🍯 Recipe Collections: Jams, Jellies & Condiments

Amethyst · November 3, 2025, 10:57pm

Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce (4-Ingredient)

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 10 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced into 1-inch pieces and softened
½ cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons flaky sea salt

Directions:

In a deep saucepan, place sugar in an even layer. Heat sugar over medium-high heat, whisking frequently. Once sugar starts melting down, whisk continuously until all the clumps are melted into liquid (this can happen quickly, so watch carefully that the sugar doesn’t burn. See video in original article for visual.)

Immediately turn the heat down to medium and insert the candy thermometer into the melted sugar; gently stir until the liquid turns reddish-brown in color – the minute your thermometer reaches 350°F, slowly add the butter – caramel will bubble up, so be careful.

Continue to gently stir until fully melted; try not to let the mixture splash up the sides of the pan. Once the mixture is smooth, immediately remove the pan from the heat. Carefully pour in the cream and whisk until a smooth, thick sauce forms. Whisk in the flaky salt. Let the sauce cool to almost room temperature before drizzling it over dessert. Store leftover sauce in an airtight glass container in the fridge for future use.

Notes:

If you can’t find flaky sea salt, you can use coarse kosher salt in a pinch.

Caramel sauce can be kept in an airtight glass jar in the fridge for up to a month. Great for gift-giving, too.

Chilled caramel sauce may need slight reheating in the microwave before drizzling.

Caramel Sauce Recipe Tips for Success:

A candy thermometer or other kitchen thermometer is an essential tool. It allows you to be precise and avoid burnt caramel that nobody’s a fan of. You’ll also come to realize that a candy thermometer is a handy tool to have in your kitchen beyond caramel.

Be sure to whisk sugar until all bits of sugar are dissolved; this is important for a velvety smooth caramel sauce.

In fact, whisking is the name of the game with homemade caramel sauce. Keep whisking at all stages to ensure your caramel is smooth and doesn’t burn.

Your golden caramel sauce will come together rather quickly, so before you know it, you’ll have a beautiful jar of Salted Caramel Sauce to keep in the fridge for favorite ice cream recipes or caramel popcorn.

Make big batches of caramel sauce and place them in mason jars for gifting. These are ridiculously awesome food gifts that keep really well in the fridge.

Caramel Sauce Commonly Asked Questions:

What is caramel sauce made of?

Our caramel sauce recipe contains only 4 simple, pure ingredients: sugar, butter, cream, and salt. Nothing artificial goes into this caramel recipe.

What makes a caramel sauce thicker?

Some caramel sauce recipes use thickeners such as corn starch or tapioca starch. The caramel sauce recipe below does not need any thickeners

Does caramel sauce need to be refrigerated?

You can keep caramel sauce in an airtight container at moderate room temperature for a few days. After this, it needs to be kept chilled, as caramel sauce contains dairy products.

How do you know the caramel sauce is done?

Caramel sauce can burn easily if you’re not vigilant, so watch carefully as you stir. Once you’ve added in the butter, stir just until it is melted and remove from the heat immediately. A candy thermometer is an important tool for consistent results.

Nutritional Facts:

Recipe courtesy of Chew Out Loud.com

Amethyst · November 2, 2025, 5:04pm

Cranberry Orange Sauce

Active Time: 15 mins
Cool Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 25 mins
Yield: 2 1/4 cups

Ingredients:

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice (from 2-3 oranges)
1 (12-oz.) package fresh cranberries, rinsed and drained
2 cinnamon sticks
1 Tbsp. grated orange zest
1 tsp. grated ginger

Directions:

Combine sugar, orange juice, and cranberries in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil.

Add cinnamon sticks, orange zest, and ginger.

Reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until 2/3 of the cranberries have burst. Stir occasionally to keep the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Remove from burner. Allow the sauce to come to room temperature or chill before serving. Remove cinnamon sticks before serving.

Notes:

Substitutes for Fresh Cranberries:

I love cranberry everything throughout the year, so I often buy extra and freeze them for use when they aren’t available in grocery stores. If you cannot find fresh cranberries and did not freeze some for future use, you have a couple of options.

Frozen cranberries: Some grocery stores maintain frozen cranberries year-round. When making this cranberry orange sauce recipe, you don’t even need to thaw them; just use them as fresh in the recipe. If your grocery store doesn’t carry them (like mine in Florida), there are a number of farms that will ship a larger quantity to your door.

Dried cranberries: As a substitute for fresh cranberries, 1 1/2 cups equals 12 ounces, the amount needed for one batch of this cranberry sauce. The first adjustment for dried cranberries is to add an extra 1/2 cup of berries. Then comes the rehydrating. Boil enough water to cover the berries, and pour it over them in a heatproof bowl. Cover the bowl, and let them sit for 30 minutes. Drain with a mesh sieve until all the water is gone. Then make the recipe, except eliminate the sugar if your cranberries are sweetened (most are, so be sure to check on the package).

The other change with dried cranberries has to do with texture. The pectin (which naturally is released to thicken the sauce made with fresh cranberries) is eliminated during the drying process. You won’t hear any popping to clue the end of cook time. I boiled all the ingredients for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the sauce from sticking. You will notice that once cooled, it is not as vibrant red in color, and because of the pectin loss, not as jelled. But the flavor is still that wonderful sweet-tart of homemade cranberry orange sauce.

How Far Ahead Can I Make Cranberry Orange Sauce?

Cranberry orange sauce is a great contender for a make-ahead dish. It’s best served chilled so it has time to set, and it is good in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

I like to make mine the day before, so its shelf life is extended enough for me to slather it on leftover turkey sandwiches, cover my pumpkin pie and cheesecake with it, and sneak spoonfuls when I’m feeling snacky.

Can I Freeze Cranberry Orange Sauce?

Yes, you can freeze cranberry orange sauce. Let’s say you just can’t finish the leftover sauce in that two-week window. The best thing to do is transfer it to a freezer container, where it will be good for another six months. Or you could make a double batch and know some will be on hand for a while.

Recipe courtesy of Southern Living.com

Amethyst · September 14, 2025, 4:08pm

Tartar Sauce

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 5 servings (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp)

Ingredients:

1 lemon, see note 1
1/2 cup mayo, see note 2
1-1/2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish or diced pickles—see note 3
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Zest and juice a lemon to get 1/2 teaspoon zest and 2 tablespoons juice. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I add 1/8 teaspoon of each). Mix well, taste, and adjust ingredients to your personal preference. Refrigerate sauce (covered) until ready to use. (The flavors will intensify as it sits.) Re-stir before using.
Enjoy your homemade Tartar Sauce with fish, fries, or any dish of your choice! Lots of ideas in the blog post!

Notes:

Note 1: I love zesting the lemon with a fine grater and then juicing with this citrus juicer.

Note 2: Use a good mayonnaise; the better the mayo, the better the sauce will taste. I love Hellman’s/Best Foods®. The full-fat version gives the sauce an incredibly rich, smooth flavor.

Note 3: Heinz® is my brand of choice for the sweet pickle relish. If you don’t want to use relish, finely dice bread-and-butter pickles instead!

Storage: Store Tartar Sauce in an airtight container in the fridge. It can be kept for up to 1 week. Before serving, give it a good stir to redistribute the ingredients, as the sauce may separate during storage. If it thickens too much during storage, thin it with a drizzle of lemon juice.

Storage:

Store Tartar Sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It can be kept for up to 1 week. Before serving, give it a good stir to redistribute the ingredients, as the ingredients may separate during storage. If it thickens too much, thin it with a drizzle of lemon juice.

Tartar Sauce is a great sauce to make ahead of time. It only gets more flavorful as it sits.

Nutritional Facts:

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so it should only be used as an approximation.

Recipe courtesy of Chelsea’s Messy Apron.com