Brown Sugar Caramel Sauce--Perfect for Baked Apples
Author: Nancy Baggett
Tip: You can "bake" the apples in the microwave to cut preparation time to only a few minutes. I actually think the microwaved apples are better than those readied in the oven. They stay moister and more succulent. My recipe for microwaved "baked apples is here. Tip: If you wish to avoid high-fructose corn syrup use the Karo brand; it has no high fructose syrup in it.
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups heavy (whipping) cream
  • 1¼ cups packed light brown sugar
  • 1 cup dark corn syrup
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Thoroughly stir together the cream, brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, and salt in a heavy 4-quart saucepan or pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a long-handled wooden spoon. When the mixture is boiling briskly, wipe any sugar from the pan sides using a pastry brush dipped in warm water (or use a damp paper towel). Wash off the stirring spoon.
  2. Adjust the heat so the mixture boils briskly, and cook, occasionally stirring and scraping the pan bottom. As the mixture starts to thicken and turn the color of rich medium-dark caramel candies, lower the heat slightly and stir more frequently; the total cooking time should be at least 7 or 8 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat; let cool 5 minutes. Stir in the vanilla. Let stand until the caramel is cooled to barely warm. If the caramel is too stiff to pour over baked apples, thoroughly stir in 2 to 3 teaspoons warm water. If necessary, thin with a little water until the desired consistency is reached.
  3. Use the caramel immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 10 days. Rewarm on low power in a microwave oven; stir and check the consistency every 30 seconds as the caramel should not be heated to a boil again. If the caramel has stiffened too much during storage, thin it to the desired fluid consistency by thoroughly stirring in a little warm water. To serve, spoon the warm caramel over baked apples; add a scoop of ice cream if desired.
Recipe by KitchenLane at https://kitchenlane.com/2015/11/brown-sugar-caramel-sauce-perfect-for-baked-apples.html