The Best Caramel sauce ever!

Ok so I know I run a risk calling this the best caramel sauce ever… but it is the best I have ever had and has proven time and again to be quite a crowd pleaser at my house. It is often requested now when people come over and so easy to make (like 15 min and I am done) So I thought I would share it. Especially with the holidays here now, nothing beats a bowl of warm chewy caramel popcorn and it makes really good neighbor gifts just throw some in a tin or in a bag and share the goodness.

Now for the recipe:

1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Add the butter to a medium saucepan and let it start to melt over medium heat while you add the brown sugar corn syrup (spray the measuring cup with pam and the corn syrup is way easier to pour) and salt. (save vanilla and baking soda for later)

Still over medium heat stir until the butter is melted and the sugar dissolves (this only takes a min or so)

Then if you have a candy thermometer put that in now. If you don’t have one you can still make this but you will have better results with a thermometer. No more stirring, you are just going to let it cook.

It will start to bubble up around the edge

It will cook for about 5 min (NO STIRRING) You will see it bubble up nearing the rim of the pot, that’s when it is done, or if you are using a thermometer it should reach “thread” reading, remove it from the heat.

You can give it a stir now to let it settle down. (see how the bubbles have gone down?)

Now is when you add the baking soda and vanilla, it will foam up and turn kind of white, that’s fine, just keep stirring.

Then pour over popcorn I use microwave popcorn and this one batch covers 2 bags of popcorn. Buttered popcorn makes a great combo for the sweet and salty treat.
This stays soft and chewy for the kind of caramel popcorn I like, but if you like crispy, cracker jack type caramel corn then spread it out on a sheet pan and bake it for 45 min in a 200 degree oven.

Popcorn not your thing? Drizzle your caramel over your favorite holiday cookies, or brownies. My favorite is caramel on cayenne pepper brownies… the perfect balance for sweet caramel and spicy brownies… (never had cayenne pepper brownies? just add 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper to your favorite brownie recipe, you won’t be sorry)

Enjoy!