Bourbon Caramel Sauce Recipe Recipe - Rachel Cooks® (2024)

FAQs

Why butter in caramel sauce? ›

Some form of dairy — typically butter and/or heavy cream — is usually added to the mixture at either the beginning or the end of cooking. This addition makes the caramel richer, thicker, and lighter in color, lending more viscosity and rounder flavor.

Sprinkle 100g of the sugar into a non-stick frying pan, add 3 tablespoons of water and place on a medium heat for about 8 minutes, or until you've got a chestnut brown caramel – don't be tempted to stir or taste it, just gently swirl the pan occasionally. Quickly and carefully divide the caramel between the ramekins.

Caramel thickens as it cools. Cover tightly and store for up to 1 month in the refrigerator. Caramel solidifies in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove to desired consistency.

To thin caramel, just add some cream or water over heat. Melt caramel loaves in the oven. You can also add corn syrup or lemon juice to caramel sauces to prevent them from crystallizing.

It's pretty common to use butter in caramel, but we skip it and opt for heavy cream instead. Butter is an emulsion of milk solids, fat and water, and it can break when it hits the hot sugar. Heavy cream is much more stable, so it's easier to work with.

Common Causes. One of the most common triggers is when the candy has undergone an abrupt temperature shift, either becoming too cold or too hot in a very short period of time.

Combine brown sugar, butter, and milk in a saucepan and bring ingredients to a boil. Remove thickened mixture from heat before adding (optional) vanilla extract. Let the caramel cool slightly before using. The result is an impossibly rich sauce that is guaranteed to satisfy your sweet tooth.

This is usually caused by sugar crystals stuck to the side of the pan that didn't get fully dissolved. It only takes one to set off a chain reaction, and before you know it you have crunchy caramel.

What is the difference between caramel and carmel? ›

Carmel and caramel are not different spellings of the same word. Caramel is the correct spelling if you're talking about food or colors. Carmel is a misspelling when used in those contexts, but it is a word that can be used as a name for people or places.

Overheating the mixture

Follow the recipe carefully, and never melt your caramel on your stove's highest setting—it will cause the caramel to scorch and taste burnt. Once it gets a burnt or bitter flavor, it can't be saved. Luckily, sugar is inexpensive, so you can always start over!

Add more sugar to the sauce.

Most caramel sauces are made by caramelizing sugar and adding milk and a little salt. If you increase the amount of sugar in the recipe you'll end up with a thicker caramel. Try increasing the sugar by about 1/3.

The key to getting it right is to use soft caramels as opposed to hard. You must also add some sort of liquid, such as milk or cream, to prevent the caramels from drying out. Knowing these tricks will help you to melt caramels with ease.

The addition of butter really rounds out the flavor of the sauce and helps to temper the acidity. It also gives the sauce a nice sheen, which is a fun bonus.

Butter has no equal for thickening sauces, without forgetting the taste and all the flavours; it reinforces the creamy, melt in the mouth character of some receipes. Butter softens basic flavours such as sweet, salty, bitter and acid.

The main ingredient in caramel is sugar. However, depending on the recipe you use, you may have to incorporate butter, heavy cream, water, or corn syrup as additional ingredients. High-quality, real caramel is always made with three basic ingredients and those are sugar, heavy cream, and butter.

Some people like to use coconut butter or oil. If it is unrefined, it will add a nice subtle coconut flavor, if you don't want this, look for refined. Using a coconut or date sugar would add richness to the caramel flavor. Also, Miyoko's makes a vegan “butter” that tastes and behaves very much like dairy based butter.