There’s a reason that the spice trade has dominated certain trade routes since basically the beginning of time (i.e. as early as the 10th millennium BC): flavor. Spice mixes can deliver so much punch to the food that they season. And Old Bay seasoning packs a unique flavor that has stood the test of time.

Well, I’m here to spill the secrets. While you can find Old Bay in grocery stores across the nation, there’s something deeply satisfying about creating your own blend from scratch. Not only does it allow you to tailor the flavor to your liking, but the process itself is a delightful journey into the world of spices and seasonings.

This blend has become a pantry staple for chefs and home cooks alike. In this post, I’ll break down the core ingredients that define Old Bay’s signature taste and share a recipe that ensures your spice blend achieves the perfect equilibrium of flavors.

I clearly love making my own spice mixes – see my jerk seasoning, blackened seasoning, or homemade rub on pulled pork. I think it helps to better understand spices, herbs, and flavors. Learn what goes well together and find out specifically which seasonings you like most to use in the future.

Prepare to elevate your dishes to new heights with this homemade Old Bay Seasoning mix.

What is Old Bay Seasoning Spice Mix?

Originally created as ‘Delicious Brand Shrimp and Crab Seasoning’ for the Baltimore Spice Company, Gustav Brunn created the mix to sell after founding the company. This unique blend of spices was created in 1939 after he emigrated with his family from Germany to the Baltimore, Maryland area in the United States.

The mix was later renamed Old Bay after the passenger ship line Old Bay Line that traveled the Chesapeake Bay from Baltimore to Norfolk, Virginia.

The blend of spices has a unique savory saltiness that is balanced out with hints of sweetness and spicy heat.

Since it was originally branded as a shrimp and crab seasoning, Old Bay is forever connected to seafood. Crab cakes, seafood boils, steamed shrimp…

But Old Bay is a versatile seasoning that can be used in a variety of ways, as we’ll soon discover.

What is the Secret Ingredient?

What makes Old Bay so special?

Though it’s a blend of many spices and herbs (16 in our case!), there’s one main unique ingredient that binds them all together and creates the iconic flavor we know and love.

That secret ingredient is something called celery seed. Unsurprisingly, celery seed tastes a lot like celery. But a bit more concentrated and with more earthy bitterness that can sometimes be spicy feeling.

However, the real secret to making Old Bay Seasoning is in the proportions. You can’t just throw all the ingredients together and expect to get the same flavor. It’s the subtle combination and balance of the seasonings that make the difference.

Use too much or too little of any one ingredient and it can dramatically change the end result.

All the Spices in Old Bay Seasoning

So we know there’s celery seed. But what else goes into making the unique spices and seasonings of Old Bay?

Of course, we include some kosher salt in the mix. Salt really brings out the flavors of everything else and

Old Bay seasoning boasts a captivating blend of spices and herbs, each contributing distinct characteristics to its unique flavor profile. For simplicity, I’ll categorize them into several flavor groups:

Herbal and Earthy Notes: Dried bay leaves and paprika, especially the smokiness from smoked paprika, introduce a subtle woodsy freshness and a rich, earthy quality to Old Bay.

Tangy Kick: Mustard powder provides a mild, tangy kick that adds depth and complexity to the blend.

Heat and Spice: Black pepper, red pepper flakes, and white pepper collectively deliver a balanced level of spiciness, providing the subtle kick of Old Bay.

Warmth and Complexity: Cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, and ginger combine to create a warm, complex flavor profile that infuses the seasoning with layers of sweet and spicy notes.

Light Citrusy and Floral Sweetness: Cardamom and coriander bring a delightful citrusy, slightly sweet, and floral quality to Old Bay, enhancing its aromatic characteristics.

As you can see, Old Bay seasoning is a masterful fusion of spices and herbs, each contributing a unique essence to the overall flavor profile. The precise proportions and careful blending of these ingredients are the keys to achieving the beloved, perfectly balanced taste of Old Bay.

So, there you have it – all the spices and ingredients that make up Old Bay seasoning.

Getting the Perfect Balance

When it comes to flavor, it’s all about getting the perfect balance. Think of it like a game of Jenga: the goal is to stack the pieces just right to create a beautiful and delicious tower of flavor. It’s not easy, but if you focus on the right spices and ingredients, you can make it happen.

For starters, try making the mix with the ratios as suggested in the recipe below. Then use it and taste it in a few dishes. Try to get a feel for the flavor and what you do and don’t like about it.

Think especially about the general flavor groupings I made in the section above. Also, take into account any spices you just aren’t a fan of.

Then it’s time to make your own adjustments as you see fit. Don’t like the heat? Take out some of the red pepper flakes. Not a fan of the smokiness? Pull back on the smoked paprika. Cutting back on sodium? Lose some of the salt.

Make it your own, that’s one of the best parts of making homemade spice mixes.

Blending or Grinding the Spice Mix

The goal is a cohesive mix of spices. Not just a jumbled hodge-podge of loosely layered powders.

So it is time to take all of our ingredients to a blender or spice grinder.

I use a small nutribullet blender when mixing together my spice mixes because it is what I have on hand. I’ve been interested in but never pulled the trigger on buying a spice grinder so I can’t really speak to their effectiveness. Let me know if you’ve used one before and if it produces much different results than a blender.

When blending the spice mix, it’s important to remember that you don’t want to overmix it. The idea is to combine the spices without crushing them too much. Overmixing can cause the flavors to become muted.

The best way to accomplish this is with short bursts or pulsing of the blender/grinder. Pulse the seasoning mix 5 to 8 times until everything has combined into a homogenous mix. The main thing to look out for is the bay leaves to make sure they have fully broken down with everything else.

Once it’s mixed together, store it in an airtight container. You may want to label it with the name of the mix as well as the date it was made.

Using the Old Bay Seasoning Spice Mix

With the Old Bay seasoning mixed together, it’s time to start putting it to use.

As noted above, it has historically been used with seafood. But seafood is just the beginning – especially if you ask anyone from the Chesapeake Bay area.

Try it with any of the following:

• Grilled Old Bay Chicken
• Topping any steamed seafood
• Simple Crab Cakes
• Popcorn topping
• Fries and potato wedge topping
• Old Bay Aioli for dipping

Old Bay seasoning is a great way to add a little bit of something extra to your meals. It can take a dish from ordinary to extraordinary. And the best part? You can use this seasoning on almost anything! So go ahead and add some Old Bay seasoning to your food and enjoy its delicious flavor.

How did yours turn out?

I’d love to hear when you try making homemade old bay seasoning! Take a pic of your food and share your success with me by adding it to your Instagram stories or feed, and tagging me @doyouroux, or by using #doyouroux.

Plus, leave a rating to let me know how you liked the recipe. It helps me out a lot to know how things worked out… or didn’t.

Old Bay Seasoning Spice Mix

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: Spices, Sauces and Condiments, SeasoningsDifficulty: Easy

Servings

20

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking timeminutes

Total time

5

minutes

Discover the perfectly blended spice mix for your culinary creations – learn the secret to homemade Old Bay seasoning!

Ingredients

• 8 dried bay leaves

• 2 tablespoons kosher salt

• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons celery seed

• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika

• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons mustard powder

• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 teaspoon paprika

• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

• 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom

Directions

• Combine all of the ingredients in a small blender or spice grinder and pulse 5 to 8 times until well combined and the bay leaves are broken down
• Put your spice mix into an airtight container and keep it in a cool, dry place

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For something so simple and, on its own, kind of plain, potatoes are quite magical. Especially when boiled and whipped together to make these homestyle mashed potatoes.

I’ve even made mashed potatoes from homegrown plants before. It was especially entertaining to make mashed potatoes with the blue potatoes we had grown in the backyard. Vibrant blue mashed potatoes kind of trick your brain a little.

It definitely looked like we had thrown food coloring in with them when mixing. But that is just how they were.

The goal is to avoid the two extremes of mashed potatoes – watery and gluey.

So get to peeling or scrubbing your tubers and make yourself some perfect homestyle mashed potatoes. Note – if you are not peeling your potatoes, make sure that you thoroughly scrub the outside clean. Use a dedicated vegetable brush. They are cheap and make it much easier to get all those nooks and crannies.

Prepping and Cooking the Potatoes

Potatoes are mostly water and starch. Different varieties of potatoes will vary in starch levels. And, in my opinion, any variety can give you good mashed potatoes. You may have to make some slight adjustments to get things perfect, but they’ll work. With thousands of varieties out there, you’ll be sure to find a favorite.

My go-to variety is Yukon gold potatoes when mashing. They’ve got a fair amount of starch and good flavor.

Cut the potato into evenly sized pieces for boiling. It doesn’t need to be perfect, but the consistency of cut = consistency of cook. You don’t want one huge slab of potato in with a lot of smaller bits, since the small ones will be tender and ready while the center of the large piece is still raw.

Make sure to salt the water. The potatoes absorb a lot of the water while cooking, so salting the water will add a lot of flavor into the potatoes themselves.

Don’t overmix. So, watch your potatoes as you mix and mash them to make sure that you don’t take it too far.

In my opinion, using a powered hand mixer is better than a masher or a food processor. You can also use a potato ricer, but that is a pretty niche tool to have in your kitchen. More power to you if you’ve got one though.

Yes, I use the same hand mixer for homestyle mashed potatoes that I use to make my homemade whipped cream. It is fast, efficient, and really easy to clean in the dishwasher. So I use it any time I can. It is much easier than using a hand masher, though that can be done. The only real thing to worry about is the potential to over-mix your potatoes.

Using Homestyle Mashed Potatoes

You can always just eat mashed potatoes by the spoonful straight from the bowl after whipping them together.

No one is judging you over here.

But if you are thinking of pairing these with something else to make a meal, then homestyle mashed potatoes go well with:

• Grilled Steak
• Sage Roasted Turkey and Homemade Gravy
• Shepherd’s Pie
• Roast chicken (and gravy)
• Beef Stroganof
• Fried Chicken (…and gravy…)

So, basically, anything with gravy.

But to add some flavor to the mashed potatoes themselves, mix in things like sour cream, bacon, cheese, garlic (or roasted garlic!), butter, or your favorite seasoning mix. Include some chives for a pop of green and fresh flavor. Or try to copy the Cheesecake Factory potatoes and mix in some horseradish.

Any way you mash it, you’ll be having a buttery good time.

Homestyle Mashed Potatoes

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: SidesDifficulty: Easy

Servings

10

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

Total time

40

minutes

Fluffy, buttery, creamy potatoes cooked and mashed to make the best side dish ever

Ingredients

• 5 pounds potatoes

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

• 1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

• If you want smooth results, peel the potatoes and rinse them off, otherwise scrub and clean the potatoes with skin on for skin-on mashed potatoes (especially for red potatoes)
• Cut the potatoes into 1/2- to 1-inch cubes
• Add the potatoes to a large pot, cover them with water so that it comes an inch above the potatoes, and stir in 1/4 cup salt
• Get out the butter and cream so they can come to room temperature
• Bring the pot of potatoes to a boil over high heat, reduce it to medium-high once it begins to boil, and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes until the potatoes are fork-tender
• Drain the potatoes and let them sit in the strainer for 2 to 3 minutes to let off steam
• Pour the potatoes, butter, cream, pepper, and 2 teaspoons salt into a large mixing bowl and use a hand masher, potato ricer, or hand mixer to mix the potatoes together to the desired consistency
• Less mixing will leave a few potato lumps within the mash, while more mixing will lead to super smooth potatoes – but be careful not to over-mix as this will lead to gluey potatoes

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Take a potato. Bake it. Baked potato. Ok, there’s a little bit more in how to make a baked potato. But it isn’t difficult and there are just a few tricks that will help elevate your potato game to perfection. So, read on and take notes to kick your spuds into high gear.

It is a fairly simple concept in and of itself. Apply heat to the root vegetables and the starches inside will absorb moisture and soften up. A similar process happens when rice cooks as well. So when it is done cooking we have something edible instead of a hard, crunchy root.

The goal of a baked potato is to get the inside perfectly fluffy, yet moist. This entails cooking it fully through so that it is no longer tough, but not cooking it so much that it begins to dry out. It is a delicate balance and can take a little practice to truly get down right.

For something truly incredible, try using these perfectly baked potatoes in other dishes that start with cooked potatoes. Twice-baked potatoes, breakfast potato hash, potato salad, or baked potato soup.

Tricks for Good Spuds

Always start with a deep scrubbing of your potatoes. An inexpensive vegetable brush can help to thoroughly clean all of your vegetables before cooking. This is just good practice to wash and sometimes scrub all produce before using and eating. Especially for root vegetables, give them a good scrub before you think about popping them in your mouth.

This next tip of mine may be a bit controversial. I recommend wrapping potatoes with foil before baking. I think this helps to keep them from drying out. They also have less tendency to overcook when wrapped. However, it also doesn’t give as crispy of an outside skin, which some people love. For a crispier skin, you can take potatoes out of the foil for the last 15 minutes or so of cook time.

Before closing the foil and tossing everything into the oven, brush the potatoes with butter or olive oil. Then sprinkle them with salt and pepper for the bake. This adds a whole lot of flavor and protects against drying them out.

And finally, put the potatoes on a baking sheet. You don’t want any butter, oil, etc. dripping down in your oven. It will start burning and smoking. Then the smoke will leak out of the oven and create a big haze in your house. Then you have to open windows and turn on fans to clear things up. Definitely not speaking from personal experience, I heard it from a friend it happened to once…

Baked Potato Creations

A baked potato alone isn’t the most appetizing, even when cooked perfectly. It just doesn’t have enough flavor by itself. You need a little something to go with it. Add more than a little and you can have yourself a full meal with the potato as the base.

For a classic baked potato use any of the following toppings: butter, sour cream, chives, chopped bacon, shredded cheese, dill, and cheese sauce. This potato can be served as a side – especially with a great grilled steak. It can also be served as a meal.

But to really elevate the humble baked potato to full meal status, try topping it with something outside of the ordinary: pulled pork, chili, broccoli and white cheddar sauce, shredded turkey and gravy, buffalo sauce and gorgonzola, bbq chicken, or pesto and chicken.

And you can really make a night of it by having all of the toppings available at a baked potato bar. This is a very simple meal for a large group. The potatoes can easily stay warm for a while. Everyone can customize to their heart’s content. And honestly, who doesn’t love the starchy goodness of potatoes?

How to Make the Perfect Baked Potato

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: SidesDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

50

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

5

minutes

From basic side to full-on meal, the humble baked potato is a versatile food – so learn how to make them flavorful and fluffy

Ingredients

• 6 large russet potatoes

• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt

• 3/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

• Wash and scrub the potatoes, then poke them on all sides with a fork to give steam an escape while cooking
• Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C)
• Tear out 6 foil sheets, large enough to fully wrap an individual potato
• Put a potato in the center of a foil sheet, top with 1/2 tbsp butter, salt, pepper, and wrap it together, pinching the top closed
• Repeat step 4 with all remaining potatoes
• Place the wrapped potatoes on a baking sheet and put it in the oven for 50 minutes
• After 50 minutes, test the potatoes by sticking a knife or fork through the largest one and seeing if it slides through smoothly. If so, it is done, if there is still resistance, keep cooking and checking every 5 minutes until done
• Once they are done cooking, pull them out of the oven and open up the foil to let them cool slightly, then remove them from the foil and serve with whatever toppings are desired

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Guacamole is like ordering ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery. You mash up the avocados and then you get to choose all of your mix-ins. And while the base itself is really good, the mix-ins help determine how it all comes together. This is how to make guacamole in the best way possible.

For the basic ingredients, we start with avocados, lime juice, and salt. That is really how to make a simple guacamole. This gives you a creamy delicious dip that pairs with almost anything. But if you want a little more excitement with your guac, add in some flavor and wow factor.

I highly recommend getting your avocados a few days before you will need to use them. Straight from the grocery store they are typically still not quite ripe and wouldn’t make the perfect guac. They might even be too hard to even attempt mashing. Countertop ripening is really the best method, but it is the slowest. Place them in a brown paper bag to let them breathe but keep them in a semi-enclosed space. If you really need to speed up the ripening, introduce a banana or apple to the paper bag.

And if your avocados are ripe and you’re not quite ready to use them, then stick them in the fridge where they’ll stay for 1 to 3 days before going overripe. Fun fact – at one point avocados were referred to as alligator pears. Go figure.

Guacamole Mix-Ins

Like I said before, the mix-ins are what truly define how to make guacamole. You can tailor it to the tastes, preferences, and dietary restrictions of anyone enjoying the dip. Experiment a little and you can even discover your own true signature guacamole mix. You can even serve the guacamole surrounded by all of the different options for people to mix their own.

The first time I really saw a guacamole addition that blew my mind was ordering tableside guac at Mi Dia. The server mixing it up fresh for us asked the spice level we wanted and went through all of the mix-in options. When he asked if we wanted to include bacon I was confused. I had never had bacon in guacamole before and for some reason, it seemed strange. But then we tried it. I have added bacon to like 75% of my homemade batches since.

Of all the options out there, here are the flavor additions that I recommend the most: hot sauce (I prefer Cholula), tomatoes, salsa, sun-dried tomatoes, red onion, crispy chopped bacon, garlic, peppers (jalapeno most commonly), corn, cilantro, and pineapple.

So look that list over and decide what you think sounds like the most winning combination. Also, consider quickly char-roasting any of the vegetables you might add to the guacamole. It will add a great depth of flavor. You can toss the veggies on the grill or throw them under the broiler on high for just a few minutes.

What to Pair

Guacamole makes for the perfect party dip. Pair it with salsa and cream cheese dill dip for an ultimate triple-dipping spread. This is great for parties, small get-togethers, or even just to have out as an after-school snack.

For dipping use any of the following: tortilla chips, pita chips, pita bread, sliced sweet peppers, carrot sticks

You can use guacamole as a sort of appetizer dip, but it can also be used as a side or topping for a variety of dishes. For these dishes, guacamole is no longer the star of the show, but an accompaniment to transform the dish into the best that it can taste.

For topping, try any of these dishes: enchiladas, burgers, tacos, omelets, southwest salad, tortilla soup, quesadillas

However you use the guac, know that you can mix it up with exactly what you want. Just keep in mind that if you use every single mix in that I have listed, you may need a little more avocado with your toppings.

How to Make Guacamole

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: AppetizersDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking timeminutes

Total time

15

minutes

Creamy avocado dip made exactly how you like it

Ingredients

• 4 large avocados

• 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• Optional Mix-Ins

• 1/3 cup diced tomatoes

• 1/3 cup diced red onion

• 1 tablespoon minced cilantro

• 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic

• 1/4 cup chopped crispy bacon

• 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes

• 2 teaspoons hot sauce

• 2 tablespoons diced jalapeno pepper

• 1/3 cup corn

• 1/3 cup diced pineapple

Directions

• Slice the avocados in half and remove the pits
• Use a spoon to scoop the fruit out of the skin
• Add the avocado, lime juice, and salt to a large mixing bowl
• Use a fork to smash and stir the avocado together, leaving some larger chunks of avocado
• Loosely stir in any of the desired toppings and then serve

Notes

• If you are trying to store guacamole for later use or as leftovers, use an airtight container and press plastic wrap directly to the top of the entire exposed surface to keep it from browning

The post How to Make Guacamole appeared first on Do You Roux?.

A few years back, my wife and I went to a World Market store to peruse the shop. We may have had some goal in mind, but I can’t recall. A smaller, more square-ish than normal little cookbook caught my eye with a photo of pancakes dripping with a deeply purple blueberry syrup.

I flipped through a few pages but ended up leaving the store without it. A couple of months later I opened a birthday present to find that little cookbook. It turns out my wife saw that I enjoyed it and went back later that same day to get it for me.

So very thoughtful of her.

The Cookbook That Could

That little cookbook is Pancakes, Waffles, Crêpes & French Toast: Irresistible recipes from the griddle. Obviously, the book focuses on breakfast items. But the single recipe that I have used the most is one for salted caramel sauce. The book basically opens right to that page if you open it up. Though last time it was stuck together with a little residual caramel.

The funny thing is, the sauce isn’t even a recipe unto itself in the book. It is a recipe for a kind of waffle and the sauce, to be used in combination. But I’ve only ever made the caramel.

The photo of it was so enticing that I just could not resist. I had never tried making caramel before. I thought it was too complicated.

But those photos.

So I just set out and attempted it one Saturday morning for brunch and deliciousness ensued. Since then I have made the sauce many times, and then eventually adapted and updated it with my own variations.

Making Salted Caramel Sauce

Caramel sauce is easier to make than I guessed it would be.

Caramel is essentially sugar that is slowly melted and heated until it browns and develops that signature flavor. Combine that with cream and you’ve got a caramel sauce. Some other ingredients help lend flavor – salt, vanilla, butter, etc. But that is the gist of it.

There are also two main methods for making caramel – wet and dry methods. The dry method is melting sugar by itself in a pan. The wet method is melting the sugar with water. The dry method is more traditional and is generally more difficult during the initial melting phase to let the sugar evenly melt. With the wet method, it is easier to melt the sugar but you have to wait for that water to evaporate and my research shows that it may be more prone to crystallization.

This recipe uses a form of the wet method by melting butter with the sugar at the start. Looking around at other caramel sauce recipes, I don’t seem to see many that add butter at this stage. But that is the way I first tried it and how I tend to do things.

Even though caramel is sticky and can get messy, it actually cleans up real easy with hot water. So don’t be afraid of cleaning the saucepan or the counter after cooking.

I recommend using high-quality butter, cream, and vanilla in this recipe for it to reach its fullest potential. Sometimes it is worth the splurge.

I have heard of issues with caramel crystallization, but haven’t had a whole lot of issues with this recipe. It seems that melting the butter with the sugar really helps keep those issues at bay. Who knows. If you are having any issues with the sugar crystallizing, let me know in the comments and we can try to work it out.

Caution – melted sugar is extremely hot and dangerous, especially to a person with a penchant for sneaking tastes while cooking.

Steps and Stages

I will walk through the stages that I see while cooking, referencing the image below with the numbers on how it tends to look throughout the different steps.

First add the butter and sugar to a saucepan to melt together (stage 1). The butter will melt first. Whisk it together with the sugar (stage 2) until it is all melted and combined. Continue to cook the sugar mixture and it will start to bubble and foam up (stage 3). Then the mixture will kind of look like it is dried out and clumping together (stage 4).

Continue stirring as you heat the mixture and the butter will start to separate, almost like oil and water (stages 5 and 6). Keep it on the heat, stirring occasionally, and the clumped sugar will melt underneath the butter and start looking like a melted caramel under butter (stage 7). At this stage, cook the sugar until it reaches the level of caramelization that you want. Shorter time for a lighter, sweeter, more buttery caramel. Slightly longer for a deeper flavor with some almost burnt notes. If it starts to smoke at all, immediately remove it and move to the next steps. It may be a little burnt, but it might not overpower the flavors yet.

Add the cream into the sugar mixture and whisk together (stage 8) – note that it will bubble up violently when adding the cream. Also add the vanilla and salt at this stage. Now the caramel is made, but you can continue cooking to get it to the consistency you want. For a more runny sauce, take it from the heat immediately. For a thicker sauce, continue cooking for a few more minutes to cook out some liquid (stage 9). Let the sauce cool a bit before using (stage 10).

Uses for Salted Caramel Sauce: Topping ice cream, pancakes, or buttermilk waffles, whisking into hot chocolate, filling a cake, drizzling over cupcakes/frosting, mixing with whipped cream, or just eating a straight spoonful

Buttery Salted Caramel Sauce

Course: DessertDifficulty: Moderate

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Total time

20

minutes

Buttery and sweet or a little bitter and biting, this salted caramel sauce is versatile, quick and easy to make for topping almost anything

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 tablespoon large flaky salt

Directions

• Melt the butter and sugar in a saucepan on medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar has melted and is no longer clumped together
• Once the sugar is melted, continue to cook the sugar until it reaches the level of color and caramelization you want (less time for a sweeter, lighter sauce and more time for a more bitter, darker sauce) – if it starts smoking at all, move immediately to the next steps
• Whisk the cream into the sugar mixture until they are fully combined – it will sputter and bubble up when first adding the cream
• Add in the vanilla and salt
• Cook it to the desired consistency then remove it from heat and let cool before using – cooking longer will release moisture and lead to a thicker sauce

The post Buttery Salted Caramel Sauce appeared first on Do You Roux?.