Best Caramel Recipes - What To Do With Caramel - Delish

Perfect drizzled over ice cream, baked into pies, or turned into salty-sweet confections… you got it, we're talking about the versatile perfection that is caramel. Whether you're interested in making your own caramel sauce or parchment-wrapped caramels, or have some store-bought options kicking around your cabinets that you don't know what to do with, we've got a recipe for you here. Check out our best caramel recipes for ideas—they go way beyond those hard candies in grandma's pocket. 😂

What is caramel? At its simplest, caramel is sugar that has been heated until its molecules break down ("caramelization"). Our guide to caramel sauce delves a bit deeper into the different varieties (wet versus dry caramel, how toffee fits in to all this, etc.), but for the purpose of these recipes, we're focusing on glossy caramel sauce and chewy caramel candies.

Should I make my own? We're all for it, but be warned, it can get tricky. If you're going to attempt one of our homemade caramel recipes, you're going to need a candy thermometer, a heavy-bottomed pot (for even heat distribution), and some patience. We believe in you, but there are also TONS of delicious jarred caramels or pre-wrapped candies out there, and we're not judging if you stick with those instead of making your own.

What should I put it on? Um, everything. Because caramel is so sweet, it pairs well with other strong flavors, like salty, tart, or bitter. You kind of can't go wrong, but it does pair particularly well with chocolate, like in our salted caramel brownies; apples, like in our caramel apple upside-down cake or caramel apples; or with a sprinkle of salt (we've even paired it with super salty Vegemite to the same effect). It's also a major player in all of our favorite candy bars, so we've got some spins on those here too, like our Snickers cheesecake, our Twix pie, or our Rolos-stuffed blondies.

Want more homemade sweets recipes? Check out our favorite fudges, our top truffles, and our best dessert bars too.