Make this classic easy homemade caramel sauce in as little as 15 minutes. Have a jar of this sweet, buttery sauce on hand for drizzling on cakes, making fancy coffees, or pouring all over your pancakes!
Boil sugar, water, corn syrup, and salt in a saucepan over medium-high heat, swirling occasionally, but not stirring. Cook until caramel is the color of iced tea, about 10 minutes.
Watch it closely! It takes some time to start turning golden brown, but once it does, it can go from perfect to burnt very quickly.
Remove saucepan from the heat and add heavy cream, whisk to combine. It will foam up and and steam, so be careful! Whisk in butter and vanilla.
Transfer to a bowl or a jar to cool completely. It will thicken quite a bit as it cools. Store in fridge for 1-2 weeks.
Notes
Makes about 1 1/2 cups. Store in fridge for up to 1 month, discarding if you observe mold.
To reheat: Heat in saucepan over medium-low heat until warm or in microwave at 50% power in 45 second intervals, stirring well each time.
If desired, add a tablespoon of rum or bourbon at the same time as the cream.