Real Food Caramel Sauce

Did you love caramel apples growing up? I remember seeing the amber-coated apples at the fair, city festivals, and grocery stores. The caramel glaze glistens in the light, maybe there are some peanut chunks stuck in the mess of caramel.

Yum, right?

A popular caramel company didn’t make it easy for me to find the ingredients to their sweets, but I was able to see that in their “caramel” there is soy and wheat. Since when does caramel need those two things? It doesn’t!

Anyone can make caramel sauce! You need 3 basic ingredients: butter, sugar, cream. That’s it, nothing else to it.

8 tablespoons pastured butter (we love Kerrygold)
1 cup coconut sugar*
1 cup heavy cream

*Coconut sugar is what gives the caramel-y flavor, don’t substitute.

Begin melting butter over medium to medium-low heat in small pot or skillet. As it melts, add sugar. This mixture will be very thick, mix until the butter is completely melted and the sugar begins to melt. Mix the entire time!

Once the two are mixed and melty, reduce heat and slowly add cream. You should get a bubbly/foamy reaction when adding cream. Mix!

Add all of the cream while still mixing. Allow the mixture to come to a low boil, once you see a couple of bubbles pop through the top, remove from heat.

Pour into your favorite jar or container. The caramel will thicken as it cools. It’s best to serve warm. Serve over apples, pancakes, brownies, Pumkies, you name it! Store in refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. To reheat, place jar with lid in small pot with water, heat water over medium heat, as caramel warms it will thin out and be ready to use. Stir or shake well.

This post was featured on Healing with Food Friday.

Do you make your own caramel sauce? What do you put it on?