Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce

First of all let me say that making caramel is a daunting task especially for first-timers. I burned my first batch and immediately tried again and made a perfect batch. So don’t feel discouraged if it is frustrating. If it burns, just try it again.

Ingredients

1/4 cup cold water
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons of butter, cut into tablespoon pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Directions

1. In a saucepan (I ended up using a non-stick skillet because I couldn’t find my saucepan) heat the water and sugar over medium heat. Stir them together vigorously until the sugar had dissolved and the mixture begins to bubble.
2. This part is KEY! Once it begins to bubble, turn the heat up to high to bring the mixture to a boil and stop stirring completely. Seriously, watch it closely but do not touch it.
3. Let the mixture boil until it STARTS to become an amber color. If you let it brown too much it will burn. Once the majority of the mixture has reached the amber color, cut the heat off immediately and slowly whisk in the heavy cream.
4. Keep whisking slowly as you add in the butter, one tablespoon at a time. Once that is mixed in, add in the vanilla, and lastly the salt.
5. Once everything is combined pour the caramel into a dish and allow it to cool completely. Once the caramel is cool, taste it and add more salt if necessary. Store the caramel in the fridge in a sealed container and it will thicken up to a normal caramel consistency.