Hello all! I am almost done. It has been such a crazy, but good, experience (see last post). It has been a long and tiring experience. But I can't complain. It has been SO good!
The fall and spring are my favorite times of the year here in North Carolina. Now that the weather is cooling down, it is great reminder that the fair is right around the corner. Fair food. Mmm. Caramel apples, deep fried candy bars, cotton candy, corn dogs - the list can go on. A few years ago I shared this recipe, and I wanted to share it again here on the blog because it is simply fabulous, and since this is not a food blog, that is saying much. It's not the kind of caramel sauce you would make for apples, but you definitely could dip your apples into it! I wonder if cooking the sauce longer would make it a chewier caramel appropriate for apples. Maybe I will have to try that. It is a great sauce for desserts (cheesecake anyone?), dipping fruit, to add to hot chocolate or tea, and it makes a great little gift for friends and loved ones. I found this recipe several years ago in a Better Homes & Gardens magazine. It's a great recipe, and I have not made any changes to it. It's just perfect. Tastes perfect. Looks perfect. Cooks perfectly.
Here is the old post.
*The felt acorns wrapped around the canning jar can be found here.*
Homemade Caramel Sauce
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 TB water
1/2 water
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Oven mitt
In a small saucepan, heat on low the cream and 2 TB of water. Do not boil the cream. In another pot, pour the 1/2 cup of water in a 2 qt pan, and pour the sugar and salt in to form a mound in the center. DO NOT STIR IT. Make sure all the sugar is absorbed into the water though. Turn the heat on medium. Cover with lid. Let water boil, and once all the sugar is dissolved, remove the lid. Do not stir. Continue to boil until the sugar syrup turns amber (light golden color). I used a skewer and a white plate to test the color of the syrup. Here you can see that it progresses to a golden color after the allotted time.
This process will take about 12-15 minutes, so do not get distracted and leave the stove. In the meantime, occasionally stir the cream. You should see steam rising from the top by the time the syrup is ready. Take the syrup pan off the heat, and while wearing an oven mitt, slowly add the cream to the syrup and stir. You will see LOTS of steam, so please wear your mitt! Return back to heat and stir for 1-2 minutes. Add 1 tsp of vanilla. You can serve this after it cools for a little bit, and store it in the refrigerator up to one month.
Happy Fall!
xx nancy
