i was toying with the idea of gifting salted caramel sauce this year for christmas (yes, you heard me. christmas.) that was until i leafed through some caramel recipes. there were so many precautions about burning the caramel, or burning yourself with molten sugar, or other potential disasters that intimidated me out of trying it. i have this totally paranoid fear of setting my kitchen on fire, or even of setting my smoke alarm off. i also have a tendency to pull things a little early when i’m antsy, and feared i wouldn’t cook my caramel long enough to get that rich, delicious color.

regardless, i gathered my courage and followed the recipe for this batch, which a) was WAY easier than i expected, b) tastes AMAZING, c) is responsible for my clothes fitting tighter this week and d) is absolutely being gifted this year. if e) all of the above sound great to you, whip up a batch and if you’re not interested in sharing, this recipe is literal awesomesauce stirred into/dipped with/drizzled over:

coffee or hot chocolate (ahem…like this homemade caramel latte)
drizzled inside an apple pie
yogurt
pumpkin bread
ice cream
cheesecake
as a topping for cupcakes (like this psl variety)
apple slices
oatmeal carmelita bars
cinnamon rolls

recipe and tips can be found here at wicked good kitchen