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Orange Caramel Sauce

Last weekend, I again attended the Chicago Food Swap, even with the snow and nasty traffic. It’s so fun to see each month what everyone brings and to trade for some of the things that I would never make on my own – or just don’t have the time to do. This month, I brought two variations of my homemade granola (blueberry coconut and very berry cherry). I wanted to make something else, but inspiration just wasn’t striking me. It didn’t help that my Friday was unexpectedly shot, which is when I had planned to do some cooking or baking.

Finally, I decided to make some caramel sauce because it’s yummy and fairly quick, too. I didn’t want to just make “regular” caramel sauce and decided instead to make a citrus version of it to make it just a little more special – and hopefully more attractive to others at the swap, as well. It turns out beautifully, and my husband told me that I was more than welcome to not trade any of it.

Orange caramel sauce is easy to make and comes together quickly for a unique lighter dessert topping

While I didn’t listen to him, I did bring back one jar of it as well as a couple bags of my granola (I’d brought 5 of each item to trade this time) simply because there weren’t any more items I had to have. This time around, most of the items being traded were baked goods, which don’t appeal to me that much given that Little Miss can’t eat most of them and that we don’t eat that many desserts, so they go stale. That said, I did pick up some amazing vegan cinnamon rolls for Little Miss (saving me from making some for a brunch birthday party the next day, which I had already planned on doing so yay), as well as some homemade vegan Nutella that absolutely made her day.

I also found a couple of jams and preserves I was able to trade for, which we use in Mister Man’s Greek yogurt each morning, as well as lemon curd and chocolate raspberry spread. And of course, some tart cherry pie filling, which I plan to use to make dessert pierogies. Another swapper brought some quiche, so I traded breakfast for breakfast. I know it’s winter, but I was still sad to not see many pickles or mustards or preserves this time around. I’m definitely looking forward to more swaps as the weather warms up!

As for that orange caramel sauce? It was popular, and so tasty. I made it vegan this time around, as I wanted Little Miss to be able to have some were we to have any left over, but I can see adding a little butter to it to make it even richer and creamier. This recipe easily makes larger batches – I made a double batch when I made some for the food swap – if you’re looking to make some for gifts or to make jars for the future if you are fully canning them.

Orange Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:
1 c sugar
1/4 c water
1 c orange juice, freshly squeezed and room temperature
zest of 1 orange
2 T butter (optional)

Directions:
In a heavy saucepan, add the sugar and the water.  Turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil, whisking just until the sugar is fully dissolved. Once the sugar is dissolved, do not stir again, as stirring will cause sugar crystals to form in your sauce. Instead, use a pastry brush dipped in cold water to periodically brush the sides of the pan to keep crystals from forming and attaching there.

While the sugar is boiling, zest your orange (I actually zested Cuties because they’re sweeter and a brighter color, but use whatever orange you have) then juice to get 1 cup of orange juice. Make sure it is room temperature and not cold. You could also use store bought orange juice in a pinch.

Zest oranges for caramel sauce before juicing them

The sugar will start out clear. If you’re more comfortable, use a candy thermometer to watch your heat. The temperature should come up to just below the hard crack stage. Otherwise, simply watch the color of your caramel. It will stay clear then start changing. Once it starts darkening, it does darken quickly so watch it until it comes a light amber shade amidst the bubbles.

Caramel sauce is done when it turns a light amber

Remove the caramel from the heat and add the orange juice and whisk to incorporate, then return to the heat. If the orange juice is too cold, your caramel will seize, but don’t panic. Like much of cooking and baking, not panicking is key to your success. If the caramel seizes, continue to whisk it over the heat until the caramel dissolves again and the orange juice is fully incorporated.

Once the orange juice is incorporated, add the orange zest and whisk one last time to get it distributed throughout the caramel. Bring the caramel to a boil one last time, and let it boil for 5 minutes to reduce somewhat. It will be a bit foamy on top, but that will go away.

Orange caramel sauce needs to boil one last time after adding the juice to reduce a bit

Once it is finished boiling, remove it from the heat.  Either ladle into glass containers immediately or add the butter and whisk again until it’s fully mixed into the caramel, then ladle into glass jars. You could also use coconut oil, which would give it a slightly tropical feel.

You can process the caramel to can it, but that’s not my thing. Instead, I store my caramel in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, though it rarely lasts that long.

Orange Caramel Sauce

Orange Caramel Sauce

Yield: 2 1/2 c caramel sauce
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

If you love caramel, you'll love the zing of citrus in this fun twist on a classic. It's easy to make this naturally gluten free dessert, and it tastes great on ice cream, waffles, and more!

Ingredients

  • 1 c sugar
  • 1/4 c water
  • 1 c orange juice
  • zest of 1 orange
  • 2 T butter

Instructions

  1. In a heavy saucepan, add the sugar and the water. Turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil, whisking just until the sugar is fully dissolved.
  2. The sugar will start out clear. Boil until it reaches an amber color, The temperature should come up to 270 degrees.
  3. Remove the caramel from the heat and add the orange juice and whisk to incorporate, then return to the heat. If the orange juice is too cold, your caramel will seize. If that happens, continue to whisk it over the heat until the caramel dissolves again and the orange juice is fully incorporated.
  4. Once the orange juice is incorporated, add the orange zest and whisk again. Bring the caramel to a boil one last time, and let it boil for 5 minutes to reduce somewhat. It will be a bit foamy on top, but that will go away.
  5. Once it is finished boiling, remove it from the heat. Add the butter and whisk again until it's fully mixed into the caramel, then ladle into glass jars.
  6. Store the caramel in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1/4 cup
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 117Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 19mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 0gSugar: 23gProtein: 0g

This site uses an outside source to provide nutrition. If you need exact details, please calculate yourself.

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  1. Aganju says:

    I made this to go along with a basque tarta de queso. It didn’t really need it but WOW this came out so nice. We used blood oranges, sweet tangerines and a dark rum instead of water. Also I add a tiny amount of cardamom & cinnamon.
    It’s a beautiful color, easy to make and nice to have around.
    We’re using the leftover syrup in tea/lemonade, on bagels and with ice cream. 10/10 would make again

    • Michelle says:

      Ooooo adding the dark rum would be a great addition. Same with the spices. I love adding cardamom to just about everything I bake. I’m so glad you enjoyed this!

  2. Jenni says:

    I love caramel and orange together. 🙂 I realize I’m extremely late to the party, but in this recipe, the sugar won’t be caramelized at 270F. Sugar caramelizes at 320F or so. To the folks who wanted to use it for a drip, once you add the OJ, cook until it reaches 240 for a soft ball consistency when cool. That should allow a drip that won’t just run off the side of the cake.

    • Michelle says:

      This isn’t designed to be a thick caramel filling for a cake, etc. That definitely needs to be heated to a higher temperature. This is a sauce to go over a dessert like ice cream, etc where you want a thinner sauce that does run.

  3. Ann says:

    Can I process this for long term storage? And if so how would I do that? I WB can. Do you know the time for wb canning?

    • Michelle says:

      So I will admit fully that I am not a canner. I have never processed anything, so I cannot profess any expertise on the matter. That said, I know caramel *in general* can be processed, so I would assume there is a way to do so safely, but I do not have the water bath time for processing.

  4. Elle Boman says:

    Super useful recipe! Coming in with a very very late question here –

    I did a half batch and the temperature of the caramel shot WAY above the mark before the sugar had even started to brown. Are there any negative consequences to this, and can it be avoided somehow? I opted to keep it on the heat until amber and like 300 degrees Fahrenheit, of course it seized when I added the orange juice but I heeded your advice and didn’t panic, dissolved the lump, and the end result seems to have come out fine!

    • Michelle says:

      I’m glad the end result came out fine. I wonder if by making a half batch, you were possibly getting the temperature not of the sugar but of the bottom of the pan instead. At 300 degrees, you’re into the hard crack stage where it will turn into a toffee and not stay a liquid caramel – and the sugar would most definitely be browned at that point. I hope you enjoy the caramel though! And thank you for not panicking when it seized at first 🙂

  5. Tom says:

    Thanks Michelle I’ll give it a try.
    Sorry about getting your name wrong. Using my small screen android.
    Cheers,
    Tom

  6. Tom says:

    Polly,
    I am looking for a caramel sauce to drizzle down the sides of a semi naked cake. Would this sauce set solid enough to stay on the sides whilst not setting hard like candy?
    Thanks,
    Tom

    • Riya says:

      @Michelle, Sorry if this is a dumb question. Should I reheat the sauce to 240 degrees after following all the steps or should I ensure that the temperature never goes above 245 degrees throughout the process?

      • Riya says:

        @Michelle, I would like to use this sauce as a caramel drip on my cake and saw your response to Tom’s question. So, just trying to understand if the temperature should be maintained under 245 degrees throughout or should I follow the original instructions and let it boil upto 270 degrees? Hope I was clear in my question 🙂

      • Michelle says:

        Not a dumb question at all! When you make the caramel and then want to reheat it to use after you’ve refrigerated it, you just need to heat it enough so that it thins out and warms up – you won’t get anywhere near boiling at that point, so you don’t have to worry about maxxing out the temperature. I *think* that’s what you’re asking, but let me know if I misinterpreted it!

    • Michelle says:

      It all depends on how high a temperature you cook it to. If you want to make sure that it will harden and set at room temperature but not be candy, you want to use a candy thermometer. Make sure you cook it to about 240-245 degrees. Let it cool to almost room temperature then drizzle it over your (cooled) cake so that it has a chance to set. Caramel sauces will all soften and liquefy when heated, but you want one that at room temperature is the consistency of a caramel – this is what will get you there. Let me know if you have any other questions!

  7. Polly Fellows says:

    Hi there, this recipe looks lovely and I would like tor try it, but, dépité living in France I am à Brit, so don’t understand you measurements.
    Can you tell me what ‘c’ and ‘T’ are. It only matters because of the “zest of one orange”. Many thanks
    Polly

    • Michelle says:

      Hi Polly – I know, we Americans use all the wrong measurement types, and now I’m throwing abbreviations in there, too. c stands for cups. T (capital) stands for tablespoons and t (lowercase) for teaspoons. I hope you enjoy this recipe – it’s definitely won hearts here!

  8. […] Orange Caramel Sauce | Honest and Truly […]

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