| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 4 hr 18 min |
| Prep: | 5 min |
| Inactive: | 4 hr |
| Cook: | 13 min |
| Yield: | 5 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Mix the water and sugar in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until the sugar dissolves. Do not stir. Increase the heat to medium and boil uncovered until the sugar turns a warm chestnut brown (about 350 degrees F on a candy thermometer), about 5 to 7 minutes, gently swirling the pan to stir the mixture. Be careful – the mixture is extremely hot! Watch the mixture very carefully at the end, as it will go from caramel to burnt very quickly. Turn off the heat. Stand back to avoid splattering and slowly add the cream and vanilla. Don’t worry – the cream will bubble violently and the caramel will solidify.
- Simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until the caramel dissolves and the sauce is smooth, about 2 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature, at least 4 hours. It will thicken as it sits.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 5 servings |
| Calories | 436 |
| Total Fat | 21 g |
| Saturated Fat | 14 g |
| Carbohydrates | 62 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 g |
| Sugar | 62 g |
| Protein | 2 g |
| Cholesterol | 67 mg |
| Sodium | 17 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 5 servings |
| Calories | 436 |
| Total Fat | 21 g |
| Saturated Fat | 14 g |
| Carbohydrates | 62 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 g |
| Sugar | 62 g |
| Protein | 2 g |
| Cholesterol | 67 mg |
| Sodium | 17 mg |
Reviews
WARNING
One should never make this o any similar recipe without having a mixing bowl full of icewater sitting next to the stove. that molten sugar gives a horrific burn. immediate immerse the burned hand in icewater,
Delish! I warmed the cream as someone suggested and added the vanilla to it. I added a pinch of salt at the end and 2 T of butter. The first step took 10 minutes. The second step took 10-12 minutes. I was afraid to burn it, so I did not let it get chestnut brown. It was a little over 300 degrees on a candy thermometer when I added the cream. It turned out a beautiful caramel color and tastes better than the store-bought tubs.
Great recipe. I actually added some butter and salt at the end to take it up notch. Also, if you warm up the cream before you add it then it won’t seize up.
Just made this with soy coffee creamer instead of heavy cream (I have a dairy allergy). The sauce came out great. Very easy to make!
The proportions are perfect.
I made this sauce exactly as written and it came out perfect! It does seize up when the cream is added, but continuing to stir over low heat produced a smooth sauce! Delicious!
I followed directions exactly and the sauce was perfect. I can always trust Ina’s recipes.
I tried this and ended up with a pretty caramel sauce that tasted burnt. Very unhappy with that.
While this recipe is somewhat accurate. The time for the sugar to turn to a “warm chestnut brown” is not 5 – 7 minutes. It’s not even close. although the sugar dissolved in 10 minutes. It took about 20 minutes of boiling the liquid before it even started to turn brown.
Excellent and easy, but I did not let it get quite dark enough. I stirred the vanilla in to the heavy cream. As stated, the mixture did seize up when adding the cream and vanilla, but returned to a smooth consistency by stirring over low heat as directed. Even though I felt it should have been a bit darker in color, the flavor was great. Served over bread pudding and guests loved it. Another of Ina’s keepers.