All too often I include a recipe for a topping with the food that I made the topping for and I realize that some really good accompaniments get buried in a post about something else. I almost did it again when I made a caramel sauce for a Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie this past weekend but luckily caught myself in time and just had to share this caramel sauce all by itself. What makes it so special? Would you be completely surprised if I said that The Best Caramel Sauce Has Bourbon? I thought not and it really is the best.
I made this to drizzle over a cookie I made. A HUGE cookie. Have you ever made a cookie in a skillet? Well I did and I'll be posting it in the next day or so. SO yummy...a huge cookie filled with a combination of milk and dark chocolate along with a fair amount of pecans. What I love about it is how gooey the center is in contrast to the crispier edges...a little of both of the best of a great cookie right? Or Cookie Pie. Or...well you get my drift right? That the combination wasn't quite enough is crazy but I just had this urge to add some bourbon caramel sauce and that urge would not be denied. It was a good one; hope you think so too!
Like everything else I make with a bit of booze; it's got a light touch. I'm really not interested in a strong alcohol taste; I simply know how a smidgen of bourbon can make sweets taste even better with that little shot of perfection.
This is my standard caramel sauce with a hint of bourbon. I'll do the same thing and add any number of flavors depending on my mood. Rum is good as is Bailey's Irish Cream and I love a version made using orange liqueur. I've been making my own caramel sauce for a long time and while I've had success with the method of just melting the sugar without adding the water or syrup I simply find this method a bit safer and have had less issues with either burning or crystallization. Trust me I've looked away a few too many times and have burned a LOT of caramel. Let's call this method one with a bit of an insurance policy. You can still burn it if you're not paying attention but the addition of the water makes for a bit gentler process and I've never had a mishap since I started using this method. Try it, you'll see...so easy you'll never buy a jar of the mostly fake stuff again!
