Homemade Jack Daniels Caramel Sauce

This decadently rich and creamy homemade caramel sauce is the glory-hallelujah of all caramel lovers everywhere. A generous glugg of Jack Daniels whiskey warms it up and keeps it from being cloyingly basic. The recipe is so easy - and just 5 ingredients.

It's fabulous over a simple pound cake, as a dip for apples, or drizzled over ice cream.

Shopping list

Keep this in your refrigerator and use it over ice cream. Or stick a spoon in it and eat it from the jar when the day is particularly stressful - no judgement here.

• Sugar
• White corn syrup
• Butter
• Jack Daniels Kentucky Whiskey (or bourbon, or rum...heck, throw in some tequila and see what happens...)
• Heavy (whipping) cream

Instructions

This dessert is not a dessert to impress your mother-in-law or the boss with - save it for the people you really like. It makes great gifts, too.

1. Combine the sugar and water in a pan.
2. Whisk over medium heat until all the sugar crystals dissolve. The sugar will form wet lumps before it dissolves, just be patient.
3. Add the corn syrup
4. Let the mixture come to boil.
5. Don't stir it at all -- but watch carefully and allow the sugar to turn a dark golden brown.
6. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter one tablespoon at a time.
7. Allow the mixture cool slightly, about 5 minutes at most.
8. Whisk in the cream and Jack Daniels until smooth.
9. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator.

Tips

• Use a bigger saucepan than you think you'll need. The mixture can bubble up a bit when adding the cream and you don't want it to run over.
• Add about ½ teaspoon of salt for salted caramel sauce.
• Use bourbon, scotch, or rum in place of the whiskey

Storage

Homemade caramel sauce should be kept, tightly covered, in the refrigerator. It will be fine for at least a month. You can freeze it for longer storage - just thaw and heat a little before serving.

Sugar crystals

Sometimes you'll get sugar crystals in your gorgeously, almost perfect caramel sauce. Here's how to keep that from happening --

• Use a wet pastry brush to wash the sugar from the sides of the pan.
• Corn syrup helps keep crystals from forming.
• Don't stir the caramel until you're adding the cream.

Kaffeeklatch

This recipe was part of a combination I created over 10 years ago - banana bread pudding with Jack Daniels caramel sauce. Over the years the banana bread pudding proved to be a flop... but the sauce?

Everyone loved it.

So, I made it easy and removed the poor quality recipe and left the part that everyone loved best. Please enjoy and let me know what you think!

📖 Recipe

4.67 from 6 votes

Jack Daniels Caramel Sauce

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Homemade Jack Daniels caramel sauce is perfect for topping on ice cream, using as a dip for apples, over cakes, or in your latte! Decadently rich and creamy! Difficulty: moderately easy. 3 out of 10.

Course Dessert,Sauce

Cuisine Amercian Heritage

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Servings:16

Calories:147

Author:Marye Audet-White

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 ½ cups sugar
• ▢ ⅔ cup water
• ▢ ½ tablespoon corn syrup
• ▢ ½ cup butter, cut into tablespoon size pieces.
• ▢ ¼ cup Jack Daniels Whiskey
• ▢ ¼ cup heavy cream

Instructions

• Combine sugar and water in a pan.
• Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. The sugar will turn into wet lumps before it dissolves.
• Stir in the corn syrup.
• Let come to boil and allow the sugar to turn a dark golden brown. Do not stir during this time.
• Remove from heat and whisk in the butter one tablespoon at a time.
• Allow the mixture to cool slightly, about 5 minutes at most.
• Whisk in the cream and Jack Daniels until smooth.
• Serve warm over puddings, ice cream, etc.
• Will keep in the refrigerator in a tightly covered jar for two weeks.

Notes

• Use a bigger saucepan than you think you'll need. The mixture can bubble up a bit when adding the cream and you don't want it to run over.
• Add about ½ teaspoon of salt for salted caramel sauce.
• Use bourbon, scotch, or rum in place of the whiskey

Storage

Homemade caramel sauce should be kept, tightly covered, in the refrigerator. It will be fine for at least a month. You can freeze it for longer storage - just thaw and heat a little before serving.

Sugar crystals

Sometimes you'll get sugar crystals in your gorgeously, almost perfect caramel sauce. Here's how to keep that from happening --

• Use a wet pastry brush to wash the sugar from the sides of the pan.
• Corn syrup helps keep crystals from forming.
• Don't stir the caramel until you're adding the cream.

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 2tablespoons | Calories: 147kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 53mg | Potassium: 3mg | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 232IU | Calcium: 4mg

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Originally published March 13, 2012. Last updated April 1, 2020 to improve reader experience, better images, and delete the older portion of the recipe.