Homemade Caramel

Friend! Where have I been, you ask? I reply "Baking furiously for the king."

It sure feels like I've been locked away. Been busy with so many things it's hard to get out anymore!

I haven't shared any baking adventures with you lately, so time to update! I'm caked out. I'd like to perfect peach and apple crisps. However, today it was time to tackle caramel sauce. I have yet to make caramel candies but I imagine it wouldn't be to crazy hard. This caramel is certainly saucy. It thickens as it cools but won't give you a hard candy apple shell. It'll just be saucy caramel-ly (unless you know something I don't about caramel and make it thicker and stickier).

I found the caramel recipe from Simply Recipes.

Homemade Caramel Sauce

1 cup sugar

6 tbsp butter (I used mine cold and didn't have a problem)

1/2 cup heavy cream

(optional: 3 tbsp vanilla extract)

Use a large pan. When you are working with the sugar and also with mixing in the cream and butter, it will bubble up and you don't want a spillover or burns! Be extra careful while whisking this. It needs almost constant whisking. Don't let it spill up onto you or you might scream in terror!!

Assemble ingredients. Put butter in a bowl and cream in a cup. You want it all ready to go because when you need to add them, you need to add them right away and won't have time to go get them from the fridge.

Pour sugar in pan. Use medium to medium high heat. Stir sugar. The whole process to make caramel took about 10 minutes and 8 minutes of it is waiting for the sugar to melt.

Keep stirring. I used both a wooden spoon and a whisk. Once sugar is melted and it's nice and creamy smooth and rich amber color, remove from heat. Immediately whisk in butter and cream by adding them alternately. Whisk like mad. I mean it! Don't let it sit. Whisk whisk. If it looks like it's starting to clump, whisk it even harder. Keep whisking until it's nice and smooth and creamy.

Let it sit until room temp. You could cool it or use it hot. You might have to microwave it if you refrigerate it.

Skewered slices of apples and dipped them in caramel!

Yummy Caramel Apple!

Stir in some peanuts or pecans! Go crazy and sprinkle it with marshmallows or M&M candies! It's quick and yummy. It tastes like a Werther's Original Hard Candy. I highly recommend this recipe. Just be sure to stir and stir and don't let it burn.

Best of luck!