The Best Salted Caramel Recipes

In my opinion, salted caramel sauce makes every dessert better! In this post, I will teach you two ways how to make the best salted caramel sauce that works well with all the desserts!

I have put together two different salted caramel recipes. The first one is great for dipping the churros in it, to use as a sauce next to the cakes or cupcakes, or having with ice cream! And the second one is best to use between the macaron shells.

I have already covered a lot of questions you might have about salted caramel in a separate post. I suggest you also read this to get the best understanding of this delicious sauce.

Salted caramel sauce for dipping

This recipe is a delicious combination of sweet and savory. It’s the perfect dip for churros, but can be used as a sauce next to cakes, cupcakes, or even with ice cream!

To make this caramel sauce, the first step is to melt sugar, which is also called caramelization. You will need a small saucepan and a heatproof spatula. Stir the sugar and wait until it is melted. Once the sugar is melted, it is time to add butter.

Let the mixture cook and then stir in heavy cream. Once the heavy cream is added, let the mixture boil for a minute, and then add salt. Easy, right? Leave the pot from the stove and be careful handling the caramel as it is very hot.

Tools and ingredients for salted caramel sauce

Steps on how to make salted caramel sauce

Step 1:

Prepare the ingredients into small bowls. Weight all the ingredients using a kitchen scale.

Step 2:

Take a saucepan and set it on the stove on medium heat. Once the pan is hot, pour 3/4 cup (150 g) of white sugar into it. Slowly start stirring with a heatproof spatula.

Step 3:

Soon you will notice how the sugar starts to melt. Keep stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Step 4:

Once the sugar is dissolved and colored like in the picture below, add 5/8 cup (70 g) of butter.

Step 5:

Keep stirring the sugar-butter mixture and let it cook for a few minutes.

Step 6:

Add 1/2 cup (100 ml) heavy cream and continue stirring.

TIP: If you want your caramel sauce to be thicker, use very cold heavy cream! Also, add it less than shown in the recipe – by doing that, your sauce will be thicker once it is cooled down. Keep in mind that the caramel sauce gets a lot firmer once cooled down!

Step 7:

Let it cook for a few minutes, slowly stirring at the same time.

Step 8:

Add salt. I usually add 1 small tablespoon of salt to the mixture. You can always add a little less at first because you can add more later if needed. 1 tablespoon for this amount of other ingredients makes the sauce nicely salty. In my opinion, if you add more salt to it, it can be too much.

Step 9:

Pour the caramel sauce into the glass jar. I like to use the shifter to get rid of the possible sugar pieces or lumps.

Salted caramel sauce for macaron’s filling

Salted caramel macarons are one of the most popular macarons ever. Most of the bakers fill these macarons with salted caramel-flavored buttercream, but I will show you a better way.

I am a huge fan of salted caramel, and especially a fan of salted caramel “sauce“. So there is no way I make my macarons filling just a salted caramel flavored buttercream. In my recipe, you will see the 100% salted caramel sauce-filled macarons only! The difference is remarkable, trust me!

Introduction

In this recipe, we are focusing on making salted caramel sauce for macarons! For this reason, we will use caramel condensed milk instead of heavy cream as it suits much better with macarons.

The texture of the sauce can be altered depending on what is being served. For macaron filling, the sauce needs to be thick enough to hold its shape between the macaron shells.

The salted caramel sauce made by this recipe is super delicious and easy to make. I actually like to leave it a little bit grainy – I don’t wait for the sugar to dissolve completely to have the little sugar-crunch once biting the macaron.

My salted caramel macarons have been the best-sellers for over 5 years now so I think I am not the only one who likes little sugar pieces in there. If you are not a fan of it, just cook the sauce as long as the sugar is completely dissolved.

Tools and ingredients for salted caramel sauce

How to make salted caramel sauce for macaron filling

To make caramel, the first step is to weigh all the ingredients (except for salt) into the pot. You will also need a heatproof spatula or a whisk (I prefer using a whisk). On medium heat, stir everything until even.

Once the mixture is nice and even, let it cook for a few minutes while still stirring. Then add salt. Leave the pot from the stove and be careful handling the caramel as it is very hot.

Steps on how to make salted caramel sauce for macarons

Step 1:

Weight all the ingredients using a kitchen scale. Add 1/2 cup (100 g) white sugar, 1/4 cup (100 g) butter, and 4 tablespoons of caramel condensed milk to the pot.

Step 2:

Take a saucepan and set it on the stove on medium heat. Let it melt a little and then slowly start stirring with a heatproof spatula or whisk.

Step 3:

Soon you will notice how the mixture melts more and more. Keep stirring. You will see that the melted butter wants to separate from the sugar-condensed milk mixture.

A caramel can split if there’s fat in the caramel (in this case it is butter). A split caramel can be saved by gently adding the heat and stirring continuously. Constantly stirring is the key here!

Step 5:

Once the mixture is nicely even, keep stirring on the heat for a couple of minutes.

Step 6:

Add salt and keep stirring. Take a spoon and taste the caramel, add more salt if needed. Let the sauce cool down.

Step 7:

Take a piping bag and place it into the large cup. Pour the caramel into the bag. Be careful as the sauce can be hot!

How to put the salted caramel sauce between macaron shells

The salted caramel sauce can be piped out only when it is completely cooled down. It can take up to a few hours in the fridge.

Pipe a layer of salted caramel sauce into the shell from the top down at a 90-degree angle. I recommend you try using a small amount of sauce first. You can always add more if necessary. If you use too much filling, it can spread out and make a huge mess. It is better to start with a small amount.

Slowly press the macarons shells together and you will see if you need more filling or not.

How to store salted caramel macarons

Place the sandwiched macarons in an airtight container and let them mature for 2-24 hours. If you don’t have time to wait for that long, have a bite from one macaron right away! But to get the best results, leave the other ones in the fridge to mature. They taste even better later, I promise!

Macarons can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for at least 7 days. But as they are just so good, they will never last that long 😉

How to store salted caramel sauce

Storing the caramel sauce – pour it into the glass jar or plastic box. Make sure to cover the glass with an airtight lid or food film to avoid air. Also, you can just put the caramel sauce into the piping bag – that’s what I am doing in most cases as I am usually making salted caramel sauce for macaron’s filling.

Warm the caramel sauce in the microwave to make it smooth again.

This is what the caramel looks like when smooth and runny:

Perfect for churro sauce or for dipping the sour apples in there for a snack. Also perfect to drizzle it over the cupcakes, pies, birthday cakes, ice cream, and pancakes.

This is what the caramel looks like when stored in the fridge for a few hours:

As I already said, the thicker version is great for filling the macarons! Once the sauce will start to get runnier again, put it back in the freezer for an hour.

Which way would you love to enjoy this salted caramel sauce – runny or tight? I am team tight 🙂

Enjoy!
Belli xx