Peanut Butter Balsamic Caramel Sauce

This is the caramel for people who hate caramel.  *raises hand* 

I’m not remotely joking…when I first stuck my finger in this peanut butter balsamic caramel and tasted it, I said out loud (to myself, and the cats) WHOAAA. 

For me, caramel is usually way too sickly sweet.  But the addition of the peanut butter and balsamic vinegar bring a salty umami or savory-ness plus a brightness and acidity that completely elevate this.  And I am on board!!

GOOD balsamic vinegar is key here, because you want something that is really bringing flavor to the party.  I used this Brightland balsamic from California that’s double fermented with zinfandel grapes and ripe Triple Crown blackberries.  It is SO GOOD!!!  I love their products and highly recommend!

What’s amazing is how easy and fast this caramel is…I’ve made an Instagram Reel if you want to watch it as well.

In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and water, stirring to ensure all the sugar is covered with water.

Turn the heat on and cook on medium-high for AROUND 8 minutes without stirring, until the syrup begins to turn amber colored. 

Keep an eye on it, because how dark it gets determines how sweet it is, but you don’t want it to burn.  This pic is what it looks like at around 2 minutes.

And this was around 7 minutes, when I decided I didn’t want to risk it getting darker.

As soon as it’s a slightly dark amber color, add the heavy cream and lower the heat, stirring briskly so it doesn’t harden. This will cause the caramel to bubble up, so do it carefully so you don’t get burned.

Once it settles, add the butter, peanut butter, balsamic, vanilla, and sea salt. 

Stir until you have a smooth caramel, and taste to make sure the balance of flavors is good for you.

Pour into a heat-safe container and allow to cool and thicken a bit more.  It can be stored in the fridge (in an airtight container) for weeks, and will be completely hard in the fridge. 

When you want to use it again, warm it gently in the microwave (bit by bit) and whisk to make sure it’s not grainy.

You can use this to glaze a cake or scones, it makes a delicious surprise filling in my chocolate lava cakes, and I *think* you could get it the right consistency to be sandwich cookie filling.  Go crazy!  These flavors are mind-blowing and need to be put on EVERYTHING.

Other mind-blowingly intense, indulgent treats you’ll love:

• Amazing Intense Dark Chocolate Sable Cookies
• Apricot Linzer Torte
• Caramelized White Chocolate & Coffee Tarts
• Giovanna’s Family Secret Tiramisu
• Another cake glaze option:  An Easy Pouring Dark Chocolate Ganache For Cakes

The caramel sauce is from Buttermilk by Sam

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Peanut Butter Balsamic Caramel Sauce

Yield: About 2 cups

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

This peanut butter balsamic caramel sauce is the caramel for people who hate caramel...it is complex, bright, with a tiny bit of savory to balance it out. Perfect on or in cakes, stirred into whipped cream, glazed on scones, or in so many other places.

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Ingredients

• 1 cup of granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 4 tablespoons of peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons of high-quality balsamic vinegar (see notes)
• 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon of fine sea salt

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and water, stirring to ensure all the sugar is covered with water.
2. Turn the heat on and cook on medium-high for about 8 minutes without stirring, until the syrup begins to turn amber colored.  Keep an eye on it, because how dark it gets determines how sweet it is, but you don’t want it to burn.
3. As soon as it’s a slightly dark amber color, add the heavy cream and lower the heat, stirring briskly so it doesn't harden. This will cause the caramel to bubble up, so do it carefully so you don't get burned.
4. Once it settles, add the butter, peanut butter, balsamic, vanilla, and sea salt.  Stir until you have a smooth caramel.  Taste to make sure the balance of flavors is good for you.
5. Pour into a heat-safe container and allow to cool and thicken a bit more.  Can be stored in the fridge (in an airtight container) for weeks.  When you want to use it again, warm it gently in the microwave and whisk to make sure it's not grainy.   

Notes

1. If you have it, this is the place to use a higher-quality balsamic vinegar (see my recommendation in the post)