Peanut Butter Caramel

Caramel sauce is awesome, homemade caramel sauce is even more awesome, but do you know what’s most awesome? Homemade (10 minute!) peanut butter caramel. This sauce is sweet, salty, and just a tad peanut buttery. It makes for a delicious topping to your dessert or some fruit.

[This 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]

How will this peanut butter caramel make your life better?

This 10 minute homemade 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)

What makes this caramel sauce so good?

• Dark brown sugar packed
• Heavy whipping cream
• Salted butter
• Vanilla extract
• Peanut butter powder

How do I make this PB Caramel?

Add 1/2 c heavy whipping cream, 4 T butter, and 3/4 c brown sugar to pot. Stir well. Cook over medium-low heat.

Expert Tip: Use dark brown sugar to get a deeper caramel flavor.

Caramel will develop consistent bubbles and will thicken up a bit.

Expert Tip: Do not stir while cooking, or caramel may become clumpy.

Check caramel at 7 minutes, if it’s thickened a bit, then take it off heat source, if not cook for 2 more minuets. Add 1 tsp vanilla extract and 2 tsp peanut butter powder, then serve or pour into a glass bottle and refrigerate to save for later.

Expert Tip: Remove right before you think it’s thick enough. Once it seems thick enough, it’ll harden pretty easily. Then add remaining ingredients.

Expert Tip: Swap peanut butter powder for 1-2 tsp creamy peanut butter if you don’t have peanut butter powder.

Dip apples, graham crackers, and other treats into this caramel sauce.

Expert 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 tsp 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.

Do you stir when making caramel?

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.

How can I repurpose this caramel?

• Add 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!

Print Pin

5 from 3 votes

Easy Peanut Butter Caramel Sauce

Forget the canned caramel sauce, take a few minutes to make your very own easy 10 minute peanut butter caramel sauce. No candy thermometer needed.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 2 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 12 minutes

Servings 1 cup

Author Rebecca

Equipment

• Medium Pot
• rubber spatula
• Glass bottle

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

Instructions

• Add 1/2 c heavy whipping cream, 4 T butter, and 3/4 c brown sugar to pot. Cook over medium-low heat. Stir regularly. 
• Caramel will develop consistent bubbles and will thicken up a bit. Stir occasionally.
• Check caramel at 7 minutes, if it's thickened a bit, then take it off heat source, if not cook for 2 more minuets. Add 1 tsp vanilla extract and 2 tsp peanut butter powder, then serve or pour into a glass bottle and refrigerate to save for later.
• Dip apples, graham crackers, and other treats into this caramel sauce.

Video

Homemade Peanut Butter Caramel Sauce

Notes

• 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 tsp creamy peanut butter if you don’t have peanut butter powder.
• Dip apples, graham crackers, and other treats into this caramel

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