Bourbon Salted Caramel Sauce
Salted caramel is just one of those things that are so good. Add bourbon to it, and in my humble opinion, it’s even better. This sauce is great for cakes, brownies, and to drizzle on top of ice cream. You can substitute the vegan heavy cream with coconut cream, but the taste won’t be quite the same.
This is an easy recipe, once you get used to it, but it can be pretty intimidating at first… just be patient, stay alert, and everything will be fine.
INGREDIENTS:
200 g (1 C ) caster/ superfine or granulated sugar (organic, vegan-friendly)
60 ml (¼ C) water
120 g (½ C) heavy whipping cream, vegan ( Silk /Califa Farms )
42 g (3 T) vegan butter (unsalted preferred)
¼ tsp baking soda
3 T Bourbon whiskey (can leave out for regular salted caramel sauce)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
½ - 1 tsp. salt (use less, if using salted butter)
You will need:
1 medium heavy-bottom saucepot
Whisk, spatula, + pastry brush
Large bowl for cooling sauce
Jar for storing
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DIRECTIONS:
This process takes about 8-10 minutes from start to finish. Making caramel is something that you have to give your full attention to and not do anything else. Seriously, DON’T WALK AWAY. Get all of your ingredients measured and in place next to the cooktop. Things happen fast with caramel, so you need to be prepared and ready to go. It’s also nice to have a small cup of water and a pastry brush to wet the sides of the pot if crystallization begins to happen. Or even better, if you have a lid to your pot, use that to create condensation so that sugar crystals don’t form.
Add the sugar and water to the medium-sized saucepot (off heat) and give it a mix until the water is covering your sugar.
the pot on medium heat. Now, lift up your hands and back away. You’re going to want to stir the mixture… but don’t. Since we’re making caramel with water, If you do, the sugar will crystallize and it will be a mess. So put your hands up, step back, and don’t touch. Seriously.
After about 4 minutes, remove the lid. If you don’t use a lid, you might notice some crystallizations on the sides of the pot as the sugar begins to bubble. If you do, dip a pastry brush into a cup of water and brush the sides to help with this problem. Remember, don’t stir.
It depends on your cooktop and the heat it produces, but around the 6-minute mark, you're going to see the mixture start to take on a bit of a caramel color and start to smell a bit like, well, caramel. Stay cool, you’re getting close, but you’re not quite there yet.
Around minute 8, the sugar mixture should be getting thick and turn a nice dark amber color- how far you take it is up to you, but just know that once sugar burns, it’s over. For me, the whole process usually takes between 10- 12 minutes from start to finish, but you can play around with it and see what works for you.
Note *BOILING SUGAR BURNS LIKE A MOTHER * So for the next part, please be VERY careful so you don’t hurt yourself. Make sure the spoon or spatula you use has a long handle, so your skin is far away from any hot sugar that might get you.
When the mixture is thick, amber brown, and you think it is ready- add in the butter and stir vigorously. Then slowly add in the cream while stirring, then the bourbon.
Keep stirring for about 30 seconds to thicken- the longer you keep on the heat, the thicker it will get, but you run the risk of it going too far, so be careful.
Remove the caramel from the heat and add in the salt and stir to fully combine. Please resist the temptation to taste at this point, cause you will burn the shit out of your mouth. You’ve been warned.
Let the caramel cool off for 20 minutes in the pan- off the hot burner.
When cooled, pour the sauce into a mason jar or glass container of your choice. The sauce will thicken a bit more as it cools.
Store leftover caramel in the refrigerator and whip it out whenever you feel like it. It’s great on brownies, cupcakes, muffins, and ice cream.
