Name: Easy Homemade Butterscotch Sauce
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 1 cup
Ingredients: 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter; 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar; 1 teaspoon large-flake salt; 1/2 cup heavy cream; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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Easy Homemade Butterscotch Sauce

Kelly Senyei
2 January 2, 2013
73 Comments

I had grand plans today to share what I touted in last week’s newsletter as a recipe starring “nutrient-packed leafy greens.” Instead, my lack of willpower has resulted in Easy Homemade Butterscotch Sauce. Leafy greens. Butterscotch sauce. Same thing, right? New Year’s weight loss resolution-makers, shield your eyes.

In researching what goes into a successful—and incredibly simple—butterscotch sauce, I discovered countless discussions across the interwebs about butterscotch versus caramel. To summarize: A butterscotch sauce is made with brown sugar, while a traditional caramel sauce is made with white sugar.

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I’ve caramelized sugar a million times and a thousand different ways—white sugar, brown sugar, butter, no butter, bourbon, whiskey, cream, vanilla. This recipe is hands-down the winner when it comes to a fast (10 minutes!) and easy sauce for ice cream sundaes. I tested the recipe with light and dark brown sugar, and the dark variety inevitably won out for its deeper molasses flavor and intense amber color. I also opted for large-flake sea salt to balance out the sweetness. And the texture? Silky smooth, and totally eat-it-with-a-spoon-worthy.

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Easy Homemade Butterscotch Sauce

Cook: 10 minutes

Yield: 1 cup

Ingredients

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon large-flake salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Melt the butter in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan (not non-stick) over medium heat.

Add the brown sugar, salt and heavy cream and stir the mixture with a rubber spatula until it's well blended. Bring the mixture to a boil, scraping down the sides occasionally, and boil it for 4 to 5 minutes.

Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Transfer the butterscotch sauce to a container to cool. (See Kelly's Notes.)

Kelly's Notes:

The butterscotch thickens significantly as it cools, so it's important to not over-boil it or you'll end up with chewy butterscotch caramels rather than a pourable sauce.

If you want to add a kick to your butterscotch sauce, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of your choice liquor (think bourbon, whiskey or cognac) at the same time you stir in the vanilla extract.