This apple bourbon caramel sauce has grow to be a staple in Chef Cayt’s kitchen, and it’s an all-time favourite recipe together with her family and friends. It’s grow to be so fashionable that she even makes huge batches to promote, and across the vacation season, orders come flooding in months upfront. With this recipe, you may whip up this crowd-pleasing sauce in your individual kitchen utilizing only a few primary elements and a splash of apple bourbon. You’ll not consider how many individuals will love this, and it’s positive to raise any dessert that makes use of caramel!
For extra caramel sauce recipes, strive our Sea Salt Caramel Sauce or our Fireball Cinnamon Caramel Sauce.
Why Our Recipe
- With distinctive flavors of apple and bourbon, this caramel sauce is in contrast to another you’ve tried.
- With clear steps and easy elements, our recipe walks you thru the method of creating caramel in order that anybody could make this sauce.
Our apple bourbon caramel sauce is so scrumptious, and it solely requires just a few elements, most of that are in all probability already in your pantry or fridge. The particular ingredient is apple bourbon, which provides it that flavorful punch that makes it to die for!
Ingredient Notes
- Salted butter: You can even use unsalted butter, simply be sure to add an additional pinch of salt to the recipe.
- Sweetened condensed milk: This helps make the caramel creamy and candy.
- Gentle corn syrup: For this recipe, be sure to get mild corn syrup slightly than a darker selection.
- Apple bourbon: That is what makes the flavour of this caramel sauce so distinctive and thrilling, so do what you may to seek out apple bourbon! When you can’t get any although, you may substitute plain bourbon. And if you’d like an alcohol-free model, you may omit the bourbon altogether, and also you’ll nonetheless get a yummy caramel sauce.
Caramel Phases
When making caramel, it’s useful to be conversant in the assorted phases it goes by because it cooks. The method of sugar remodeling into caramel happens over a number of distinct phases which are identifiable by temperature, and every leads to its personal consistency.
The method begins with the “thread stage” (230–235°F), the place the sugar syrup kinds skinny threads when dropped into chilly water. That’s adopted by the “smooth ball” stage (235–240°F), so named as a result of the syrup kinds a malleable ball in chilly water, however flattens as soon as eliminated. The “agency ball” stage (245–250°F) is when the syrup holds its form when shaped right into a ball however nonetheless stays pliable. As the warmth rises, you attain the “exhausting ball” stage (250–265°F), which provides you a agency ball that holds its form. The “smooth crack” stage (270–290°F) and “exhausting crack” stage (300–310°F) create a agency, brittle syrup. If continued previous these factors, the syrup will flip right into a darkish, richly-flavored caramel at round 320-350°F, preferrred for sauces and confections.
Figuring out these phases is essential to find out the ultimate consistency of your caramel. For this recipe, intention for a temperature between 200–205°F. That offers you a clean and velvety sauce with out reaching the smooth ball stage.
Sweet Thermometers
Sweet thermometers are probably the most correct strategy to get your caramel to the specified consistency, but it surely’s positively potential to make caramel with out one.
When your caramel begins to simmer, pay shut consideration to its look and texture. For this recipe, we’re aiming for a clean and velvety sauce. The caramel ought to grow to be thicker, and small bubbles ought to persistently break the floor.
To test the consistency of the caramel, you may fastidiously take a small spoonful of caramel and let it cool for a second. As soon as it’s cool sufficient that it gained’t burn you, use your fingers and pinch the sauce between your thumb and index finger. Pull your fingers aside, and as you do, the sauce ought to type a thread that stretches however doesn’t instantly break. When you’ve hit that time, you’ll know that you just’ve gotten to the proper consistency.
From there, take away the saucepan from warmth and permit it to chill for a couple of minutes earlier than you stir within the vanilla extract, apple bourbon, and salt. Then you’ll stir till all of the elements are effectively mixed. Let the sauce settle down, then switch it to jars for storage.
Troubleshooting Grainy Caramel
Grainy caramel is commonly a results of sugar crystallization through the caramelization course of. To forestall this, stir the combination persistently when you warmth up the caramel.
Graininess may also happen due to condensation, which might occur when you cowl the caramel when it’s nonetheless too heat. If that occurs, reheat the combination till it boils once more, and that can assist remove the grainy texture.
Serving Strategies
This sauce can go on absolutely anything that like to make use of caramel sauce for. We love dipping apples in it, making apple nachos, drizzling it over ice cream, or utilizing in nearly any dessert you need! Be at liberty to get inventive and incorporate this wonderful sauce nevertheless you need.
Storage and Reheating Directions
Retailer leftover sauce in an hermetic container at room temperature for as much as 1 month.
Reheat sauce in a saucepan over low warmth or in a microwave-safe container within the microwave on brief intervals till it reaches the specified consistency.