37 Sweet and Salty Caramel Dessert Recipes

By Zoe Denenberg
September 22, 2010
Greg DuPree
Whether you pronounce it “car-mul” or “car-a-mel,” we can all agree on the fact that this sweet-and-salty sauce is irresistible. Caramel is a key component of some of our favorite fall desserts, but this versatile sauce can be used all year round. In the fall months, caramel pairs beautifully with seasonal ingredients like pumpkin, pecans, and cinnamon apples; a Pumpkin Layer Cake with Caramel-Cream Cheese Frosting is guaranteed to impress your guests. In the winter, we’re serving caramel alongside the warm holiday flavors of pear and gingerbread in a twist on the classic Upside-Down Cake. You can even incorporate caramel into refreshing summer desserts, like Tenntucky Cobbler, Salted Caramel-Pecan Milkshakes, or Peach Bread Pudding with Bourbon Caramel. These decadent caramel recipes combine salty and sweet to add new dimensions to your favorite desserts. The sauce brings richness and warmth to moist cakes, delightfully sticky bread puddings, fruity or nutty pies, and smooth, creamy tarts.
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Delight Your Senses With These Luscious Caramel Desserts

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Caramel Apple Blondie Pie

Photo: Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Caramel Apple Blondie Pie

Buttery rich layers of tender cake and caramelized apples add up to one sweet combo. The secret to the crisp, flaky crust? Baking in a cast-iron skillet on a lower oven rack.

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Cornbread Pudding with Whiskey Caramel

Photo: Brian Woodcock

Recipe: Cornbread Pudding with Whiskey Caramel

This cornbread pudding can be served in individually-portioned ramekins for an easy, yet impressive dinner party dessert.

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Roasted Banana Milkshake

Antonis Achilleos

Recipe: Roasted Banana Milkshake

Mix the caramel right into the milkshake for a delectably sweet banana treat. Be sure to save some caramel to drizzle on top!

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Tenntucky Blackberry Cobbler Sundaes

Southern Living

Recipe: Tenntucky Blackberry Cobbler Sundaes

Imagine your favorite blackberry cobbler, bites spooned into a glass, layered with vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, and pecans. Yep, that sounds like a very sweet dream.

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Brown Butter-Caramel Blondies

Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer

Recipe: Brown Butter-Caramel Blondies

The brownie’s blonde cousin gets a serious upgrade with walnuts, brown butter, and a salted caramel swirl.

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Crème Brûlée French Toast

Micah A. Leal

Recipe: Crème Brûlée French Toast

Baked in a layer of caramel, this indulgent French toast will be a stunning sweet addition to your brunch spread.

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Spiced Pecan Pie Bars

Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer

Recipe: Spiced Pecan Pie Bars

In our humble opinion, no pecan pie is complete without a drizzle of caramel.

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Chocolate-Caramel Cookie Cups

Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Chocolate-Caramel Cookie Cups

A caramel-cream cheese frosting and toasted pecans adorn these adorable, party-ready Chocolate Cookie Cups.

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Buttermilk-Pecan Pralines

Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer

Recipe: Buttermilk-Pecan Pralines

These pralines are robed in a luxurious coating of caramel, complementing the nutty flavor of the pecans and the bite of bourbon.

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Classic Peanut Brittle

Charles Walton

Recipe: Classic Peanut Brittle

Caramel is the vehicle for salty peanuts in this gift-worthy nut brittle.

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Gingerbread-and-Pear Upside-Down Cake

Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Gingerbread-and-Pear Upside-Down Cake

The upside-down cake gets a festive makeover in this pear and gingerbread version, invoking all your favorite holiday flavors in a tender, moist cake.

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Salted Caramel Popcorn

Southern Living

Recipe: Salted Caramel Popcorn

Do you like your popcorn salty or sweet? Luckily you can have the best of both worlds with this Salted Caramel Popcorn.

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Caramel Apple Cake

Hector Manuel Sanchez

Recipe: Caramel Apple Cake

With the golden apple slices arranged in a stunning flower atop the cake, this dish is a guaranteed show-stopper.

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Pumpkin Spice Magic Cake

Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Magic Cake

This pumpkin spice cake is anything but ordinary. It’s cooked in a Bundt pan and features a layer of pumpkin-spiced sponge, a smooth, gelatinous layer of flan, and a drizzle of cajeta, a Mexican caramel sauce.

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Upside-Down Caramelized Apple Cake

Jennifer R. Davick

Recipe: Upside-Down Caramelized Apple Cake

An upside-down cake involves a cake batter poured over a layer of caramelized fruit. We already love the combination of caramel and apple, so this cake is a no-brainer.

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Caramel Apple Coffee Cake

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Caramel Apple Coffee Cake

A traditional coffee cake base is topped with fresh crisp apples, gooey caramel and the signature streusel topping for an autumnal version of the classic dish.

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Salted Caramel Banana Pudding

Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell; Food Styling: Tami Hardeman

Recipe: Salted Caramel Banana Pudding

Jarred dulce de leche is our favorite shortcut to achieve smooth, thick caramel.

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Caramelized Banana Pudding

Photo: Jennifer Davick, Prop Styling: Annette Joseph, Food Styling: William Smith

Recipe: Caramelized Banana Pudding

All Southerners know the beauty of a good banana pudding, and this dressed-up version of the simple dish features layers of caramelized bananas and meringue topping alongside the signature vanilla wafers.

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Blackberry Jam Cake

Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Cindy Barr; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Blackberry Jam Cake

This berry-filled cake with extra creamy cream-cheese frosting is certainly our jam.

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Caramel-Stuffed Ginger Cookies

Iain Bagwell

Recipe: Caramel-Stuffed Ginger Cookies

With a molten caramel center, these cookies are best served warm or right out of the oven. The spicy ginger balances out the sweetness of the caramel filling for an all-star homemade cookie.

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Triple-Layer Chocolate-Caramel Cake

Greg Dupree

Recipe: Triple-Layer Chocolate-Caramel Cake

Happy birthday to you! We love combining slightly-bitter dark chocolate and rich caramel for a truly indulgent cake. This cake is meant for celebrating.

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Peach Bread Pudding with Bourbon Caramel

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Peach Bread Pudding with Bourbon Caramel

This summertime take on bread pudding incorporates fresh peaches to make a lighter version of the classic holiday dish.

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Salted Caramel-Pecan Milk Shake

Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Salted Caramel-Pecan Milk Shake

We firmly believe that all milkshakes should be decadent, and this Salted Caramel-Pecan combination certainly fits the bill.

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Caramel Tart with Brandy Whipped Cream

Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Caramel Tart with Brandy Whipped Cream

A thick caramel filling and crumbly pastry crust combine to make a super-indulgent (and impressive!) tart. With all the richness of this dish, don’t skimp on the Brandy Whipped Cream.

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Crème Brûlée Cheesecake

Micah A. Leal

Recipe: Crème Brûlée Cheesecake

We’ve combined two stunning desserts, cheesecake and crème brulee, to create a silky-smooth cheesecake with a golden, crystallized, crackling top.

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Skillet Caramel Apple Pie

Photo: Stephen DeVries, Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Skillet Caramel Apple Pie

We’ve discovered yet another use for your favorite cast iron skillet, and it’s pretty sweet. This double-crust Skillet Caramel Apple Pie will be a new rustic dessert favorite.

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Apple Fritters with Salted Caramel Sauce

Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller; Food Styling: William Smith

Recipe: Apple Fritters with Salted Caramel Sauce

With a thin vanilla glaze and a thick dousing of caramel sauce, these fried apple bites are perfectly balanced. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

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Sea Salt-Caramel Cake

Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Sea Salt-Caramel Cake

This tall layer cake is the perfect recipe to whip out for special occasions when you really want to impress. Garnish with flaky sea salt to draw out that sweet-salty combination and prevent the rich caramel from becoming overly sweet.

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Pumpkin-Honey-Beer Bread Pudding with Apple Brandy-Caramel Sauce

Photo: Alison Miksch

Recipe: Pumpkin-Honey-Beer Bread Pudding with Apple Brandy-Caramel Sauce

Cut up a loaf of that super-moist Pumpkin-Honey-Beer Bread, soak it in a pudding mixture, and pour on the Apple Brandy-Caramel Sauce for an unbeatable fall dessert.

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Caramel Cake Pancakes

Iain Bagwell