Basic Caramel Sauce

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Basic Caramel Sauce

Basic Caramel Sauce

Everyone needs a basic caramel sauce—not only can it be used diversely, but it is adaptable. Though this caramel sauce is really quite wonderful without any alterations, here are just a few ideas for adding a little flair to this basic caramel sauce:

  • Stir in 1/4 cup of your favorite fruit juice or cider to add a unique flavor to your caramel (I used an orange citrus caramel sauce for these tarts).
  • Increase the salt to one teaspoon to make a fabulous salted caramel sauce.
  • Add in half a vanilla bean (or one teaspoon vanilla extract) at the end for a vanilla caramel sauce.
  • Melt in a tablespoon (or three) of unsalted butter when adding the salt to make a rich, buttery caramel.
  • Mix in 1/4 cup of your favorite alcohol to make a boozy caramel sauce (dark rum is my very favorite addition).

The possibilities are really only limited to your imagination.

Basic Caramel Sauce

Once you have created a homemade caramel sauce, there are many ways to use it up (not that I need to tell you that). Nevertheless, here are a few uses off the top of my head:

  • Stir a tablespoon or two into hot coffee and add warm, frothed milk to create a homemade caramel macchiato.
  • Whisk a couple tablespoons into warm apple cider to create a sweet Caramel Apple Cider.
  • Drizzle caramel sauce on top of your favorite breakfast treats (like muffins or scones) to add a decadent twist to your morning.
  • Use as a dip for fresh fruit (especially apples!).
  • Heat up the caramel and spoon it over ice cream to create the perfect ice cream sundae.
  • Add a few large spoonfuls when making buttercream to give the frosting a hint of caramel flavor.
  • Drizzle over pies and cheesecakes to add a unique flair.
  • Spread on the bottom of a cookie and sandwich with another to create a caramel-filled cookie sandwich.

Or, of course, you can always eat it plain and by the spoonful. In fact, I recommend it.

Basic Caramel Sauce

This caramel sauce is smooth and creamy, with a hint of salt to cut the best of the sweetness. Both incredibly adaptable and multipurpose, it is a recipe you should have in your repertoire. While caramel is often considered "tricky" to make, I'd argue otherwise. As long as you devote your full attention to the caramel while it's cooking, it's hard to mess up. In fact, you don't even need a candy thermometer to make a perfect batch. I've added a couple tips below to help you during the process (and a quick fix if the caramel seizes up).

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Cinnamon Sugar Muffins

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Cinnamon Sugar Muffins

Cinnamon Sugar Muffins

The rich spice of cinnamon and the sweet tone of sugar compose one of my nearest and dearest comfort flavors. As far back as I can remember, cinnamon and sugar have been a sweet force in my life. The flavors complement each other so well, becoming the Sonny and Cher or Simon and Garfunkel of the culinary world.

Growing up, my babysitter would feed me cinnamon sugar toast on cold winter afternoons, after I had trudged home from school in the snow. The hot toast with a layer of melted butter and the spicy crunch of cinnamon sugar warmed my insides and brought the life back into my cheeks.

Cinnamon Sugar Muffins Cinnamon Sugar Muffins

My mother makes a spectacular side dish out of white rice and cinnamon. A cross between sweet rice pudding and savory white rice, it is my favorite pairing to a grilled chicken breast. Nevertheless, the rice is creamy and just ever so sweet, with a thick sprinkling of cinnamon on top. Someday, I will be certain to share this treat with you, too.

Yet, cinnamon and sugar have found more subtle ways to pervade my life. My grandmother would coat her leftover pie crust pieces with cinnamon and sugar to make sweet, flaky cookies while we waited for the pie to bake. My mother grew up sprinkling cinnamon and sugar atop her pancakes, using a swirl of cream instead of maple syrup. I adore a light dusting of cinnamon and sugar on top of my morning oatmeal, making me feel as if I'm being decadent while enjoying a healthy meal.

That may be what I love most about cinnamon sugar—it's a sweet, simple way to bring decadence into everyday life.

Cinnamon Sugar Muffins

These Cinnamon Sugar Muffins have a very unique taste and texture. It's almost as if a muffin and a doughnut got a little too cozy in the oven and popped out a batch of these muffins. Made with a little whole wheat flour, it's fun to pretend these are healthy (as long as you ignore the fact that the muffins are dipped in melted butter). These are lovely for both breakfast and a snack (and sometimes for both of these moments in the same day).

With my love for cinnamon sugar, these muffins were bound to happen sooner or later. The same, I think, can be said for this cake.

Cinnamon Sugar Muffins Cinnamon Sugar Muffins

These Cinnamon Sugar Muffins are sweet and addictive. The muffins, straight from the oven, are not terribly sweet but they have a fantastic spiced flavor due to a hint of nutmeg and cinnamon. After cooling slightly, the muffin tops are dipped into melted butter and coated with cinnamon sugar. I love these plain, with no spreads or additives. Warm from the oven, these may very well be a small piece of heaven.

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Swedish Visiting Cake

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Swedish Visiting Cake

Swedish Visiting Cake

If the variety of self-improvement books on the topic are any indication, there are thousands of ways to live your life. There are different strategies out there to help you fulfill the life just right for you. Some people live their lives in pursuit of money, others in the pursuit of helping others. Some choose to live their lives in devotion to a god, others in devotion to success. With so many options and opinions on the subject, I've always wondered where on the spectrum I would fall. Would I ultimately choose the way of the American dream, of success and money? Would I subscribe to a humble lifestyle, full of family and friends? Would I do something big, or would I settle for a familiar lifestyle?

Out of college, with my life laid out before me, I find it hard to even guess where I will find myself in the future. Even so, I can't help but wonder which lifestyle was meant for me. Of all the self-improvement books I could choose off the library shelf, which one would resonate with me?

Swedish Visiting Cake

While this thought has been swimming around my mind the last few years, in various levels of consciousness, I never imagined a simple phrase overheard at a nearby restaurant table would be the answer to my question. He said, waving his fork in the air as if to punctuate the point, he wanted to live an anecdotal life.

I realized, in that moment, that it was exactly what I wanted too. An anecdotal life.

I don't care about having a highly successful career. I'm not hell-bent on amassing a great fortune. While I'd love to help others with my life, I'm not sure I'm ready to devote my future to that just yet. However, I do like to hear a good story and I can't imagine a better life than one filled with true, tall tales to tell.

Swedish Visiting Cake

Upon reflection, I've realized that I have been happiest when I have been living the anecdotal life. When I'm filled with adventure and curiosity, where everything is possible and anything can (and does) happen, where each day may be a little more uncertain than the last. While I realize I can't always be traveling the world or making big decisions, finding myself in new situations or exploring unknown facets of my personality, I want to keep my mind open to the possibilities. I don't want to shut them out if they come calling, whatever form they may arrive in.

These last couple years have been filled with quiet stories for me, with months of my life making up the space between paragraphs. I miss finding myself face to face with a mountain goat in the rocky mountains. I miss the adventures and conversations with friends that now live far away. I miss being the girl who sits outside with her camera just to capture the sunset. It's easy for life to feel like a lull in conversation, for the winter blues to wash away the heat and life of summer. It's harder to put yourself into a place where new, unexpected stories can be born.

After all, if I don't keep composing new stories to tell, what else will we talk about next time we sit down over a cup of coffee and a piece of cake?

Swedish Visiting Cake Swedish Visiting Cake

This Swedish Visiting Cake is chewy and sweet, with complex flavors. Without any leavening agents, the cake sets rather than bakes up, resulting in a cake with a texture similar to a coffee cake rather than a typical birthday cake. Originally a recipe from Dorie Greenspan, I played with a few of the ingredients, resulting in a cake I can't help but love. Browned butter, orange zest, and almonds combine to make a trio of flavor that only grows more depth as time passes.

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