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    Home » Condiments, Dressings & Sauces » Spiced Caramel Sauce

    Spiced Caramel Sauce

    Sep 14, 2021 · by Valentina · 12 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe

    Spiced Caramel Sauce is luscious and rich, and can be used in so many delicious ways. Bursting with warming flavors, this dessert sauce can be added to cakes and cookies, or swirled in ice creams and drinks.  Spiced Caramel in a small white pitcher surrounded by a cinnamon stick and three whole nutmeg.

    Once you master making this Spiced Caramel Sauce, you'll want to have it at the ready all the time.

    It's amazing!

    What's in this recipe?

    • sugar
    • butter
    • cream
    • sour cream
    • salt
    • cinnamon
    • cardamom
    • nutmeg

     cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and salt in a glass bowl

    How to Make Spiced Caramel Sauce

    The process of making caramel is truly beautiful . . .

    4 images of making caramel in a cream-colored pot- Combine a touch of water with sugar. Cook this over low-medium heat, until the color is a very dark amber. This should take about 15 to 20 minutes. Do not ever stir this! You will see the sugar go from a pale, translucent white to a deep, dark, rich amber color is amazing. The transformation is magical and lovely.

    adding cream and butter to caramel
     
    - Add the cream, sour cream and butter. The blending of these ingredients goes through a few stages. First, the sauce will bubble, then it will begin to change color, from light and creamy to dark and rich.
     
    (More detailed instructions are below.)
     
    spiced caramel sauce dripping off a spoon into a red pot

    Recipe Tips and Substitutions

    • This caramel can be made up to a week ahead of time. Keep it stored in the refrigerator and warm it to soften.
    • It's very important not to stir the sugar mixture while it's cooking. It won't melt properly if you do.
    • Stand back a little when you add the butter, cream and sour cream, as the caramel mixture will bubble and maybe splatter a bit.
    • Feel free to play around with the spices, using more or less of one or another.

    Uses for Spiced Caramel Sauce

    Here are a few of my favorite fall desserts that incorporate this recipe as a star ingredient . . .

    Individual Salted, Spiced Potato Cakecaramel covered potato cakes on cooling rack

    Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Streusel and Caramel

    Two stacked pieces of pumpkin coffee cake with a dull orange pumpkin in the background.Spiced Caramel Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Crust

    top view of Pecan Crusted Pumpkin Caramel Pie

    Whenever I make a recipe that includes this Spiced Caramel Sauce, like the three above, I make it a few days in advance.

    This caramel sauce can be its own recipe, served as is -- as a condiment, if you will -- or, as an ingredient in many other recipes.

    I hope you enjoy making this amazing dessert sauce as much as I do, and I hope you love it!

    May it find its way into many desserts at your house.

    Salted Spiced Caramel

    Spiced Caramel Sauce

    Valentina K. Wein
    Spiced Caramel Sauce is luscious and rich, and can be used in so many delicious ways. Bursting with warming flavors, this dessert sauce can be added to cakes and cookies, or swirled in ice creams and drinks. 
    *Makes about 1 cup
    5 from 2 votes
    Print
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 25 mins
    Total Time 25 mins
    Course Dessert, Ingredient
    Cuisine American
    Servings 8
    Calories 176 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • ¼ cup water
    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • ¼ cup unsalted butter
    • ¼ cup heavy cream
    • 1 tablespoon sour cream
    • ¾ teaspoon coarse salt
    • ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
    • ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg

    Instructions
     

    • Cook the sugar. In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the water and sugar. Cook this mixture over low-medium heat, until the color is dark amber. This should take about 15 to 20 minutes. Do not ever stir this mixture!
    • Add remaining ingredients. Once you've achieved the dark color, reduce the heat to low and carefully whisk in the butter, cream, and sour cream. Stand back! When you add these ingredients, the mixture will likely hiss and bubble up. Continue to whisk until it's smooth. Then add the salt, cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg. Stir to blend, and remove from the heat.

    Notes

    Calorie count is only an estimate.
    Keywords sweet condiments, dessert sauces
    Have you tried this recipe?I'd love to see it on Instagram! Tag me at @cookingontheweekends or leave a comment & rating below.

    Cooking On The Weekends is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

    More Condiments, Dressings & Sauces

    • Brown Sage Butter - For Everything!
    • Ginger Applesauce From my Mom
    • Cinnamon Apple Butter with Cardamom
    • Lemon Basil Vinaigrette (and Marinade)

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. angiesrecipes

      September 14, 2021 at 8:05 pm

      Caramel with all the wonderful warming spices...I am so ready for the holiday baking :-))

      Reply
      • valentina

        September 15, 2021 at 1:27 pm

        Me too, Angie. Thank you! 🙂 ~Valentina

        Reply
    2. John / Kitchen Riffs

      September 15, 2021 at 8:25 am

      I think I'd serve this by the spoonful. 🙂 Such a nice recipe -- the flavor combo is just lovely. Thanks.

      Reply
      • valentina

        September 15, 2021 at 1:26 pm

        Thank you, John. Yes, good to have a spoon at the ready. 😉 ~Valentina

        Reply
    3. Kim Lange

      September 15, 2021 at 9:02 am

      Totally love this! I have never seen sour cream in caramel sauce before, but it looks so creamy and delish! Salted and spiced caramel, yes please!! 🙂

      Reply
      • valentina

        September 15, 2021 at 1:27 pm

        Thanks so much, Kim. The sour cream gives it a subtly tart flavor that I love. 🙂 Enjoy! ~Valentina

        Reply
    4. Ben | Havocinthekitchen

      September 15, 2021 at 5:14 pm

      This caramel sauce look and sounds terrific! As a huge fan of cardamom and nutmeg, this is 100% right up my alley. Loving the addition of sour cream, too.

      Reply
      • valentina

        September 17, 2021 at 2:06 pm

        So happy this appeals to you, Ben. Thank you! 🙂 ~Valentina

        Reply
    5. Rosemarie

      September 17, 2021 at 10:29 am

      I’m wondering if this can be made in batches to can and preserve to give as gifts? Is there too much cream in this to not be able to? Sounds amazing and I can’t wait to try making it!

      Reply
      • valentina

        September 17, 2021 at 2:03 pm

        Hi Rosemarie. Thanks for asking this. You can definitely make it in larger batches, but because of the creams I would just add to the gift note "*keep refrigerated." Hope you love it. Cheers! 🙂 ~Valentina

        Reply
    6. Carrie Habib

      January 10, 2022 at 1:24 pm

      I'm making an Eggnog Cheesecake and this will be the perfect topping/sauce to accompany.

      Reply
      • valentina

        January 10, 2022 at 5:44 pm

        Oh wow -- what a delicious combination! (And eggnog cheesecake sounds fantastic.) I hope you love it and thank you for visiting my site and recipes. 🙂 ~Valentina

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Valentina, certified chef, owner, recipe developer and photographer at Cooking on the Weekends. I'm also a mom of two boys and a Los Angeleno. I use seasonal whole foods to create unique and comforting recipes for casual entertaining.

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