Bourbon Caramel Sauce
Brown sugar and a hint of bourbon give our Bourbon Caramel Sauce a rich and decadent flavor. This is the perfect topping for our Pumpkin Spice Brioche Bread Pudding. Combined with our Candied Cinnamon Pecans, it turns plain vanilla ice cream into an impressive and very easy dessert for entertaining. This easy caramel sauce is so delicious, you will likely want to put it on everything!
This luxurious sauce can easily be made into a non-alcoholic version for everyone to enjoy. Just visit the Pimp Our Recipe section in our Blog Comments & Tips below to learn how.
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RECIPE
(Check out our Step by Step Instructions below the recipe card.)
Recipe updated as of 3/29/22
BOURBON CARAMEL SAUCE
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a small bowl, add some filtered water (for brushing), ready a pastry brush, and set aside. To a 2 ½ quart nonstick saucepan, add brown sugar and 2 tablespoons filtered water, and stir to combine. Turn on medium heat, and gently swirl the pan occasionally (do not stir at this point). Dip the pastry brush in water, and brush down the sides of the pan to prevent crystals from forming. Continue the swirling and brushing process until the sugar dissolves. When it reaches a simmer, cook undisturbed for about 5 minutes (mixture will bubble up quite a bit), until it has become a medium to dark amber color.
- As soon as it reaches the desired color, carefully whisk in room temperature heavy whipping cream (CAUTION - mixture will spatter and bubble up a lot), and continue to whisk while the mixture is simmering and becomes smooth (about 2 - 2 ½ minutes). Turn off heat, and allow to cool slightly on the stove for 1 minute. Whisk in bourbon (optional) and sea salt, and remove from heat. As the sauce cools, it will thicken. Makes about ¾ cup of Bourbon Caramel Sauce.
- Serve warm (not hot) over our Pumpkin Spice Brioche Bread Pudding, or vanilla bean ice cream. For a super decadent treat, top either dessert with Candied Cinnamon Pecans.
Notes
- Can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. Reheat in the microwave for about 15 to 30 seconds, or over the stovetop at a low temperature prior to serving.
- Recipe can be made ahead of time.
- Yields 12 servings (1 tablespoon per serving)
Nutrition Facts
Calories
82.62Fat (grams)
3.58Sat. Fat (grams)
2.28Carbs (grams)
10.27Fiber (grams)
0.00Net carbs
10.27Sugar (grams)
10.17Protein (grams)
0.29Sodium (milligrams)
16.64Cholesterol (grams)
11.21Nutritional information provided is strictly an estimate and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods.
Step by Step Instructions
PREPARATION
Organize all your tools and ingredients before you begin. Getting all your ingredients in one place at the beginning will shorten your prep time.
STEP 1a
In a small bowl, add some filtered water (for brushing), ready a pastry brush, and set aside. To a 2 ½ quart nonstick saucepan, add ⅔ cup lightly packed light brown sugar and 2 tablespoons filtered water, and stir to combine. Turn on medium heat, and gently swirl the pan occasionally (do not stir at this point). Dip the pastry brush in water, and brush down the sides of the pan to prevent crystals from forming.
STEP 1b
Continue the swirling and brushing process until the sugar dissolves. When it reaches a simmer, cook undisturbed for about 5 minutes (mixture will bubble up quite a bit), until it has become a medium to dark amber color.
STEP 2a
As soon as it reaches the desired color, carefully whisk in ½ cup room temperature heavy whipping cream (CAUTION - mixture will spatter and bubble up a lot), and continue to whisk while the mixture is simmering and becomes smooth (about 2 - 2 ½ minutes). Turn off heat, and allow to cool slightly on the stove for 1 minute.
STEP 2b
Whisk in 1 tablespoon Bourbon Whisky (optional), and 1 pinch of sea salt, and remove from heat. As the sauce cools, it will thicken. Makes about ¾ cup of Bourbon Caramel Sauce.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Serve warm (not hot) over our Pumpkin Spice Brioche Bread Pudding, or vanilla bean ice cream. For a super decadent treat, top either dessert with Candied Cinnamon Pecans (recipe coming soon).
Notes:
Can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. Reheat in the microwave for about 15 to 30 seconds, or over the stovetop at a low temperature prior to serving.
Recipe can be made ahead of time.
Yields about ¾ cup caramel sauce (1 tablespoon per serving).
VIDEO
How to Make this Luxurious Bourbon Caramel Sauce in 2 Easy Steps!
Blog Comments & Tips
A Luxurious Caramel Sauce!
Who doesn’t love caramel sauce? Whether it’s poured over ice cream, cake, cheesecake, or bread pudding, it literally makes everything better!
Our Bourbon Caramel Sauce turns traditional caramel sauce into something spectacular. Using light brown sugar instead of granulated sugar, adds a rich flavor to the caramel. Then just 1 tablespoon of Bourbon Whisky gives this silky, smooth caramel sauce a decadent and luxurious mouthfeel.
When we were developing the recipe for our Pumpkin Spice Brioche Bread Pudding, we wanted to make it extra special. It seemed like the right decision to top this beautiful dessert with a caramel sauce. At PMR, it’s typical for us to figure out ways to pimp up recipes. Sometimes, only one ingredient will do the trick to transform a good recipe into something truly special. In this case, the combination of brown sugar and Bourbon Whisky did the trick!
When I served the test recipe to my husband, he went wild about it (the next day, he even dipped graham crackers into the warm caramel for a sweet treat)! The following taste testers were my godparents, who went nuts about the combo of our caramel sauce and bread pudding (bread pudding just happens to be my godfather’s favorite dessert). The remaining taste testers all had the same reaction.
We had some Bourbon Caramel Sauce left over, and we decided to try it on some vanilla bean ice cream. The combination of topping the cold vanilla ice cream with our warm caramel sauce and our chopped Candied Cinnamon Pecans, transformed plain ice cream into something truly special. Served in a beautiful goblet, this boozy caramel sauce is fancy enough to serve guests! The best part is the sauce and pecans can be made ahead of time, so it’s a quick and easy dessert for entertaining.
Now you have the recipe, ingredients, and equipment, but how do you ensure the best results from our recipe?
Our 5 tips to making a Bourbon Caramel Sauce:
High quality and fresh ingredients. Use fresh butter, cream, and good quality bourbon whisky.
Use soft brown sugar, and get rid of any lumps. You can squash them between your fingers. If the lumps are hardened, just discard them.
To prevent the formation of sugar crystals, use water and a pastry brush to brush down the inside walls of the pan.
Stay by the stove, as this mixture can burn easily and may bubble up. If it looks like it’s going to overflow, instead of stirring, just lightly tap the back of your spoon onto some of the bubbles to pop them.
Use room temperature heavy whipping cream. This makes a huge difference by reducing the splattering when you are adding the cream to the hot caramel sauce.
Have any dietary preferences that won’t quite work with our recipe? It’s time to customize and Pimp Our Recipe.
Pimp Our Recipe:
Make it Kid-Friendly: Omit the Bourbon Whisky from the recipe, and replace with 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract. It will not alter the texture at all.
Make it Spiced: Add ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon to the mixture in Step 2a. As soon as you turn off heat, add cinnamon, and whisk while the mixture is still very hot. Let it cool slightly on the stove for 1 minute, then add the Bourbon as directed.
Enjoy and let us know what you think by commenting below, rating our recipes, subscribing, following, and liking us on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube! Don’t forget to subscribe to get updates on new recipes and tips & tricks.
Happy Cooking!
Mich
Footnote: Remember to brush down the sides of the pan with water to prevent crystallization.
Adapted from the Whiskey Caramel recipe by Food & Wine, we’ve made a couple of minor changes to pimp up the sauce and make it extra rich and flavorful!
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