Homemade Salted Caramel

Making homemade caramel has been something that I was scared to death of doing. I thought that it was some sort of careful, extremely precise, deadly sort of scientific experiment that only the professionals could perfect.

I was WRONG. I am only a naive teenager that is intimidated by caramel which is very silly. 

Making caramel was a ton easier than I expected it to be. I found this recipe, which has great instructions. All I had to do was follow them very carefully, exactly as written, and no one lost an eye or their life or any of the sorts in the process. Super duper easy, and I will be making it again soon!

I liked this so much that I knew I had to share the recipe with you. I mean look at it?! The caramel is seriously perfect and not very difficult to make at all. I reccomend reading through all the instructions very carefully first just so you know exactly what's going to be happening. Really, you should do that in every recipe, but this one is a for sure! Once you get the reading out of the way, the rest is a breeze.

And if you're asking "Are those cupcakes in the background of that picture?" your eyes are very good because yes, yes they are. This caramel got put to good use, that's for sure! 

Homemade Salted Caramel

{recipe from Kimberly Taylor Images}

1 cup granulated sugar

4 T. water

2 T. light corn syrup

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 T. butter

1/2 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. salt (kosher or sea)

In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup. Stir with a wooden spoon over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Cover and let it cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes.

After 3 minutes remove the lid, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. 

Once its begun to boil, do not stir it. Instead, swirl the liquid around in the pan, making sure that it doesn't burn. Continue to cook until the caramel turns an even amber color. Remove from the heat and let stand for about 30 seconds. 

Now, BE VERY CAREFUL AS THE MIXTURE MAY BUBBLE UP! (Sorry to yell. Safety precautions and such.) Pour the heavy cream into the mixture. The mixture will bubble up and is very hot. 

Stir the mixture, continuing to be careful. Add the butter, lemon juice, and salt. Stir until combined. Continue to stir occasionally until the mixture is cooled. It should take about 20 minutes. The mixture will be thick like molasses. 

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

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