A simple 5-ingredient caramel sauce made boozy with a splash of whiskey. This Caramel Whiskey Sauce is the perfect balance of creamy caramel and delicious Irish whiskey. Perfect on brownies, ice cream or even in an Irish Coffee.
Jason’s birthday is next week, and it’s a BIG one. He is a fan of whiskey, and with St. Patrick’s Day around the corner, I asked what kind of birthday dessert I could make for the blog (and my birthday boy) using whiskey. His immediate reply was, “Caramel sauce!” – like he didn’t skip a beat, with his answer whatsoever.
At first I thought that sounded boring, as I was dreaming up whiskey-infused cakes, and decadent coffee drinks, but Jason has the right idea. Because you can drizzle this Caramel Whiskey Sauce on just about A N Y T H I N G you want! So really it’s the perfect whiskey treat, as it will go on everything; cake, ice cream, in a bevvy, the sky’s the limit with this Caramel Whiskey Sauce!
If you’ve never made your own caramel sauce, it couldn’t be easier. I hadn’t made it in years, but it’s basically brown sugar, cream, and butter, with a generous splash of whiskey. Since St. Patrick’s Day is next week, I made sure to use an Irish Whiskey, like Jameson, but please use whatever whiskey you like.
The whiskey gives it just a little kick to balance the sweetness in the caramel sauce, and it’s incredibly delicious.
caramel whiskey sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter - unsalted (2 sticks)
- 2 cups light brown sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ cup whiskey
Instructions
- To a medium saucepan, add all ingredients, except for the whiskey; over medium heat.
- Turn the heat up to high and bring the caramel to a boil. Once it is boiling, turn the heat down to medium-high and gently boil for 3 more minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat and add the whiskey, stirring constantly, as the liquor will cause the caramel to bubble back up. Pour into one large mason jar, or individual jars, if gifting this sauce. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
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Very straight forward easy recipe to follow. Should have used a bigger sauce pan though lol. Used Buffalo Trace whiskey and It came out quite well. Goes great over bread pudding
Sounds perfect! That’s one of my husband’s favorite whiskeys, so I’ll need to try it with Buffalo Trace next time! Glad it worked well for you, Devin
Hi! Can this be stored and then heated up at a later date? I like the thought of this warm on apple crumble!
Hi Sash! Great idea. Yes! The sauce will keep in the fridge for 2-weeks and you can heat what you need for a serving each time. Hope you enjoy!
Thank you for a simple and delicious recipe. I actually quartered the recipe because I didn’t need as much sauce (there are only two of us), but that still worked perfectly. I used rebel stoke pecan whiskey to flavor the caramel (maybe more than the recipe). I used the sauce for a peach cobbler. This is a keeper, thanks again.
so glad you liked it! Great idea to reduce the amount!
I made this caramel sauce and it is, hands down, THE best caramel I’ve ever made. Because I was making it for my “pub crew”, I actually doubled the Jameson’s and It. Was. Amazing! I served it on the side with brownies, they were creme-de-menthe at the birthday boy’s request and it worked perfectly. With 1/2 cup of Jameson’s we could definitely feel the liquor, but the mint in the brownies smoothed it out nicely. Huge hit. Will definitely keep this on my rotation!
So glad to hear, Nina! Happy it was a hit!
I just made this sauce and hands down!! Its delicious 😋. Made a gingerbread cake and can’t wait to pour this sauce on it!! Thank you for the recipe!!
Oh wow, that’s a great idea! I need to make this for my gingerbread cake as well – yum! Glad you enjoyed!
I saw this on IG and was instantly drooling!!! It looks so good!