Bourbon Caramel

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5 from 2 votes

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You only need five basic ingredients to make this simple caramel sauce recipe flavored with bourbon. In this recipe, I use the “wet” caramel method which is my tried and true method.

a wooden spoon in a glass jar of salted bourbon caramel sauce

Simple Bourbon Sauce

Is your mouth watering? Or are you turning your nose up at the thought of bourbon in your caramel?

I’m in the first boat, but I know there are probably some of you in the second one…

BUT! BUT! Guess what?

We can both sit in one happy boat together because the difference between homemade caramel and homemade bourbon caramel is literally just the addition of bourbon.

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shot of bourbon on a plate ready to make bourbon caramel sauce

So… If you don’t want it, leave it out, and you’ll have my beloved salted caramel sauce all ready to go! And regardless of what you add to your version, we ALL get to learn how to make our own at home, bourbon or no bourbon.

How’s that boat looking now? Dripping in gooey caramel or what? Let’s get this caramel party started!

The first time I made my own salted caramel, I was quite intimidated. It was Thanksgiving 2012 and I was making a pie that included it.

That was before I had a recipe website, but after I had discovered I loved baking things from scratch, and when I started my website in 2014, the thought never even crossed my mind to share my recipe until 5 years later.

a wooden spoon in a glass jar of salted bourbon caramel sauce

This caramel bourbon sauce has lived on my site since late 2019, but it needed a mega update this year, and I also added a whole separate post about salted caramel sauce to go alongside this spiked version.

Many of you have said over the years of reading my site that you have struggled with this sauce from scratch, and I love that you come to me knowing I only give you the simplest ways to get things done!

That said, I very much prefer the “wet” caramel method over the “dry” caramel method, and I’ve done this so many times (dozens and dozens) with minimal issues, so I’m ready to coach you through making the best bourbon salted caramel in your own kitchen.

WET CARAMEL VS DRY CARAMEL

So let’s first talk about this wet vs dry method, because when we think about food being “wet,” it can give us a weird association. And you might be thinking that this sauce is already wet. And if it was dry, that sounds like something totally different. Right?

That would be a great thought, but the wet vs dry refers to the method in which we cook the sugar.

The “wet” version involves water, and the “dry” version does not. It’s that simple!

a wooden spoon in a glass jar of salted bourbon caramel sauce

With the “wet” version, we allow the sugar to dissolve before it cooks. With the “dry” method, you just go right to cooking the sugar, which can sometimes lead to a grainy caramel sauce and can oftentimes clump together while cooking.

There are many folks who swear by one method over the other, and to that I say… Stick to what works for you!

But if you’ve struggled with the “dry” method before, or even if you’ve struggled with the “wet” method, too, I’d love to show you this can be simple, not scary, and totally doable with little to no stress.

I’ve even compiled some troubleshooting tips at the bottom of this post so that you can be successful even if you run into some hiccups.

a wooden spoon in a glass jar of salted bourbon caramel sauce

The wet method tends to take a bit longer, since we have to wait for the water to evaporate, but aside from that, I think you’ll really enjoy this way to make salted caramel bourbon sauce.

WHAT IS CARAMEL SAUCE?

Next, let’s talk about exactly what caramel sauce is so that we understand what we’re looking to accomplish.

Caramel is simply sugar that bas been cooked juuuuust to the edge of burning. In fact, some people prefer to burn their sugar a bit to give it even more depth of flavor, so if you’re into that flavor profile, there’s room for you here, too!

Bourbon Sauce Recipe ingredients

  • granulated sugar
  • water
  • butter
  • heavy whipping cream
  • sea salt
  • bourbon

As mentioned, since we’re using the “wet” method in this easy bourbon caramel sauce, we’ll need white/granulated sugar and water.

Once that’s all cooked, we will add some butter (salted or unsalted, see notes about that in the recipe) and heavy cream. Cooking the sugar brings all the flavor, but the butter and heavy cream bring all the texture and creaminess.

wooden spoon stirring bourbon salted caramel sauce in a saucepan

In order for all of these ingredients to incorporate properly, it’s imperative they be at room temperature. You’ll see why once we get to the method!

The last components that we’re bringing to the caramel table today are sea salt and bourbon.

Whether or not you want salted caramel will dictate how much sea salt you throw into your finished product. I urge you not to leave it out completely, because all that sugar needs some saltiness to offset the sweetness and balance the flavor. We’ll get to the specifics of this part, though, so just know that for now, you need salt!

ingredients for bourbon salted caramel sauce

As for the bourbon, everyone’s tastes and tolerances will be different. Follow my suggestions in the recipe and you can decide how much or how little bourbon you’d like to include in your sauce.

How to make Bourbon Sauce

I mentioned that all of this begins with cooking sugar, which is not as scary as it might sound.

Add your sugar and water to a medium size saucepan. This looks exactly like you expect it to… Not very exciting.

I urge you to use a light-colored saucepan so you can see the color of the mixture as it cooks a little more easily, but you can see I use a dark saucepan. I’m very comfortable with the caramel making process, but when I first started, light-colored was the best way to see it.

If all you have is darker pans, fear not! You can get this done. Just be sure you have ample light where you’re cooking.

COOK THE SUGAR

You’ll initially heat the sugar and water over low heat. There’s also a lot of controversy over what I’m about to say next, but remember… I’ve done this many many times without issue…

You’ll want to stir this mixture as it cooks. But here’s the thing: you need to stir slowly, and you need to use a wooden spoon or a heatproof spatula.

You’ll see a whisk in my photos, but that’s for after the sugar has cooked completely and we’re adding butter and heavy cream.

a wooden spoon in a glass jar of salted bourbon caramel sauce

It’s a personal preference, and you are welcome to stick to the wooden spoon or heatproof spatula the entire time. All of this is outlined in the recipe, so you can decide what you’d prefer to use when you get there.

Once the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is clear, you can turn the heat up just a touch to medium-low then bring the mixture to a low boil.

As the sugar continues to cook and you stir it slowly, there is a possibility that sugar crystals may collect on the sides of the saucepan. I like to keep a wet pastry brush on hand to keep these crystals at bay, gently “painting” the sides as needed while the sugar cooks.

wooden spoon dipped into a bourbon saucepan of salted caramel sauce and dripping it back into the pan

While the sugar low boils/cooks, it will turn dark amber progressively. It will go from colorless/clear to a champagne color, to light brown, to light amber, then finally dark amber. It’s at the dark amber point that it’s considered completely cooked and you can remove it from the heat.

Remember how I said there’s room for those of you who like more of a burned caramel taste? You can cook it a tad longer, but please only do this if you’re sure you really like that burned flavor! And know that it will happen much quicker than you expect it to.

ADD THE BUTTER AND HEAVY CREAM

Once removed from heat, you’ll add the sliced, room temperature butter. Since we do this immediately after the sugar is ready, I only have a photo of the butter already in the amber sugar.

But, you can still see the color you’re aiming for around the melted butter.

aerial photo of slices of butter in homemade caramel sauce

The butter will melt as you whisk and the mixture should be smooth but bubbly.

bubbled cooked sugar with butter melted and whisked into it

After you stir/whisk in the butter and it’s all melted, drizzle in the heavy cream while keeping it moving.

Although your heavy cream will be at room temperature, it’s still much cooler than your sugar and butter mixture, so everything will bubble up rapidly.

This is ok and it’s what you want to happen! Keep it moving.

whisking heavy cream into homemade salted caramel sauce

Once everything is incorporated, add the salt, then stir very well to insure the salt is distributed evenly throughout the entire batch of caramel.

The mixture will be quite hot, but I encourage you to dip a clean spoon into the sauce and taste it. Does it need more salt? Add a tiny bit at a time.

ADD THE BOURBON TO TASTE

Once you’ve salted your sauce appropriately, it’s time to add the bourbon. I prefer 1 to 2 Tablespoons, but your preference might be different.

Also be aware that adding the bourbon will thin out the sauce significantly. Keep this in mind when adding it in, knowing that the more you add, the thinner your sauce will be.

a wooden spoon in a glass jar of salted bourbon caramel sauce

Make sure you stir the sauce thoroughly when adding the bourbon to get a true taste of exactly how much there is in there before adding more.

Troubleshooting Bourbon Caramel

As I mentioned, I haven’t run into too many issues with the wet method for how to make salted caramel, but the most common issue I have had is that the water evaporates too quickly and the sugar starts to crystallize.

If your sugar crystallizes, you can add more water to encourage the sugar to re-dissolve, and I also suggest turning down the heat just a bit.

Did your sugar just turn to dust/clumps? Again, add more water and turn down the heat.

Did your sugar stick to or clump up on the spoon/spatula? Again, add more water and turn down the heat.

Is it still not working? Try a larger saucepan. You need enough surface area for the whole mixture to heat evenly.

Also be sure not to double or halve this recipe. Cooking sugar is a very finicky process. Make multiple batches if you need more than 1 cup of sauce.

How to use Bourbon Caramel Sauce

You can use this sauce for literally everything.

To be more specific, you can use bourbon sauce for ice cream, bread pudding, cookies, cheesecake, bread, cakes, cupcakes, ice cream, yogurt, fruit, pie (like my apple hand pies)…

Or, my favorite: give it as a gift!

jars of bourbon caramel sauce

I often give homemade salted caramel out to friends and family at holidays and it is always a huge hit. Another huge hit is gifting homemade vanilla extract. I love those homemade baking ingredients!

How to store Whiskey Caramel Sauce

Store your caramel topping in the refrigerator or freezer for longer term storage.

Bourbon Sauce Recipe FAQs

What does bourbon caramel taste like?

Depending on how much bourbon you add to your caramel sauce, it will still taste just like traditional caramel with a bit of an alcoholic bite to it. If you enjoy the taste of bourbon, you will likely enjoy a bourbon sauce with more bourbon than someone who does not enjoy bourbon as much.

Is there alcohol in bourbon sauce?

Yes, there is bourbon in bourbon sauce. If you are interested in sauce without bourbon, consider my salted caramel sauce.

Now that you’re a homemade bourbon caramel pro, I highly urge you to try some of my caramel-focused recipes: salted caramel banana bread, salted caramel chocolate chip cookies, or salted caramel brownies.

a wooden spoon in a glass jar of salted bourbon caramel sauce
5 from 2 votes
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Whiskey Caramel Sauce

You only need five basic ingredients to make this simple caramel sauce recipe flavored with bourbon. In this recipe, I use the "wet" caramel method which is my tried and true method.
Prep Time5 minutes
Bake Time15 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Recipe Author Lynn April
Servings: 1 cup

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup (60mL) water
  • ¼ cup (57g) butter (salted or unsalted)1 room temperature, cut into 4 pieces
  • ½ cup (120mL) heavy whipping cream2 room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt3
  • 1 to 2 Tablespoons (15-30mL) bourbon4

Instructions

  • In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine the sugar and water. Use a wooden spoon or heat-resistant spatula to stir frequently but gently. Once all of the sugar is dissolved, turn the heat up just a touch to medium-low and let the mixture come to a low boil. Keep an eye on the sides of the pan in case sugar crystals start to form during the cooking process. You can use a pastry brush dipped in water to keep crystallized sugar at bay, brushing it gently on the sides if needed.
  • As the sugar low boils/cooks, it will start to turn colors. Keep a careful eye on the color to determine when it's done. The progression is champagne color to light brown to light amber to dark amber. When it is dark amber (a golden/red brown), remove it from the heat.
  • Immediately but carefully add the butter. Mixture will start to bubble, but stir quickly with your wooden spoon or spatula (or switch to a whisk, as I prefer) to incorporate the butter as it melts.
  • When all of the butter is melted, slowly drizzle in the heavy cream while continuing to stir or whisk the mixture. It will bubble rapidly. This is ok.
  • Once all of the heavy cream is incorporated, add the salt and bourbon to your liking. Allow to cool before using (it will thicken as it cools). Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 1 month. Heat in microwave or on the stovetop before using. Caramel will be fine at room temperature for a day or two if it needs to travel. Caramel may be frozen, up to 3 months. Thaw in refrigerator and warm as needed.

Notes

  1. Butter: salted or unsalted butter is fine in this recipe. No changes to salt in recipe necessary.
  2. Heavy cream: this is the same thing as whipping cream. Either is fine for this recipe, but do not use milk.
  3. Salt: use regular table salt, kosher salt, or sea salt. I prefer “fine sea salt.” If using a larger, coarser salt, add 1 teaspoon, taste, and add more if necessary. If you are concerned about too much salt, add ¾ teaspoon, taste, and add more if desired. Do not leave salt out completely. If you don’t want “salted” caramel sauce, reduce to ½ teaspoon. 
  4. Bourbon: leaving out the bourbon in this recipe will give you plain ol’ salted caramel sauce. Two Tablespoons gives a very strong bourbon flavor. If you’re worried about too much of a bourbon flavor, start with ½ Tablespoon, taste, and add more if desired.
Do not double this recipe. Cooking sugar is a very finicky technique. Make multiple batches if necessary.
Did you make this recipe?Mention @freshaprilflours on Instagram or tag #freshaprilflours!

Nutrition Disclosure

All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 1616kcal | Carbohydrates: 203g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 90g | Saturated Fat: 57g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 23g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 256mg | Sodium: 2728mg | Potassium: 131mg | Sugar: 203g | Vitamin A: 3167IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 97mg | Iron: 0.3mg
5 from 2 votes

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8 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I’v made many caramel sauces and this is one of the best. It comes together effortlessly. The bourbon adds interest without making it boozy. It’s thick, rich and smooth. I covered the saucepan while the caramel was cooking so that the condensation would keep the sides of the saucepan washed clean, eliminating any possibility of the sugar crystallizing.

    1. Awesome, Sadie! So glad you like it so much 🙂 thanks for the tip about condensation– I will try that next time.

  2. Can someone help me? I tried this receipe and I followed the directions but my sugar just turned into a sugar clump. This is with constantly stirring too.

    1. So my first 2 trys I got the sugar clump. Tried keeping the lid on but also saw advice elsewhere not to stir caramel but occassionally swirl. I still stirred but way less frequently and it worked out for me. Hope this helps maybe. This is the first I’ve gotten any kind of caramel to work for me

  3. I tried making this caramel sauce. I had the same problem as Mrs.C. Turned into a hardened clump on the bottom of my pan.

  4. I had the same problem with it turning to a clump. I put it on a smaller burner still on medium and used a lid. I only stirred it in the beginning then let it sit. It cooked about 10 min then it worked out perfectly without clumping.