We will refer to this as the Triple B Caramel Sauce from here on out. Although the name is a mouthful, the brown butter and bourbon truly make this caramel sauce special! Drizzle it over ice cream, brownies, or any other dessert really! Or just eat it by the spoonful, we aren’t judging!
Is caramel sauce easy to make at home?
Caramel sauce is much easier to make than most people would think, and you don’t even need a candy thermometer or any other special equipment. Caramel sauce is made by melting sugar in a sauce pan over medium heat, then adding butter and whisking it all to combine. The most important part here is to observe the color of your caramel. You want to achieve a nice deep amber color. You then add cream and you are pretty much done.
Flavoring your caramel and customizing it to your liking is also easy and fun! We prefer brown butter to give the caramel a bit of that nutty flavor you can only achieve from making a brown butter first (see recipe instructions below). We also like to add vanilla and sea salt to achieve a bit richer flavor with that touch of saltiness that is perfect for desserts. Finally, the bourbon is a must to really make this caramel sauce special. This Triple B Caramel sauce will not disappoint!
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How do I store caramel sauce?
Once the caramel has cooled off completely, you can store it in an airtight container (like these Weck jars) in your fridge for 1-2 weeks, but ours usually gets eaten up before it expires! You can also freeze it if you do not feel that you will consume it in 2 weeks.
We hope you enjoy this Brown Butter Bourbon Caramel Sauce recipe! If you give it a try, leave us a comment below or tag us on Instagram @cooking_with_wine!
Check out more of our popular desserts below!
- Texicali Chocolate Sheet Cake
- Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée
- Dulce de Leche Layered Brownies
- White Chocolate Raspberry Bundt Cake
This makes my mouth water just thinking about it!!
You should definitely give it a try!!
Can you put up a video? I tried for 2 hours each batch after batch and the sugar kept clumping up and then when I’d cook it longer it’d burn then or when I left some lumps the butter was way too much and didn’t fully blend with the sugar? Was it supposed to be cold from the fridge? I’m just so disappointed I never thought I’d be so far off? I actually consider myself a pretty competent home cook 😭 I want this so badly to top on chocolate espresso cookies!
Hi Lauren! I’m so sorry you are having issues with the recipe. The sugar does clump, but with patience it will melt. It sounds like medium may be a bit too high for your stove. I would go ahead and turn it down to medium low to prevent it from getting too dark or burning. And thank you for this feedback! We will add a note to the recipe to make sure this isn’t an issue moving forward.
Thank you for the reply I will try to go slower but I guess the issue is more I can’t tell when to stop it and add the butter. And is the butter supposed to be cold, room temp or soft?
Ok I will try to go slower, but I am having a hard time about knowing when to stop it and add the butter. I seem to overdo it and the sauce starts seizing up and turns to concrete! I also wondering about the butter is it supposed to be cold, room temp, or soft?
Hi again! For a lighter caramel you can add the butter as soon as you see a slight change in color and you see large bubbling across the surface of the sugar. If you continue to have issues with clumping, add 2 tbsp water to the sugar at the beginning to help the sugar melt.
For the butter, since you brown it before the sugar, it will be at room temp, and possibly still a bit warm when you add it.