The recipe below, other variations of this recipe and useful information about making caramel and can also be found at http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cookbook:Caramel.
This is a simple, yet delicious recipe that can be used in a chocolate fountain or fondue pot (for apples, marshmellows, sponge cake, etc) and on ice cream or other desserts. It can also be canned for later use.
Caramel Sauce
The softer caramel products, such as this recipe for caramel sauce, contain fat and liquid in addition to the caramelized sugar. To create the texture of caramel sauce, you need a 1:1 ratio of fat and liquid. In this recipe, heavy cream (40% fat) is used along with butter to achieve the 1:1 fat:liquid ratio. If you want to substitute milk you will need to use less milk and more butter to keep the ratio. You can also substitute soy-milk and margarine to make a vegan caramel sauce, but make sure to keep the fat:liquid ratio.
This recipe makes approximately 6 cups of caramel sauce. You can easily halve this recipe if you wish. It takes 30-60 minutes depending how quickly you are evaporating the water. If sealed in clean canning jars, the sauce can be stored for 3 months without refrigeration. Or store refrigerated for up to 6 months.
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Water
- 4 Cups Sugar
- 2 Tbsp Corn Syrup (optional)
- Pinch Salt
- 2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1/2 Cup (1 stick) Unsalted Butter, chopped into 1" cubes
Safety
- Adding liquid to sugar that is over 300°F is dangerous! Some of the liquid will immediately flash to super-hot steam. To avoid steam burns, stay back from the pot and pour liquids at arms length. Use an oven mitt for your hand.
- When you add your liquid to the hot sugar, it will boil violently. To avoid messy and dangerous boil-overs, a 2.5 quart heavy bottomed sauce pan or pot is the minimum, but 3-4 quarts is recommended
- Use a heat proof spatula or spoon such as wood or silicone.
Directions
Dissolve the water, sugar and corn syrup over medium high heat until fully dissolved.
Stop stirring and let the solution boil over medium heat. Check on the solution every 5 minutes. You will see the bubbles slow down and get larger. When the bubbles begin to reach 1/2" to 3/4" start monitoring the solution frequently.
When the solution begins to turn amber, get your cream and butter and watch it constantly.
When the solution has turned a shade of caramel that you like (darker is deeper and will start to take on a little bitterness), step back and add the cream at arms length, stirring constantly and scraping the sides of the pan.
Add the butter and stir until incorporated. Pour the sauce into a serving dish for immediate serving with bread, drizzled on ice cream, as a garnish or for use in other desserts.
If you desire, follow standard canning procedures and distribute into canning jars. Allow to cool until the buttons are depressed. Any jars with buttons that are not depressed should be refrigerated and consumed first. To reheat the caramel sauce, microwave the jars (without covers) for 10-30 seconds depending how soft and hot you want it.
DIRECTIONS 
