40+ Incredible Caramel Recipes
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This collection of delicious Caramel Recipes includes everything from homemade salted caramel sauce and dulce de leche to caramel apple pie, cheesecakes, bars, sticky buns, and creme caramel. Whether you like your caramel gooey and chewy, silky and pourable, or crunchy like toffee, there's something for you here.
42 Ways To Eat More Caramel
I've been making caramel for years, and it is one of my favorite sweets. Drizzled on a cupcake, layered under chocolate, or pooled around a custard, it's the part everyone loves the most. Here are my favorite caramel recipes from Baking a Moment (with a few from my site, Or Whatever You Do thrown in), organized to help you find exactly what you're craving.
Why You'll Love These Caramel Recipes
- No matter your mood, there's a caramel recipe to match. You'll find chewy layers, pourable sauces, dulce de leche, cajeta, and crunchy toffee.
- Most of these caramel recipes are homemade. Many use my easy caramel sauce, so you can make a batch and use it in several desserts.
- These recipes fit any occasion. Choose from cozy fall bakes, make-ahead cheesecakes, party bars, or elegant plated desserts.
- There are also easy options. Some recipes only need a can of sweetened condensed milk or a jar of caramel sauce.
Dulce de Leche and Cajeta
These milk-based caramels have a rich, toffee-like flavor. Try these recipes if you want something a bit different.
Easy Dulce de Leche
A rich, creamy, sticky-sweet sauce made by slowly baking sweetened condensed milk, with a milky, toffee-like flavor.
Get The Recipe: Easy Dulce de Leche
Homemade Cajeta and Baked Churros
Cinnamon-sugar baked churros for dipping into homemade cajeta, a Mexican caramel made from goat's milk and dark brown sugar.
Get The Recipe: Homemade Cajeta and Baked Churros
Banoffee Pie
A graham cracker crust filled with a soft, fudgy toffee made from butter, brown sugar, and condensed milk, topped with bananas and whipped cream.
Get The Recipe: Banoffee Pie
Caramel Sauce, Candy, and Toffee
Make these basic recipes once, and you'll want to use them all week long.
Salted Caramel Sauce
Made from sugar, corn syrup, and water cooked to an amber color, then blended with cream, butter, salt, and vanilla. Thicken it for chewy caramels or thin it for pouring.
Get The Recipe: Simply Perfect Salted Caramel Sauce
Caramel Apples
Whole apples dipped in soft, chewy, buttery homemade caramel, then rolled in your favorite toppings.
Get The Recipe: Caramel Apples
Toffee
Crunchy, buttery toffee over toasted nuts, topped with melted chocolate and chopped nuts.
Get The Recipe: How to Make Toffee
Bourbon Maple Pecan Christmas Crack
Saltine crackers coated in a buttery brown sugar, maple, and bourbon toffee, then topped with pecans, mini chocolate chips, and salt.
Get The Recipe: Bourbon Maple Pecan Christmas Crack
Caramel Pecan Bites
Homemade nougat balls rolled in caramel and coated in toasted pecans.
Get The Recipe: Caramel Pecan Bites
Caramel Apple Recipes
Caramel and apples are a classic fall combination, and these recipes show just how many ways you can enjoy them together. in a lot of directions.
Caramel Apple Pie
Cinnamon-spiced apples under a flaky butter lattice crust, with salted caramel sauce drizzled over the apples before baking and again before serving.
Get The Recipe: Caramel Apple Pie
Caramel Apple Cupcakes
Cinnamon apple cupcakes with salted caramel buttercream, a caramel drizzle, and chopped salted peanuts.
Get The Recipe: Caramel Apple Cupcakes
Caramel Apple Cream Puffs
Crisp choux puffs filled with sautéed cinnamon apples and whipped pastry cream, finished with a salted caramel drizzle.
Get The Recipe: Caramel Apple Cream Puffs
Caramel Apple Oatmeal Carmelita Bars
A chewy oatmeal cookie base with cinnamon-spiced apples under a crumb topping, drizzled with salted caramel sauce.
Get The Recipe: Caramel Apple Oatmeal Carmelita Bars
Caramel Apple Bourbon Slush
A slush of apple cider, bourbon, apples, and ice blended with salted caramel sauce, with more caramel and chopped peanuts on the rim.
Get The Recipe: Caramel Apple Bourbon Slush
Salted Caramel Spiked Apple Cider
Hot apple cider spiked with salted caramel whiskey and topped with cinnamon whipped cream.
Get The Recipe: Salted Caramel Spiked Apple Cider
Caramel Cheesecakes
These cheesecakes are rich, creamy, and perfect for caramel drizzle.
Caramel Cheesecake
A dense New York-style cheesecake on a graham cracker crust, with caramel blended into the filling, swirled through, and drizzled on top.
Get The Recipe: Caramel Cheesecake
Caramel Pecan Cheesecake
A graham-pecan crust, a caramel-swirled cheesecake filling, and a finish of salted caramel drizzle and chopped pecans.
Get The Recipe: Caramel Pecan Cheesecake
Chocolate Caramel Chip Cheesecake
A chocolate cheesecake on a cookie crust, with caramel chips in the filling, caramel sauce on top, and a milk chocolate caramel square for garnish.
Get The Recipe: Chocolate Caramel Chip Cheesecake
Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake Tartlets
Chocolate shortbread-style tartlets with a gooey salted caramel layer under a fluffy no-bake cheesecake topping.
Get The Recipe: Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake Tartlets
Caramel Bars, Brownies, and Tarts
These treats are little layered masterpieces. They're always the first to disappear at parties.
Millionaire's Shortbread
Buttery shortbread with a chewy salted caramel center and a milk chocolate ganache top.
Get The Recipe: Millionaire's Shortbread
Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart
A shortbread-style crust filled with firm salted caramel and finished with a glossy dark chocolate glaze.
Get The Recipe: Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart
Snickers Blondie Tart
A peanut butter blondie base with crunchy peanuts, salted caramel, and milk chocolate ganache.
Get The Recipe: Snickers Blondie Tart
Salted Caramel Brownies
A soft, chewy salted caramel layer under a deep, fudgy cocoa brownie layer.
Get The Recipe: Salted Caramel Brownies
Caramel Brownies
Fudgy-cakey brownies with a gooey caramel middle, made by pouring melted caramel mixed with cream over half the batter before baking.
Get The Recipe: Caramel Brownies
Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Billionaire Bars
Shortbread topped with gooey salted caramel, edible peanut butter cookie dough, and chocolate ganache.
Get The Recipe: Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Billionaire Bars
Oatmeal Carmelitas
My chewy oat bars have a buttery crumble top and are layered with chocolate chips and salted caramel sauce.
Get The Recipe: Oatmeal Carmelitas
Bananas Foster Rice Krispie Treats
Crispy rice cereal bars with gooey marshmallow, brown sugar, banana, and rum, finished with a drizzle of salted caramel sauce.
Get The Recipe: Bananas Foster Rice Krispie Treats
Caramel Cakes, Cupcakes, and Breads
Snickers Cupcakes
Chocolate cupcakes topped with peanut butter frosting, a drizzle of salted caramel sauce, and chopped salted peanuts.
Get The Recipe: Snickers Cupcakes
Salted Caramel Mocha Heaven & Hell Cake
Alternating layers of angel food and devil's food cake with a light salted caramel mousse, espresso buttercream, and ganache.
Get The Recipe: Salted Caramel Mocha Heaven & Hell Cake
Homemade Snickers Cake
This simple chocolate cake is soaked in caramel and sweetened condensed milk, then topped with whipped cream, chopped Snickers, peanuts, and a caramel drizzle.
Get The Recipe: Homemade Snickers Cake
Chocolate Hazelnut Streusel Bread with Salted Caramel Sauce
A dense chocolate loaf with mini chocolate chips and chocolate hazelnut streusel, drizzled with buttery salted caramel sauce.
Get The Recipe: Chocolate Hazelnut Streusel Bread with Salted Caramel Sauce
Caramel Puddings, Custards, and Frozen Desserts
Earl Grey Creme Caramel
A tea-steeped baked custard in ramekins lined with real caramel.
Get The Recipe: Earl Grey Creme Caramel
Mango Chile Flan
A smooth, creamy mango custard baked over a deep amber, chile-infused caramel.
Get The Recipe: Mango Chile Flan
Salted Caramel Pudding
Chilled salted caramel pudding layered with Oreo crumbs and whipped cream.
Get The Recipe: Salted Caramel Pudding
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Soft, moist, individual date-studded cakes topped with a glossy toffee sauce made from caramelized sugar, cream, and butter.
Get The Recipe: Sticky Toffee Pudding
Dark and Stormy Sticky Toffee Pudding
Ginger cakes with rum-soaked dates, served with a butter rum caramel-style sauce.
Get The Recipe: Dark and Stormy Sticky Toffee Pudding
Caramel Pear Charlotte
Brown sugar vanilla cake layers around a salted caramel pear mousse, wrapped in ladyfingers and topped with caramel-dipped pears.
Get The Recipe: Caramel Pear Charlotte
Salted Caramel Brownie Ice Cream with TURTLES Clusters
Homemade vanilla ice cream layered with brownie chunks, TURTLES clusters, and swirls of salted caramel sauce.
Get The Recipe: Salted Caramel Brownie Ice Cream
Caramel Rolls and Sticky Buns
Homemade Sticky Buns
Cinnamon-swirled yeast rolls baked over a gooey brown sugar, honey, and butter caramel.
Get The Recipe: Sticky Buns Recipe
Traeger Caramel Rolls
Cinnamon-swirled yeast rolls finished with a saucepan caramel made from brown sugar, butter, heavy cream, and vanilla.
Get The Recipe: Traeger Caramel Rolls
Tips for Cooking With Caramel
- Use a heavy-bottomed saucepan because it heats evenly and helps prevent the sugar from burning.
- Watch the color instead of the clock. Caramel can go from amber to burnt quickly, so remove it from the heat when it reaches the right shade.
- Use a candy thermometer for caramel layers. When recipes call for a specific temperature, like for firm caramel in bars and tarts, hitting the right number helps them set properly.
- Warm the cream before adding it to hot sugar. Cold cream can cause the mixture to bubble up and seize.
- Let caramel cool before drizzling. It should be thick enough to hold its shape on frosting or cheesecake.
- Store homemade caramel sauce in a jar in the refrigerator, and warm it gently before using.
Frequently Asked Questions
Caramel is made by cooking sugar until it turns golden brown, usually with butter and cream. Dulce de leche is made by slowly cooking milk and sugar (or sweetened condensed milk) until thick, so it tastes milky and toffee-like rather than sharply sweet. Try my Easy Dulce de Leche.
Cajeta is a Mexican caramel made from goat's milk. My Homemade Cajeta and Baked Churros recipe uses goat's milk and dark brown sugar.
Start with Salted Caramel Sauce, which you can use in dozens of desserts, or easy dulce de leche, which starts with sweetened condensed milk.
Caramel is soft and chewy or pourable, while toffee is cooked longer into a hard, buttery candy. My Toffee is crunchy and topped with chocolate and nuts.
Sometimes. For recipes that use caramel as a drizzle or a mix-in, yes. Recipes that call for caramel cooked to a specific temperature, like the Millionaire's Shortbread, require the homemade version to set properly.
The Caramel Apple Pie, Caramel Apple Cupcakes, and Sticky Toffee Pudding are all great choices.
Salted Caramel Pudding, Caramel Apples, and Toffee are made on the stovetop with no cake or crust to bake.
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