I love caramel, especially when it is drizzled on top of vanilla ice cream or a delicious brownie. One day, as I was browsing dessert recipes on Brown Eyed Baker, I came across a recipe for salted caramel cupcakes and decided all of my dreams had come true.

As kitchen space and equipment are hard to come by, I figured I would settle for just the caramel part of the recipe, especially given its versatility. I didn’t know it was so easy to make caramel (I partially thought it was just a gift from the food gods)—to my surprise, it comprises of only three ingredients: sugar, heavy cream, and butter. I’ve begun to make caramel whenever I crave something sweet and decadent because it is just that easy!

When I first made the recipe, I disregarded the directions and put the butter, sugar, and heavy cream all in the pot at the same time. That was a BIG MISTAKE. It seemed like caramel, until I put it in a jar and when it reached room temperature it crystallized to a sort of sticky brown sugar. Long story short, I’m not a chemist, and the jar was impossible to clean. Refusing to give up, I made it again and actually followed directions; I had delicious caramel within 25 minutes.

To execute the recipe properly, it’s critical to pay attention to the color of the sugar to know when to add the heavy cream and butter. Professionals recommend using a thermometer, but it’s definitely not necessary (I’ve never used one). This is a fun recipe to do if you want to surprise your friends with a quick homemade treat. And if you don’t have ice cream or a brownie, caramel goes great with challah bread.

Caramel Sauce
Adapted from browneyedbaker.com

Ingredients

1 cup of granulated sugar
6 tbsp. of unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream, room temperature

Directions

1. Pour the sugar evenly in a dry, medium-sized saucepan.
2. Melt the sugar over medium heat, whisking until it begins to clump.
3. Once the sugar has turned a deep amber color, or a reddish brown chestnut color, add the butter.
4. Whisk the butter fervently into the sugar until melted. Remove from heat.
5. Add heavy cream and mix into sugar. Allow to cool, about 10 minutes.
6. Pour caramel into your favorite jar or mug, or eat it all in order to not have leftovers!
7. Get some ice cream, brownies, or challah bread and share it with your friends! Or guard it with your life!