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Starbucks Caramel Brulee Sauce

Starbucks Caramel Brulee Sauce Copycat Recipe

Kai Jordan
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Equipment

  • 3-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan
  • A wooden or silicone stirring spoon.
  • Pastry brush
  • 2-cup storage jar with lid

Ingredients
  

  • 1/4 cup of water.
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 1/2 cup of heavy cream
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions
 

  • Pour the sugar and water into the saucepan; stir before heating to ensure the mixture is an even flat layer.
  • Cook the mixture on medium heat until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture starts to bubble and turns clear. This will take 3–4 minutes.
  • Allow the mixture to continue bubbling for the next 8–12 minutes, all the time swirling the saucepan and brushing down the side if need be so that it does not burn or crystalize.
  • The mixture may form clumps, but let it cook until it turns into a thick, deep amber-colored liquid, more like honey.
  • Add in the butter and whisk with your spoon until it completely melts into the mixture. (Caution: the caramel will bubble more rapidly as you do this, so be more careful.)
  • Turn off the heat or remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the cream until smooth.
  • Add and whisk in the vanilla extract and salt.
  • Allow it to cool for about 10 minutes before transferring it to a storage jar and allowing it to cool completely before covering and refrigerating the sauce. The sauce thickens as it cools.

Notes

  • If you have a thermometer, you can use it to get precise temperatures for the caramel as it cooks to avoid over or under-cooking. A temperature of 338 °F (170 °C) to 350 °F (176.7 °C) is ideal. You will not achieve the right caramelization and colour. Over 350°F will burn the caramel and make the finished product taste bitter.
  • Avoid using metallic utensils when cooking. Wooden or silicone spoons are the best to use when making sauce.
  • Once the caramel has started to boil, remember not to stir. If you do, the mixture will form grains and ruin the smooth and creamy liquid. If needed, gently swirl the pan if needed without letting the caramel get too high up on the saucepan’s sides, as this will also make the sauce crystallize. You can use a pastry brush to push down any sauce on the side if need be.
  • If your sauce crystallizes even after all the caution, you need not worry. Just add about 1/4 cup of water and bring it back to a gentle bubble. The water will dissolve the crystals, and you can then go on until you get the desired caramel colour.
  • Be patient and stay put. The sauce takes anywhere between 8 to 12 minutes to cook, and since a minute can make a big difference in the quality of the sauce, the best thing is to stand over the stove, and pay close attention until it turns the right color before you remove the heat.
  • It is better to use unsalted butter and add salt to the mix than to use salted butter and end up with an unusable, too salty sauce. Using unsalted butter gives you better control. I recommend starting with just a pinch of salt for the caramelized brulée sauce.
  • Because the sauce has dairy from the heavy cream and butter, you’ll need to put it in the fridge after it cools down to keep it from going bad.
  • It will keep for up to 3 weeks in the fridge and up to 8 weeks in the freezer, so long as it is in a tightly sealed container. Because caramel solidifies when refrigerated, reheat it in hot water, on the stove, or in the microwave until it is liquefied enough to use. Note: Reheated caramel is thinner and runnier.