Making Perfect Caramel with Domino’s Baker’s Sugar

6 tips for making perfect caramel sauce

Categories: | Baking Basics | Everyday Baking

Hi, I’m Jessie. I am a 4x cookbook author and I host a baking podcast, She’s My Cherry Pie. I’ve been developing baking recipes for 20 years and writing baking cookbooks for 10; and I have used Domino® Sugar products exclusively for that entire time. Due to my deep love of Domino® Sugar, I am beyond thrilled to show you just how much I adore using their new product, Domino’s® Baker’s Sugar™, when making caramel sauce. I am the self-proclaimed queen of easy-peasy baking and I love sharing baking tips and tricks with my followers and readers that focus on shortcuts that make us bake better and more efficiently. I’m thrilled to partner with Domino® Sugar (my forever fave) and to share some of my baking tips with you, so you can bake smarter and faster - just like me.

#1 The best Caramel Sauce always begins with Domino® Baker’s Sugar™

Baker’s Sugar™ is the ingredient you did not know your caramel was missing, as its ultra-fine grains melt quickly on the stovetop. Traditionally, a dry caramel is made by cooking granulated sugar until it liquefies, is fragrant and darkens in color. But this process can be a little time consuming. Cut to Domino® Baker’s Sugar™ - your new baking bestie, with an ultra fine texture that speeds up the caramel-making process.

#2 Sprinkle the Domino® Baker’s Sugar™ in an even layer over the bottom of a heavy-bottomed pot on the stovetop

It is important to use a heavy-bottomed pot when making caramel sauce, as the sugar is less likely to burn as it melts. It is also important to sprinkle the Domino® Baker’s Sugar™ in an even layer over the bottom of said pot - an easy task due to its ultra-fine granules. If the layer isn’t uniform , the sugar will cook unevenly...

#3 Cook the Domino® Baker’s Sugar™ over low to medium-low heat

It is also important to cook the sugar low and slow, when making caramel sauce, to preclude crystallization and burning. Placing the pot over low to medium-low heat will set your sugar up for even, steady melting and cooking. Luckily, the ultra-fine grains of Domino® Baker’s Sugar™ melt quickly even when the heat is low, ensuring the melting of the sugar will be speedy and even.

#4 Gently stir the Domino® Baker’s Sugar™ to keep it in motion while it melts and darkens

Stirring the melting Domino® Baker’s Sugar™ with a silicone spatula while cooking it over low heat will ensure that it cooks evenly and doesn’t burn. The sugar may clump a bit at first, but the clumps will melt as you gently stir. And the clumps will be easy to break up due to the fine size of Baker’s Sugar™ granules.

#5 Add the butter when the caramel reaches the amber color of your choosing

Continue to stir the melting Domino® Baker’s Sugar™ until it reaches your preferred amber color at which point you will add your butter and stir it in. If you prefer a less burnt tasting or strong caramel sauce, you can add the butter when the sauce is a light amber color; if you enjoy a stronger flavor, add the butter when the amber color is dark. Continue stirring until the butter melts.

#6 Add the cream once the butter has been incorporated

Stir in the cream after the butter melts, but do so carefully, as steam will form when the cream hits the hot sugar/butter mixture. After all of the cream has been added, continue stirring for about one minute more. Add the salt off of the heat, let cool to thicken and serve.

Meet the Chef:

Jessie Sheehan

@jessiesheehanbakes

Jessie Sheehan is a celebrated cookbook author, recipe developer, baker, and host of Cherry Bombe’s baking podcast, She’s My Cherry Pie. She is the self-proclaimed queen of “easy-peasy baking;” and has contributed recipes and writing to The New York Times, The Washington Post, Epicurious, Food52, Bon Appetit, and more. Her third cookbook, Snackable Bakes: 100 Easy-Peasy Recipes for Exceptionally Scrumptious Sweets and Treats was a New York Times best cookbook of 2022. And its savory sibling Salty, Cheesy, Herby Crispy Snackable Bakes, was published in the fall of 2024.