Salted Caramel

Ingredients

• 500g White Sugar

• 200g Salted Butter

• 200g Double Cream

• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

• ½ tsp Salt ** optional for the salted caramel

Method

To begin you need to use a saucepan with a wide bottom, we want the sugar to only have a thin layer.

Using a smaller pan will mean the sugar has a thick coating and the bottom is more likely to burn before the heat reaches the top.

Pour your sugar into the pan and put this on a medium heat, don't go too high too quickly or it will burn. Every minute swirl the pan around, do not add any utensils into this or it will cause crystallisation, which means sugar lumps.

You will see that the outer parts start to melt and become an amber colour, continuing to swirl often. Taking it off the heat to swirl will help the bottom to not burn. The more the sugar melts, try to keep it off the heat for about 10 seconds at a time, this will give the top layer a chance to incorporate with the bottom and melt.

You want to keep the amber colour not turn into a deeper brown as this will make the caramel bitter, you will be able to smell it if it has become too hot and burnt. I took mine off the heat for the last minute and it did eventually dissolve, the bottom sugar is very hot.

Once it has all melted add in your butter, but do this in chunks and stir it in, be very careful as it will bubble up slightly. If it looks as though it is struggling to incorporate, pop it back onto the heat, but not for long. I like to have the pan half on and half off the ring, but I have an electric stove so this is possible.

Once it is all incorporated and silky add in the cream and salt if you are doing salted caramel, this does bubble a lot so do it at an arm's length. Stir it in and then add the vanilla. Pop it into a separate bowl and cover with cling. Once cooled, store it in the fridge.