easy homemade caramel sauce (just 3 ingredients)

i have an odd relationship with caramel.  for years i told myself i didn't like caramel and wouldn't go near it.  most store-bought caramel candies and sauces that i had tasted tended to be sickening sweet, and although i enjoy desserts, i'm not a fan of things that are overly sweet.  store-bought caramel candies and caramel sauces often have a laundry list of ingredients that i don't want to consume too.  i always enjoy a caramel apple once a year in the fall, but other than that, i had an aversion to anything that involved caramel.

then we made homemade caramel a few years ago for a homemade twix bar recipe and again for a homemade caramel popcorn recipe, and my opinion changed.  recently we tried our hands at caramel again and made a homemade caramel sauce.  now i have a different outlook on caramel.

this caramel sauce is easy to make and only involves a few simple ingredients.  there's no butter, corn syrup, or condensed milk in this recipe, only water, sugar, and cream.

you could do anything you want with this caramel sauce.  you could put it in your coffee, drizzle it on top of ice cream, mix it into your favorite frosting recipe, dip fruit or other snacks into it . . . the options are endless.

you just need to have a little bit of patience to stand over a hot stove until the caramel is just right, which isn't easy but it is worth it for the end result!

caramel sauce
prep time: 5 minutes
cooking time: 5-10 minutes
yields: approximately 1 cup

ingredients:
5 tablespoons water
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2/3 cup heavy cream

directions:
combine the water and the sugar in a saucepan over low heat.  stir until all of the sugar has dissolved.  increase the heat to high and periodically use the handle of the pot to swirl the mixture to keep it moving, but do not stir the mixture.  the mixture will start to bubble, then after a few minutes the mixture will turn to a light amber color.  as soon as the mixture turns to a dark amber color, turn off the heat and add the cream.  whisk to combine.  set the mixture aside to allow it to cool.  store the caramel sauce in the refrigerator until ready to use.

enjoy!

love, laurie

espresso bbq sauce

without a doubt, homemade bbq sauce beats store bought bbq sauce any day.  hands down.

for our father's day cookout this year, we made homemade bbq sauce for the ribs and the chicken that we grilled for lunch.  however, instead of making our traditional homemade bbq sauce, we decided to try a new recipe that included espresso!

the espresso was subtle, but added a depth to the flavor of the sauce.  the cider vinegar and the soy sauce gave the bbq sauce a tang, while the honey and brown sugar sweetened it up a bit.

we marinated the ribs in the sauce for a few hours before cooking them, and then slathered additional bbq sauce on them (and on the chicken) while they cooked on the grill.

this sauce was a great alternative to traditional bbq sauce, and it certainly kicked things up a notch.  what's great is that this recipe makes a ton of bbq sauce, so there will be a bunch left over to either share with family or to save for later.

espresso bbq sauce
prep time: 5-10 minutes
cooking time: 10-15 minutes
yields: approximately 4 cups
adapted from shutterbean

ingredients:
4-5 garlic cloves
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
3-4 tablespoons instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

directions:
mash the garlic cloves with the side of a knife.  finely mince the garlic.  in a large pot, saute the garlic and the olive oil over low heat (about 1-2 minutes).  add the vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, honey, sugar, espresso powder, and pepper.  stir well.  bring to a simmer and simmer for 10 minutes.  store remaining sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks.

enjoy!

love, laurie