Food and Recipes Holiday and Occasion Food 29 Caramel Dessert Recipes That Are Deliciously Sweet and Salty By Zoe Denenberg Zoe Denenberg As a professional baker, Zoe Denenberg has spent the past two years traveling across the country—from Alabama to Hawai'i—working in farm-focused pastry kitchens. She has written about food, travel, and culture for Southern Living since 2019. See more of Zoe's work at https://zoedenenberg.wixsite.com/portfolio and follow her on Instagram. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on July 6, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Photo: Jennifer Davick 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 around. In the fall months, caramel pairs beautifully with seasonal ingredients like pumpkin, pecans, and cinnamon apples. In the winter, we're serving caramel alongside the warm holiday flavors and by way of Southern candies. You can even incorporate caramel into refreshing summer desserts, like our Peach Bread Pudding with Bourbon Caramel. These decadent caramel recipes combine salty and sweet to add new dimensions to your favorite desserts. The ingredient brings richness and warmth to moist cakes, delightfully sticky bread puddings, fruity or nutty pies, and smooth, creamy tarts. Here are our best caramel dessert recipes that are made to delight. 01 of 30 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. 02 of 30 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. 03 of 30 Caramel-Frosted Pound Cake Southern Living Recipe: Caramel-Frosted Pound Cake Two of our favorite classics come together in this dessert: caramel cake and pound cake. 04 of 30 Tenntucky Blackberry Cobbler Sundaes Photo: Jennifer Davick / Food Styling Marian Cooper Cairns 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. 05 of 30 Salted Caramel Popcorn Bars Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Prissy Lee Montiel Recipe: Salted Caramel Popcorn Bars This is a great recipe to make with the kids—you can even add in some of their favorite candies or snacks (think salted peanuts, pretzels, or even whole mini marshmallows). 06 of 30 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. 07 of 30 Salted Caramel Banana Pudding Joy Howard Recipe: Salted Caramel Banana Pudding Jarred dulce de leche is our favorite shortcut to achieve smooth, thick caramel. 08 of 30 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. 09 of 30 Caramel Pecan Tart Will Dickey Recipe: Caramel Pecan Tart A silky base of caramel lies just beneath a crunchy topping of pecans. This tart might look impressive, but it's quite easy. So easy, in fact, it might become your new go-to dessert for holiday gatherings, potlucks, and more. 10 of 30 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. 11 of 30 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. 12 of 30 Bourbon Caramel Cookies Photographer: Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey Recipe: Bourbon Caramel Cookies With a molten caramel topping, these cookies are best served as a nightcap. The flaky salt works well with the sweet caramel and boozy kick. 13 of 30 Pumpkin Layer Cake with Caramel-Cream Cheese Frosting Alison Gootee; Styling: Suzonne Stirling Recipe: Pumpkin Layer Cake with Caramel-Cream Cheese Frosting If you're looking for a stand-out cake for your fall tablescape, this hyper-seasonal layer cake is sure to stun. 14 of 30 Buttermilk-Pecan Pralines 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. 15 of 30 Delight Your Senses With These Luscious Caramel Desserts 16 of 30 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. 17 of 30 Blackberry Jam Cake 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. Caramel is incorporated into the frosting. 18 of 30 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. 19 of 30 Classic Peanut Brittle Charles Walton Recipe: Classic Peanut Brittle Caramel is the vehicle for salty peanuts in this gift-worthy nut brittle. 20 of 30 Peach Bread Pudding with Bourbon Caramel 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. 21 of 30 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. 22 of 30 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. 23 of 30 Sea Salt-Caramel Cake 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. 24 of 30 Pumpkin-Honey-Beer Bread Pudding with Apple Brandy-Caramel Sauce 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. 25 of 30 Caramel Cake Pancakes Iain Bagwell Recipe: Caramel Cake Pancakes A last-minute holiday brunch idea to keep in your back pocket. Your kids will go crazy for these special pancakes. 26 of 30 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. 27 of 30 Arkansas Black Apple Pie with Caramel Sauce Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Arkansas Black Apple Pie with Caramel Sauce What really makes this pie special are the heirloom Arkansas black apples, but if you aren't lucky enough to find those at your local market, granny smiths will do just fine. 28 of 30 The Jam Cake Hector Sanchez Recipe: The Jam Cake The origins of jam cake lie deep in Appalachia where store-bought sugar was once scarce. Cakes were often sweetened with homemade jams, filled with wild berries and mountain fruits. The payoff for the genius swap? Rich, dense cake layers with a depth of flavor sugar alone can't deliver. 29 of 30 Oatmeal-Caramel Cream Pies Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Oatmeal-Caramel Cream Pies Oatmeal cookies sandwich a rich caramel cream filling for a melt-free combination that will rival the ice cream sandwiches of your childhood. 30 of 30 Butterscotch Pie with Whiskey Caramel Sauce Greg DuPree Recipe: Butterscotch Pie with Whiskey Caramel Sauce This butterscotch pie is alway a crowd-pleaser, and for good reason. A splash of whiskey adds a savory flavor to the caramel sauce. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit