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A Decadent Salted Rum Raisin Honey Caramel Sauce Recipe
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Have you ever made Honey caramel? That’s right; it’s caramel with honey. You can use your favorite honey style—like wildflower, avocado blossom, or buckwheat—to make a salted caramel sauce. We highly recommend you do this ASAP because the result is a sweet, floral caramel that’s a lovely twist on the classic.
Why You’ll Love This Honey Caramel Recipe
This honey caramel has a unique flavor, and not just because of the California honey. The sauce is enhanced with salted butter, dark rum (or orange liqueur), raisins, orange peel, and pistachios. It’s the sort of recipe that takes just a touch more time than the classic caramel sauce but adds an even more gourmet touch.
Recipe Ingredients
This decadent caramel sauce combines everyday ingredients you likely already have. You’ll need honey, light brown sugar, heavy cream or half-and-half for richness, butter for smoothness, and pure vanilla extract for flavor depth to create the caramel base.
The mix-ins are unique, too: dark rum or orange liqueur-soaked raisins, aromatic orange peel, and roughly chopped pistachios for a satisfying crunch.
How To Make This Recipe
Begin by warming the rum or liqueur and soaking the raisins to infuse them with flavor. Next, cook the caramel by combining sugar, honey, and water in a saucepan until it reaches an amber hue. Carefully whisk the butter and cream into the hot caramel to make a smooth sauce. Once slightly cooled, strain out the orange peel, then stir in the vanilla, liqueur-soaked raisins, and pistachios. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature to thicken and develop flavors.
What To Serve With This Recipe
This honey caramel sauce is incredibly versatile and will bring a sweet, salty flavor to anything paired with it. A few ways we suggest serving this is:
- Over ice cream with fresh fruit
- Drizzled on pancakes or crepes
- Used as a topping for cheesecake
- As a garnish for bundt cake
- To top Apple Cinnamon cake
Always In Season California Ingredients
Did you know? This recipe can be made all year long because every single ingredient, from the honey and cream to the raisins, walnuts, and citrus, is always-in-season ingredients. In other words, you can always find all the ingredients at your grocery store, and we suggest always having them on hand so you can make an impromptu honey caramel sauce!
More California Honey Recipes
Looking for more honey recipes? Here are a few of our reader favorites:
Discover California’s Sweet Side! Check Out this California Grown Spotify Playlist:
Don’t stop here! Follow us on Pinterest for more fresh and fabulous recipe inspiration. Dive into the world of CA GROWN goodness, and let’s make every meal a celebration of the Golden State’s bounty.
Salted Rum Raisin Honey Caramel Sauce
Equipment
- small saucepan
Ingredients
- 2 TBSP dark rum or orange liqueur
- 3/4 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup honey
- 1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
- 1 TBSP butter
- 1 TBSP pure vanilla extract
- Pinch sea salt
- Peel of 1 orange
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped pistachios
Instructions
- Warm the rum or orange liqueur briefly, then add the raisins and set aside while you make the caramel sauce.
- Stir the sugar, honey, and water in a small saucepan until thoroughly moistens the sugar. Brush the insides of the saucepan with a wet pastry brush to remove any sugar granules, then place the pan on medium-low heat and bring to boil, about 5 minutes.
- Lower the heat to low and cook (swirling the pan occasionally to ensure even cooking) until it turns amber in color, about 5 minutes. You want it to be amber in color and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Add the butter and cream, swirl until the caramel is smooth and uniform in color, and continue to cook for another 10 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
- Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve and discard the orange peels. Stir in the vanilla, rum raisins, pistachios, and a pinch of salt and set aside to cool to room temperature for at least 15 minutes before using. It should be pourable but not so hot it burns your mouth!
- (You can make the caramel through this step up to 4 days ahead. Let cool completely, then cover securely and refrigerate. Let sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes or warm in a microwave or over low heat before serving.)
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Get to Know Aida Mollenkamp
Aida is a food and travel expert, author, chef, Food Network personality, and founder of Salt & Wind Travel. With a career in food travel media and hospitality, she has traveled the globe in search of the best food destinations. Her cookbook, Keys To The Kitchen, is a favorite among home cooks seeking adventure. And her Travel Guides For Food Lovers series is cherished by food travelers.
Influenced by her many adventures and inspired by California’s bountiful produce, Aida’s recipes are fun, fresh, and bursting with flavor. We’re loving her Grilled Artichoke Recipe With Herbed Roasted Garlic Aioli – you will too!