Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce - Best Ever

• Baking & Spices

  • 2 cups White sugar, granulated
  • 2 tsp Fleur de sel
  • 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract, pure

• Dairy

  • 3/4 cup Butter, unsalted
  • 1 cup Heavy cream

• Desserts

  • 1 Read candy thermometer of, Instant good quality

• Tools & Equipment

  • 1 Glass Mason jars

• Other

  • Large (2- to 3-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan, necessary
  • Silicone (heat resistant spatula, very helpful
  • Stainless ball whisk, helpful (or regular balloon whisk or wooden spoon

Found on wickedgoodkitchen.com

Description

Ingredients

• 2 cups (400 grams) granulated (white) sugar
• ¾ cup (1½ sticks/170 grams) unsalted butter, cut into cubes, at room temperature
• 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream, at room temperature
• ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) pure vanilla extract, such as Nielsen-Massey®, optional
• 2 to 3 teaspoons (about 5 to 8 grams) fleur de sel, or favorite sea salt flakes, such as Maldon®
• Special Equipment & Supplies
• Large (2- to 3-quart) heavy-bottomed saucepan, necessary
• Instant read candy thermometer of good quality, helpful
• Stainless ball whisk, helpful (or regular balloon whisk or wooden spoon)
• Silicone (heat resistant) spatula, very helpful
• Glass mason jars for storing caramel, helpful

Directions

• Before starting, read through entire recipe and all tips (especially Important Safety Tips) in the Notes section below. Pre-measure and have all ingredients prepped (at room temperature) before starting recipe.
• Place sugar in an even layer into a large (2- to 3-quart) heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat the sugar over medium-high heat. As the sugar melts, whisk to keep the sugar from burning. Soon the sugar will begin to clump with faint glimpses of light amber liquid sugar on the bottom of the saucepan. Keep cooking and whisking in a gentle motion until the sugar is completely melted into light amber caramel, about 8 to 10 minutes. Once the sugar is completely melted, stop whisking and only swirl the caramel by carefully and gently tilting the saucepan from side-to-side. Stopping the whisking motion will keep the caramel from forming crystals (crystallizing) and seizing.
• Continue to cook, without whisking, until the caramel reaches a medium amber or deep amber color (an almost dark reddish-brown), about 5 to 7 minutes depending on level of doneness, color and taste desired. Once the caramel begins to lightly smoke, the caramel can go from perfectly cooked caramel to a burnt sugary mess within seconds. Therefore, be attentive and watch very closely. An instant read thermometer should read 350°F. when the caramel is done—meaning that the sugar has reached an ideal stage of caramelization for a deep amber caramel sauce.
• Once the caramel reaches dark reddish-brown in color, just about 350 degrees F., I like to turn off the heat, remove saucepan from heat and wait 20 to 30 seconds for an even darker amber caramel sauce. Immediately, but carefully, add all of the butter at once and whisk it in aggressively until fully melted and well combined. Following the addition of the butter, the caramel will bubble up fiercely. Do not worry. Just keep whisking.
• Slowly and carefully whisk in the cream and, if using, the vanilla extract. Again, the caramel will bubble up fiercely due to the residual heat. Just keep whisking until the caramel is smooth and the cream is fully incorporated. Add salt and whisk until completely dissolved.
• Set caramel sauce aside to cool slightly and thicken, about 10 to 15 minutes, before transferring to glass jars. Cool completely before capping jars and refrigerating.