Simple homemade caramel sauce...

... that'll make ya wanna slap ya grandma!

And I'm not kidding...

You won't believe how simple this is...

5 ingredients: butter, half and half, kosher salt, brown sugar and vanilla extract.





And a sauce pan, some heat and a whisk!



It's really that simple...



It quickly transforms... yes, this quickly!



See?! (At this point, I've been in the kitchen less than 3 minutes!)



One more thing... some vanilla extract. (It's my personal opinion that if it has vanilla extract in it... I'm going to like it!)



Thank you, once again, Pioneer Woman... you've made my life a little better today! Again!

(Editor's note: no, the whisk in the background is NOT set aside for me to lick every last drop of buttery-sugary goodness off it ... not even later! And if you believe that... )

OK yeah, forget the whisk. I'm going in with a spoon!



(And I may or may have not gone in for another dip of the spoon before I put it in the refrigerator to cool down for several hours.)



And then it was time for dessert.

My hubby has been asking for brownies all week... but he didn't know about the caramel!

(Cha-ching! Extra points for me!)

Wait - can I see that again?!



Yeah, that's what I thought... it's time to go sit down now. I'm going to have to call for the curtain now.



And now for the recipe... on her website you'll see that she serves the caramel sauce over an ice cream pie: Ice Cream Pie with Easy Caramel Sauce

But here's the recipe for just the sauce... mmmmm!!!


PW's Easy Caramel Sauce
Recipe courtesy Pioneer Woman

Ingredients
4 tablespoons Butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed (always packed)
½ cup half-and-half
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon vanilla

Instructions
Mix butter, brown sugar, half & half, and salt in a saucepan over medium low heat. Cook while whisking gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until thicker. Add vanilla and cook another minute to thicken further. Turn off heat and pour sauce into a jar. Refrigerate until cold.

Then I let it set out a little bit before I put it on top of our dessert. Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.



enjoy your time in the kitchen...