Sometimes you crave a pumpkin spice cold brew and it’s “not in season” so you make your own. I won’t be deprived during quarantine and you shouldn’t either. I had all of these ingredients in my pantry/fridge so it’s an easy thing to do indoors and makes a lot of delicious caramel.
It can take a lot of time for the sugar to go from its normal state to liquid, but it’s worth the wait. The whole process took me just over an hour, so it’s great for a lazy Sunday morning. I’ve included a gallery of the photos from beginning to end of the caramel-making process to help you know what you’re looking for. It’s also very important to have everything measured out and ready to go because once the sugar has caramelized and turned to liquid, it only takes a few minutes to come together that and you won’t have time to run around the kitchen and get everything ready. Mis en place is your friend here.
Pumpkin Caramel
Ingredients
2 cups White Cane Sugar
8 tbsp Unsalted Butter, cubed
1 1/3 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
2/3 cup Pumpkin Puree
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 tbsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 tsp Kosher Salt
Instructions
In a medium sized, heavy bottom pan, I used a 2 quart dutch oven, heat the sugar over medium heat, constantly stirring with a silicone whisk until it goes from original form all the way to a toasty brown liquid. This will take a lot of time, and it should be constantly stirred to prevent burning. Once the sugar has caramelized and liquified, add in butter and quickly whisk to combine. It will bubble up but just keep whisking. When the butter and sugar have combined, add in the heavy cream in two batches, again being careful as it will bubble up. Once everything is smooth, remove from heat and add in all of the other ingredients and whisk until smooth. Transfer to a heat proof container and let cool at room temp before storing in the fridge.
To make a pumpkin cream, mix 1 tbsp pumpkin caramel and 3 tbsp heavy whipping cream and whisk or shake to your desired consistency. You make have to heat up the caramel so it’s easier to work with but should come together pretty easily. Pour over a glass of cold brew or hot coffee and enjoy.
For help cleaning the pan after the caramel is made, I like to simmer dawn dish soap and water for about 10 minutes, which will dissolve the remaining sugar and make it super easy to clean.
Happy Eating!
