How to Make Butterscotch (aka a Lazy Cook's Caramel Sauce)

By Anna Monette Roberts

Updated on 12/20/2019 at 6:10 PM

POPSUGAR Photography | Anna Monette Roberts
POPSUGAR Photography | Anna Monette Roberts

Let's bring back butterscotch. Yeah, yeah, salted caramel has been all the rage the past few years, but butterscotch is the most underrated dessert sauce out there. Here's the hilarious secret. You don't even need a candy thermometer, fancy tools, or candy-making experience to make a good sauce happen. Here's how to make butterscotch - a recipe even the laziest of cook's (including myself) can follow.

POPSUGAR Photography | Anna Monette Roberts

It's pretty much the dump-and-stir routine, only this time you're guaranteed a milky, caramelized sauce that you can enjoy over ice cream, stir into coffee or hot chocolate, and even drizzle over cakes.

Butterscotch Sauce

Yield1 8-ounce mason jar

From Anna Monette Roberts, POPSUGAR Food

INGREDIENTS

    • 4 tablespoons salted butter
    • 3/4 cup light-brown sugar
    • 2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, divided
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    INSTRUCTIONS

    1. In a heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat, add butter and sugar. When butter is melted, whisk in 2 tablespoons heavy cream. Bring to a foamy boil, and cook 4 minutes, whisking occasionally, until mixture deepens in color.

    2. Turn off heat and carefully whisk in remaining 1/4 cup heavy cream, followed by vanilla extract.

    3. Transfer to a small 8-ounce mason jar. Do not scrape down sides of the pot (the burned-on caramel may make your sauce gritty). Allow butterscotch to cool slightly before securing with a lid. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

    Notes

    Butterscotch tastes best when it's served hot! Reheat it in a small nonstick saucepan over low heat. Alternatively, remove the lid to the mason jar, and microwave in 15-second increments, stirring between sessions, until sauce is warmed through.