Homemade Caramel Sauce

Equipment: A wooden spoon, a large stainless pot (5 liters), a pastry brush, and a small ramekin of extra water. Have all your ingredients and equipment ready before beginning the cooking process. This goes quickly, so you need to be ready.

Add the sugar and listed amount of water to your pot. Cook over medium to medium-high heat until the sugar begins to boil. Use your pastry brush dipped in the extra water to clean any sugar crystals from the side of the pot. Do not stir it! Let the sugar boil and change color. Gently swirl your pan to “stir”, but only very occasionally. Once the sugar turns a golden amber color, remove from heat.

Immediately stir in your cream with a wooden spoon. The mixture will bubble violently, so be careful! This is also why we use a large pot. Stir in the butter, salt, and vanilla next.

The caramel will be a little thin, but thickens upon standing. If the sugar seizes at all when the cream is added, you can return the pot to medium heat and continue stirring until all the sugar dissolves.

Cool the caramel sauce to room temperature, and then refrigerate up to two weeks.