Back in May we helped out with the food for my sister’s wedding. One of the things we made was a caramel syrup as part of an ice cream bar (pics coming later). We had a lot of people who have since asked for the recipe so I thought that I’d post it here. It is derived from a recipe that I got from OurBestBites, another food blog. The main difference is that we add a lot of kosher salt to our syrup, making it into a salted caramel syrup. If you are not familiar with Salted Caramel, don’t be too skeptical until you try it. It’s wonderful and adds a whole new dimension to caramel.

Buttermilk Salted Caramel Syrup

3/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup real butter (1 stick)
2 Tbsp. corn syrup
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. real vanilla extract

kosher salt to taste (about 2 tsp.)

Combine the buttermilk, granulated sugar, butter, corn syrup, and baking soda in a large sauce pan. This recipe tends to boil very large so use a larger pot than you’d think necessary.

Heat over medium heat until the butter melts and the mixture comes to a boil, stirring frequently. Continue to simmer for 8-9 minutes, stirring frequently. Below the foam you will see the color of the sauce gradually start to become golden brown. Continue to cook, while stirring and watching closely. Let it reach a dark amber color (if you’ve done candy before you might get worried and think its done a few seconds before it is). Once it reaches a dark, rich amber color, instantly remove it from the heat. Add the vanilla and salt.

You can optionally skim the foam from the top if you care about it looking perfect, otherwise just stir the foam in. I store mine in a squeeze bottle, like the ones that you can find in most kitchen and cooking stores.

It’s wonderful on ice cream, brownies, cheesecake, waffles, french toast, etc.