Brown Sugar Caramel Sauce Recipe

drizzling brown sugar caramel from a spoon into a mason jar.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 15

Servings: tablespoons

Calories: 116kcal

Author: Becky Hardin

This easy brown sugar caramel is rich, creamy, and never gritty! Made with butter, cream, and brown sugar, it’s perfect for ice cream, pies, or pancakes--a must-have for any dessert lover!

Print Recipe

US Customary - Metric

Equipment

Kitchen Scale (optional)
Candy Thermometer

Ingredients

1 cup brown sugar
½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
¼ cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Place the brown sugar, butter, and heavy whipping cream in a medium saucepan seet over medium heat.
1 cup brown sugar, ½ cup unsalted butter, ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
Stir often until it reaches a boil.
Boil until the sauce begins to thicken, about 2 minutes. Stir in the vanilla, then remove from the heat.
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Transfer to a heat-proof container. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.

Video

Notes

Yield: This recipe makes approx. 1 cup of caramel sauce. A serving is 1 tablespoon.

Tips:

A medium saucepan (2–3 quarts) is ideal. Caramel bubbles up when boiling, and a smaller pot can overflow quickly.
For this particular caramel recipe, I stir the entire time. I know that probably goes against everything you've heard about making caramel, but trust me, it works!
Caramel sometimes becomes gritty when the sugar crystallizes, which can happen when some of the sugar gets stuck to the walls of the pan and dries out. I mostly avoid that pitfall by adding the cream and butter right away and stirring the whole time.
You can add a tiny splash of lemon juice (about ¼ teaspoon) to the caramel before it boils to help prevent crystals as well. I promise, you won't taste it!
If you do find sugar crystals forming around the rim of the pot, dip a clean pastry brush in water and gently wash them back into the sauce. This prevents recrystallization later.
Caramel often turns hard when it is cooked for too long and too much moisture evaporates. I help combat that by using brown sugar, which has more moisture than granulated white sugar. Still, take care not to overcook the caramel, as it will continue to thicken up as it cools.
The brown sugar and butter mixture will deepen in color as it cooks. Pull it off the heat once it turns a rich amber brown. Any darker and it may start to taste bitter.
If it starts to look separated or oily, lower the heat and keep stirring. This often happens if the butter and sugar mixture gets too hot too fast. It will come back together!
If you're using a thermometer, this caramel is ready when it reaches the soft-ball stage (235-240°F).
For a thinner drizzle (great over ice cream or pancakes), stir in an extra tablespoon or two of warm cream after removing from heat. For thicker caramel, simmer an extra 30-60 seconds.
Caramel sauce thickens as it cools. To reuse, warm it gently in the microwave in 10-second bursts, stirring between each, or reheat over low heat on the stove with a splash of cream.
Try drizzling this brown sugar caramel over apple pie, bread pudding, or even stirred into coffee for a homemade caramel latte flavor.

Variations to Try:

If you love salted caramel, add a few pinches of sea salt to this sauce, or use salted butter instead of unsalted.
For a coffee caramel, dissolve 1 tablespoon of instant coffee granules in 1 tablespoon of hot water, then add it to the caramel sauce.

Storage: Store brown sugar caramel sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Nutrition