Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 15 min
Equipment
- Candy Thermometer
Ingredients
1 cup maple syrup the real stuff!
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp sea salt or kosher salt
Instructions
1. Put the maple syrup into a medium saucepan with a heavy bottom. Fit the pan with a clip on candy thermometer. You’ll need a pan tall enough to allow the maple syrup to foam up as it boils. The heavy bottom helps prevent scorching. Most good quality saucepans will work.
2. Bring the syrup to a boil and boil until it reaches 225F – 230F, this is just under the softball stage.
3. Remove from heat and add the butter, stirring until it melts. Then add the cream and salt and mix in gently. Note: the mixture will be very hot. Do not stir too much, just enough to blend the butter and cream. Too much stirring can cause the mixture to crystallize.
4. Pour into a heat safe jar and let cool before refrigerating. It will thicken as it cools, and will thicken further in the refrigerator. This recipe makes just over a cup.
How to store your fabulous salted maple caramel sauce
- Store your sauce in a closed container in the fridge. It will last at least 2 weeks or more, and should stay nice and pourable.
- If you find your sauce gets hard or slightly grainy after a while in the refrigerator, microwave it in short bursts to reheat it.
How to use salted maple caramel sauce (other than polishing it off with a spoon
- Drizzle it over ice cream. If you heat your sauce briefly first you’ll have the best hot caramel sundae ever.
- Enjoy it over oatmeal or in morning yogurt.
- Add some to your coffee to make your own unique salted maple caramel latte (move over Starbucks.)
- Enrich a decadent hot chocolate.
- Drizzle it over fall cakes and quick breads, it makes an elegant dessert with store bought pound cake.
- Top a cheesecake with it or drizzle over a flourless chocolate cake.
- Use it as an easy dip for fruit like bananas, apples or pears.
- Um, did somebody say waffles?
Troubleshooting your maple caramel sauce
- Your sauce is grainy: grainy caramel is the result of overheating it. Did you heat the mixture past 230F? This could be the problem. Another issue might be that your thermometer is incorrect: to test it, immerse it in a pot of boiling water…it should read 212F. If not, it needs to be replaced, or you need to adjust your cooking accordingly
- Your sauce is thin: you may have undercooked it by a bit. Make sure it gets to 230F and make sure your thermometer is accurate, see above. Refrigerating it will thicken it. And keep in mind thin sauce is not necessarily a problem, you can use it in all the same ways.
- Your sauce is darker or lighter than mine: different types and grades of maple syrup will produce slightly different colorations, but don’t worry, they’re all delicious. Each of the test batches I made came out a different color!
Is maple syrup healthier than sugar?
* It depends on your definition of healthier.
* Maple syrup is less processed than refined sugars. It also contains antioxidants and minerals like zinc and potassium, and has a lower glycemic index than refined sugars, which means it won’t lead to blood sugar spikes.
* But maple syrup is still a sugar, and so should be eaten in moderation.
