mixture is all melted, add the butter. This will fizz and bubble up the pan, but just keep stirring. If the butter separates, thoroughly whisk to combine.
- Cook for 30 seconds to a minute without stirring.
- Add the double cream (it will bubble up the pan again but don’t worry). Stir in then leave to cook for 30 seconds to a minute without stirring.
- Add the salt and transfer to a heatproof container, leaving to cool.
- Store in the fridge for up to a month. Caramel will harden when refrigerated but you can place it in the microwave to soften before use.
#Accessiability (image description; Set on a black background we can see a glass filled with golden brown salted caramel, above the glass there is a spoon and ribbons of salted caramel are falling back into the glass reflecting the light.)