Peanut Butter Caramel (1 cup)

Name: Peanut Butter Caramel (1 cup)
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 12 min
Ingredients: 3/4 cup dark brown sugar (packed); 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream; 4 tablespoons salted butter; 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract; 2 teaspoons peanut butter powder

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This peanut butter caramel is sweet, salty, and just a tad peanut buttery. It makes for a delicious topping to your dessert or some fruit. Homemade caramel sounds hard, but you can make this easy recipe in just 10 minutes.

peanut butter caramel sauce on spoon with jar of caramel in background

[This peanut butter caramel recipe was originally posted in March 2018. It has been updated with new photos, cooking instructions, expert tips, FAQ, related recipes, video and ways to repurpose/use up ingredients]

Ingredients
Instructions
Storage Tips
Substitutions/Tips
FAQ
How can I repurpose this caramel?
What can I make with leftover ingredients?

This 10 minute homemade peanut butter caramel sauce would make a great dessert dip, or even better, a holiday gift! OR these chocolate covered oreos, homemade hot cocoa mix would both make great holiday gifts.

If you haven't made homemade caramel or thought of it before, now's your opportunity. it's surprisingly easy! (plus, people would be super impressed with you).

It's really actually easy, I always thought caramel was so hard, but if you follow the instructions, and not stir it, it'll work out great! Plus the added peanut butter powder adds so much peanut flavor, it's a great addition.

Ingredients

Scroll down to the peanut butter caramel recipe card for the amounts of each ingredient, but here's a quick description of what's in this recipe.

Dark brown sugar
Heavy whipping cream
Salted butter
Vanilla extract
Peanut butter powder: Instead of using peanut butter, I recommend using the powder for a strong peanut butter flavor, without changing the consistency of the caramel. It's a great ingredient to have on hand for smoothies!

Instructions

Scroll down to the peanut butter caramel sauce recipe card for more detailed instructions. Here's a quick overview + photos to see how to make this recipe in general.

hand stirring butter into caramel sauce in a pot

1. Add heavy whipping cream, butter, and brown sugar to a medium sized pot. Stir well. Cook over medium-low heat.

2. As it cooks, the caramel will develop consistent bubbles and will thicken up a bit. Do not stir caramel while it's cooking or it will get clumpy.

3. Check caramel at 7 minutes, if it's thickened a bit, then take it off heat source, if not cook for 2 more minuets. It'll look like it's almost as thick as you think it should be.

peanut butter powder in caramel sauce in a pan

5. Dip apples, graham crackers, and other treats into this peanut butter caramel sauce. Or serve over ice cream.

4. Add vanilla extract and peanut butter powder, after it's been removed from heat source. Then serve or pour into a glass bottle and refrigerate to save for later.

Storage Tips

Store leftover peanut butter caramel in an airtight container in the fridge. To use, reheat in the microwave, covered. It should last about a week.

Substitutions/Tips

Peanut butter powder is a great flavor enhancer for this caramel
Use dark brown sugar to get a deeper caramel flavor.
Do not stir while cooking, or caramel may become clumpy.
Remove right before you think it's thick enough. Once it seems thick enough, it'll harden pretty easily.
Swap peanut butter powder for 1-2 teaspoons creamy peanut butter if you don't have peanut butter powder.
Dip apples, graham crackers, and other treats into this caramel

FAQ

How do you make caramel sauce thicker?

Just keep boiling caramel sauce until it's almost to the desired thickness. Caramel sauce gets thicker by water evaporating through boiling it. It usually takes 5-10 minutes to boil enough water out of the sauce to thicken it.

How do you fix broken caramel sauce?

Caramel can get too thick and harden up, it can also be too thin. If it's too thick, set it over gentle heat and slowly add water or whipping cream back into it so it thins out. If it's too thin, cook for a few more minutes to thicken up.

How do you cook caramel without crystallizing?

Try to not stir it when it's cooking. If you stir caramel too much, it can get clumpy because the sugar crystals hook up to each other.

Try to stir before heating, heat over gentle heat, and then stir again once it's thickened up and you've removed it from the stove.

dipping apple into peanut butter caramel sauce in a jar

How can I repurpose this caramel?

Add caramel peanut butter to yogurt
Serve over ice cream, maybe even with this homemade strawberry sauce.
Top this delicious yogurt tart with caramel sauce and apples

What can I make with leftover ingredients?

Heavy whipping cream: add to this Creamy Asparagus Soup or Sweet Potato Soup.
Peanut butter powder: add it to a smoothie, like this Triple Berry Smoothie with Granola or Strawberry Banana PB Smoothie.
Keep the other ingredients in your pantry for other baking recipes.

Did you make this peanut butter caramel? Leave me a comment & rating to share how it turned out!