Lemon Thyme Caramel
This delicious caramel is all at once sweet, savory, herbaceous and bright. It stands out on its own, making an impressive topping to seasonal fruits or vanilla ice cream. Homemade caramel is easy to make as long as you follow the recipe closely!
Last summer, I took an amazing trip to Barcelona. During a “Chocolate of Barcelona” walking tour I booked—which yes, was as amazing as it sounds—we stopped at a very old, traditional confectionary store that had neatly-wrapped, little square handmade hard candies in at least 30 flavors. Some were the standards like strawberry and lemon, but they also had a ton of unique, naturally derived flavors such as pine, rosemary, and thyme. I had never had an herbal candy like that and fell in love with the aromatic little sweets. Now, I’ve adapted a favorite recipe into this herbaceous caramel. So far, I’ve used it as a drizzle on a berry galette, as a filling in a white birthday cake layered with strawberries, and I’ll admit to eating it straight out of the jar once or twice. Cold, it’s firm, and warm, it’s liquid. You can try it on ice cream or as a sandwich cookie filling; it’s quite versatile despite it’s specific flavor profile!
I encourage you to play around with the salt level. I found that about 1/2 teaspoon of coarse sea salt was the right level for me, but you may prefer more or less depending on how savory you want your caramel. Start with a pinch, and adjust from there.
This recipe has been adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s Salted Caramel Filling .
Lemon Thyme Caramel Recipe
Makes about 1 cup
Ingredients
1 cup minus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup half and half
10 tablespoons butter, softened
4 two-inch long strips of lemon peel, as much white pith removed as possible (use a vegetable peeler to do this)
8 sprigs of thyme
Sea salt, to taste
Method
Heat the half and half to a boil on the stove in a small saucepan or in the microwave. Set aside.
Pour sugar into a medium saucepan with tall sides over medium-high heat and watch closely. Once sugar starts to melt, use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to slowly stir sugar in a circular motion around the pan until completely melted. Cook sugar until it’s a pale brown color, like ale.
Turn off the heat and add 4 tablespoons of butter, taking care to stand away from the sputtering. Add lemon peel, thyme, and half and half to pan, return to medium-high heat, and cook for one minute, stirring constantly.
Pour the caramel with thyme and lemon peel into a heatproof container, such as a glass measuring cup, and let it sit, stirring frequently, for at least 20 minutes, or until its temperature goes down to 140°F. Once cooled, remove thyme sprigs but leave the lemon peel.*
Using a blender or immersion blender, mix the remaining softened butter into the cooled caramel until the lemon peel is fully blended and the caramel is smooth, about 2 minutes. (you may have to remove a few pieces from the blender blade AFTER unplugging it—this is okay) Add salt to taste and blend.
At this point, the caramel may be used as a sauce to drizzle as desired. If a thicker consistency is desired for filling, refrigerate caramel until completely chilled. Stir a few times before spreading as desired.
Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
*If you don’t have a blender, you may remove the lemon peel pieces at this point and thoroughly stir in the remaining butter by hand, or use fine lemon zest from the start.
