Here’s a rich, creamy caramel sauce made with butter and rum that will add the perfect finishing touch to that sweet dish you’re making.  The addition of Puerto Rican rum lends a smooth, mellow flavor to this caramel sauce. Be sure to take extra precaution when making this sauce, since melted sugar has a much higher temperature than boiling water. Also, when you add the cream, the mixture will foam up, so be sure to use a saucepan with high sides.

Serve a drizzle of this caramel sauce with Yes to Cooking’s French Crêpe with Yogurt and Fresh Fruit!

Time: 10 minutes

Yield: 1.5 cup

Ingredients:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 water
2 tbsp. corn syrup
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. rum
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch of kosher salt

Instructions:
1) Combine sugar, salt, water, and corn syrup in a saucepan.  With a metal whisk or wooden spoon, stir until the sugar resembles wet sand.
2) Place on medium-high heat and cook until sugar reaches a light brown color, while stirring occasionally.
3) When the mixture reaches a color resembling iced tea (about 6-8 minutes), add heavy cream and rum.  (Note: The mixture will bubble furiously as the cream is added.)  Remove saucepan from heat.
4) Whisk in butter and vanilla extract.  Continue stirring for another minute.
5) Transfer caramel sauce to a bowl to cool. The sauce will thicken as it sits.

Tips:
Sugar burns extremely quickly so remember to never leave the sugar syrup unattended while on the stove and constantly stir the mixture with a spoon/whisk.