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Best way to make caramel sauce from caramels?

cloudy_christine

16 years ago

I hate to even mention it on the same page as a question about Ann's caramel sauce. But I've had Trader Joe's caramels taking up space in the cabinet for a long time, and I need to use them. We'd eat this on vanilla ice cream. I know there are some recipes that use evaporated milk, and some that don't. Internet searching hasn't helped a lot. Anyone have a t&t way to do this? Less sweet preferred.

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Comments (10)

annie1992
16 years ago
CC, I just put caramels in the microwave with a bit of water and melt 'em when I'm in a pinch. (shrug) It works pretty well for dunking apple slices and over ice cream.

Annie
erc3
16 years ago
I just place them in a saucepan with a bit of cream, stir over med-low heat.
Lots of stirring - but good results!
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khandi
16 years ago
I do the same as erc3. Just add cream to desired consistency.
Terri_PacNW
16 years ago
oh gosh..I'd just eat them.. I love good caramels!
cloudy_christine
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks! It's even easier than I thought. I like the flavor of caramels but not the chewiness and the sticking to teeth.
jannie
16 years ago
I buy jars of caramel ice cream sauce. They are perfect!
Virginia7074
16 years ago
I've melted caramels with cream and that's pretty good. Jannie - is there a brand of caramel sauce you especiailly like? I don't like "butterscotchy" caramel sauce and haven't hit on any yet.

What I'd really like to successfully make - just once - is homemade caramel where you start by melting sugar. I've tried it a few times, but either the sugar just gets crispy (which DD actually likes) or the caramel is pretty pale and anemic.

When it comes right down to it though, I'm like Mikey with caramel - I'll eat anything!
annie1992
16 years ago
Virginia, I agree, I'll eat anything that resembles caramel, and all I get is very chewy sugar when I try that.

So, CC, how'd the caramel sauce come out? Shall we all drop by for ice cream? Or maybe a bit of caramel apple pie?

Annie
Terri_PacNW
16 years ago
Annie and Virginia, Me too..it's on of my favorite sweets.

Although I can live without the sticking to teeth thing..but sometimes...you just gotta eat it any way.

LOL

Has anyone tried AnnT's directions to make caramels? The one she often includes with her Caramel Sauce instructions? I think it's also close to what she offers as her Maple Fudge recipe..(which is over the moon good!)
cloudy_christine
Original Author
16 years ago
Annie, I used your method -- just heated some caramels and some water into the microwave. It worked fine, and I even got the amount of water right, quite by chance. We had it last night over vanilla ice cream. It was good, but.. these were the TJ "fleur de sel" caramels, and that saltiness became more noticeable in the sauce. So it was best with a restrained amount of sauce.
I'm thinking it would be very good in something like turtle candy. Maybe a liquid turtle.

As I was eating my caramel sundae, I thought again how much Haagen-Dazs vanilla has changed for the worse. Until the last few years, it was one of the truly perfect foods. Now it is much sweeter, and the vanilla flavor is different.
I wonder if there's an ice cream like the old Haagen-Dasz vanilla.

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