We’ve made it to Friday and the start of another weekend. Another covid weekend in particular, which is pretty different for us (and most I imagine,) than a typical summer Saturday or Sunday spent out and about with friends and family. But, as long as we have tasty frozen desserts to keep us smiling and cool, we’re ok passing the time a bit more quietly at home. These Easy Salted Peanut Caramel Sundaes do the trick perfectly. And their minimal hands-on effort (read mostly store-bought components) and no baking required is just what this mama needs sometimes.
When it comes to sundaes, I’ll pretty much always prefer the classic, hot fudge. Unless of course, someone puts a little jar of this deliciousness in front of me, then I’ll definitely reach for a spoon and start drizzling away with the caramel. Then some chocolate sprinkles or candies on top, and you have the best of both worlds. (I won’t be offended if you also throw some of the said hot fudge on there as well.) Bananas are also a smart addition. And so many other ice creams are amazing with this besides vanilla. Think chocolate, cookie dough, apple cinnamon, pumpkin, chocolate chip, caramel, strawberry, green tea, rocky road…you get the idea.
Now, let’s talk about how to make this caramel. It starts with a dry caramel. What is that? Well there are two classes of caramel- wet & dry. The wet starts with some sugar and water cooked over the stove to dissolve the sugar. And the dry is just that, dry because it begins by cooking only sugar on the stovetop until it melts and dissolves into an amber brown hue then you whisk in some cream, then butter and salt and vanilla
Some people prefer to make a dry caramel by whisking the sugar the entire time over the stove. I on the other hand, prefer to let the sugar begin to melt on it’s own untouched, then gently swirl the pan to begin to incorporate the rest of the sugar and then once most starts to melt, stir continuously. The sugar can crystallize or burn if you’re not careful which is why some are very particular about how they make their caramel and once they find a method that works, they stick with that. I like both ways and think they each have their place. With that said, the crystallization is hard to correct and sometimes you just have to start over. But the burnt caramel, can actually be a good thing for those who like that flavor. I’m one of those people.
As far as what you can do with this beautiful sauce, well, the options are really endless. You can start by eating by the spoonful. Or for the sake of today’s post, you can drizzle it all over some ice cream, add fun toppings of choice and make a yummy sundae everyone can personalize and will love. I also use this caramel in my chocolate snickers cake posted on Instagram. And it would be absolutely delicious for a cheesecake, a chocolate tart or how about smothered all over brownies. Yum!
Any which way that suits you, I think you’ll really enjoy this. And what a fun weekend treat without much work involved. And the best part, you should still have leftovers for a by the spoonful moment when no one’s watching. Your secret’s safe with me. Happy Friday!
Easy Salted Peanut Caramel Sundaes
Ingredients
- 1 c (200g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 c (4oz) heavy cream
- 6 tbsps (90g) butter, cubed & room temp
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup roasted & salted peanuts, slightly chopped (shelled)
For the sundae:
- vanilla ice cream or ice cream of choice
- toppings like chocolate sprinkles, jimmies, malted pearls, or chocolate chips or shavings
- whipped cream (optional)
- maraschino cherries (optional)
Instructions
-
Add the sugar to a medium-sized (not small) saucepan and set over medium heat. Let the sugar start to melt and dissolve. It will begin to bubble a little bit as it cooks. Swirl the pan as necessary to help the melted sugar spread. Once most of the sugar has dissolved, stir it gently with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to incorporate all the sugar. Continue stirring until all the sugar is completely melted and is a nice brown-amber color. (It should not smell burnt.)
-
Once the caramel has reached an amber color, remove from heat and VERY CAREFULLY drizzle the cream in a steady stream while stirring. It will bubble and sputter pretty violently as the cool cream hits the hot caramel, so watch your hands and the steam coming up to your face. Once all the cream is added, place the pot back over the medium flame and continue to stir until any caramel that siezed up is melted again and the mixture has boiled for about a minute.
-
Remove the pan from the heat and carefully stir in the cubed butter and continue stirring until it is all melted. If necessary place the pan back over the heat for a few seconds to melt it all. Then pour into a (completely dry) bowl, and stir in the salt and vanilla. Let cool to room temperature.
-
Once almost completely cool, stir in the peanuts. Taste if you want to add more salt and then let cool completely.
-
Store covered in an airtight container in the fridge for about a month or a few months in the freezer.
To assemble the sundaes:
-
Scoop some vanilla ice cream or ice cream of choice into a bowl. Drizzle the cooled salted caramel all over the ice cream. And add your toppings of choice like chocolate sprinkles, chocolate chips, mini chocolate malt pearls, maraschino cherries or whipped cream. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*Some other ideas to use this caramel: as a sauce, a filling for a cake or pie, a topping for a tart or cheesecake, brownies or bars.
*You can make this ahead of time. and store it airtight in the fridge or freezer for a few months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature, then warm it up before using.
*It can be kept at room temperature for a day if necessary.
*This recipe can be doubled, but I don’t recommend making a larger batch than that as it can be hard to get that much sugar to caramelize without crystallizing.
*If you don’t like the salted factor, reduce the salt by half. A little bit really helps balance the sweetness so I don’t recommend cutting it completely.
