Honey Caramel Sauce
How about something sweet? Honey caramel sauce is easy to make, very tasty, and the perfect apple dipper for a sweet new year.
This recipe almost didn’t happen! Okay well it happened, but I wasn’t going to put it on the blog. I was just playing around in the kitchen, dreaming of the Jew Year coming up (it cannot come soon enough, right?), and tested out this honey caramel sauce for funsies.
Well, it was so delicious I knew I had to share it with you. Keeping this honey caramel sauce recipe all to myself seemed like a selfish way to start 5781. So I took a few quick photos and here we are!
I love the idea of using this sauce as a honey substitute for your apples and honey Rosh Hashanah needs. Or pair it with honey! Or make it just because! Or drizzle it on ice cream! Or a brownie. OMG.
What Is Honey Caramel Sauce?
A soft caramel sauce built on honey and brown sugar rather than plain white sugar, finished with butter and cream. Because you are not caramelizing dry sugar, there is no candy thermometer and no anxious watching for the exact shade of amber.
It takes about five minutes of actual work, and the honey gives it a floral depth that a standard caramel does not have.
Why Honey Caramel for Rosh Hashanah?
Honey is the flavor of the Jewish New Year, eaten with apples to symbolize a sweet year ahead. This sauce is the excuse to put honey on everything else too: drizzle it over apple slices, spoon it onto cake, or pour it across ice cream.
It also makes an excellent host gift during the holidays. Pour it into a small jar with a ribbon and you have something considerably nicer than a bottle of wine.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Dark brown sugar. Half a cup. Dark gives a deeper molasses note, though light brown works.
- Honey. Half a cup. Use one you like the taste of, since it comes through clearly.
- Unsalted butter. Three tablespoons, sliced so it melts evenly.
- Heavy whipping cream. A quarter cup, added at the end to bring it together.
- Salt. A quarter teaspoon, which is what stops it being flatly sweet.
How to Make It
- Melt and simmer. In a medium heavy bottomed pot, bring the brown sugar, butter, honey and salt to a simmer, stirring. Keep simmering until thick and fully integrated.
- Add the cream. Stir it in and bring back to a simmer for one minute.
- Cool. Let it cool; it thickens considerably as it does. Serve with apples or whatever you like.
Tips
- Use a heavy bottomed pot. Thin pans scorch honey fast, and burnt honey is bitter and unsalvageable.
- Keep the heat moderate. A steady simmer, not a hard boil. This is a forgiving sauce as long as you do not rush it.
- Stir constantly at the start. Until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, so nothing sits and catches.
- Judge thickness when cool. It looks thin in the pot and sets up much thicker. Do not over reduce it.
- Add the cream off a hard boil. It will bubble up when it hits the hot sugar, so pour steadily and stand back a little.
Ways to Use It
- Drizzled over apple slices for a Rosh Hashanah dessert board.
- Spooned over Jewish apple cake or plain vanilla ice cream.
- Stirred into coffee or a warm glass of milk.
- Poured over challah French toast.
- Jarred with a ribbon as a holiday host gift.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to a month. It firms up considerably when cold, so let it sit at room temperature for a while or warm it gently before serving.
To loosen it, microwave in short bursts stirring between each, or set the jar in a bowl of hot water. It also freezes for up to three months, though the fridge is easier for something you will finish quickly.
Honey Caramel Sauce FAQ
How long does honey caramel sauce keep?
About a month in an airtight container in the fridge. The high sugar content preserves it well. Let it come toward room temperature or warm it gently before using, since it sets firm when cold.
Why is my caramel grainy?
Undissolved sugar crystals. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved before you let it simmer hard, and avoid scraping crystallized sugar from the sides of the pot back into the sauce.
Can I make it dairy free or pareve?
Yes. Use a good margarine or coconut oil in place of the butter and full fat coconut milk instead of the cream. The coconut flavor comes through a little, which is not unwelcome against the honey.
Does it harden like candy?
No. This is a soft pourable sauce, not a hard caramel. It thickens as it cools and firms up in the fridge, but it never sets to a candy texture because of the cream and the honey.
Can I double the recipe?
Easily. Use a larger heavy bottomed pot so it does not boil over when you add the cream, and give it a little longer to reduce and thicken.
What kind of honey should I use?
Whatever you like eating, since the flavor is prominent. A mild clover honey keeps it neutral; a darker wildflower or buckwheat honey makes it much more assertive.
What is the difference between this and regular caramel?
Standard caramel starts by melting dry sugar and taking it to a precise amber stage, which requires attention and a thermometer. This one dissolves brown sugar and honey together with butter, so there is no crystallization stage to fear and no thermometer needed.
More sweet things for the New Year: Jewish apple cake, poached figs with honey and orange, and the full Rosh Hashanah menu.
Honey Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- ½ cup dark brown sugar (or light)
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, sliced
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- In a medium heavy-bottomed pot, bring brown sugar, butter, honey and salt to a simmer while stirring. Simmer until thick and all the ingredients have integrated.
- Add the cream, stir, and bring back to a simmer. Simmer for 1 minute. Let the caramel cool, it will thicken as it cools. Serve with apples or whatever you like! Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to five days. Re-heat in the microwave or stovetop if it gets too thick.
Notes
6 Comments
Sounds delish. What can I use in place of the heavy cream to make it dairy free? (Will sub vegan margarine for the butter).
Thanks! Some people have said almond cream or vegan cream will work but I haven’t tried that. You can leave the cream out though and it still works.
Looks yummy however I’m looking for something I can make in Atlanta to ship to NYC as a Rosh Hashanah gift. Got any ideas? I’m waiting on your cookbook to be delivered this week. Is there a condiment recipe included I could use? Thanks!
Hi Georgia- thanks for ordering my book! How about rugelach? That travels well.
do you think coconut cream would work to make this dairy free?
You could try!