Real Butterscotch Ice Cream Sauce Recipe

[NOTE: The video in this post is for butterscotch creme brulee, but in it, I make butterscotch so you can see how it’s done.

If you have never had true homemade butterscotch ice cream sauce, you owe it to yourself to try it.

It’s deeply flavorful with a chewy texture that is irresistible. Let me tell you all about it!

Why Make This Particular Recipe?

This is real butterscotch ice cream sauce, friends.

By that, I mean you cook butter, sugar, and molasses together until the butter browns and the sugar caramelizes. That’s real butterscotch.

You’ll be able to taste it in the depth of flavor and see it in the thick, chewiness of the sauce.

And the butterscotch is perfectly complemented by the coffee flavor.

If you’d rather, you can also leave out the coffee extract and just have a delicious plain butterscotch sauce.

PRO TIP: This is a very molassesy butterscotch sauce. If you want a less molassesy flavor, either substitute dark brown sugar for the sugar and molasses or cut back on the amount of molasses you use.

How to Make This Sauce

First, you’ll make butterscotch.

Then, stop the cooking by adding cream. Boil for a few minutes, and then add your flavorings (if using).

Here’s what you’ll need:

• butter: use unsalted here and then add your own salt. Use fresh butter, because it’s an integral part of the flavor of butterscotch. Make sure it’s a tasty part!
• sugar: If you prefer, you can use dark brown sugar in place of the sugar + molasses
• molasses: As written, this sauce is molasses heavy. You can cut back on the amount by up to half or use brown sugar as mentioned above
• salt: this recipe is salt-heavy. Salt is also an integral part of the butterscotch flavor profile. I used Morton’s brand kosher salt in this recipe
• heavy cream: stops the cooking process, and mellows the flavor a bit
• coffee extract: this is technically optional, but not if you like this flavor combination, then you’ll want to use it.

How to Make the Butterscotch

Making the butterscotch is the most important part of the process.

1. First, melt the butter and add the sugar and molasses (or brown sugar) and salt
2. Stir to moisten all the sugar
3. Cook and stir until the sugar is mostly dissolved. The butter won’t cleanly mix in with the sugar at this point
4. Keep stirring and heating until the butter and sugar come together
5. Watch carefully and stir contantly. As the butterscotch cooks, it may break and separate again and then come together.
6. You will know it’s ready when the mixture darkens a bit in color and starts to smell like caramelized sugar. It may smoke just a bit.

Once the butterscotch is done, pour in the cream and stir over low heat until smooth.

Take the mixture’s temperature. If it’s below 230F, cook until you reach that temp.

If you don’t have an instant-read thermometer, I strongly recommend you get one. I use mine for everything from taking the temps of cakes and custards to making candy.

Then stir in your coffee extract (or vanilla extract if making a classic butterscotch sauce)

Tips for Success

It’s easier to accidentally burn butterscotch than it is to burn caramel, because the molasses color can mask the caramelization.

At least until you’ve done this a few times, consider erring on the side of less cooking rather than accidental burning.

Once you add the cream, make sure the temp gets up to 230F, and you’ll have a great sauce.

If you can take it all the way to “the edge,” the flavor will be deeper, but it will still be delicious if you add the cream a bit early.

If you’re still concerned, please watch the video I’ve included with this recipe. It’s for my butterscotch creme brulee, but the procedure for making the butterscotch is exactly the same.

Q & A

Serving Suggestions

I can think of no greater compliment to a great butterscotch sauce than homemade French vanilla ice cream, y’all. And my recipe doesn’t require a churn, either.

Use it as a sauce for a birthday ice cream cake.

Use it as a fruit dip.

You could even use it to sandwich cookies together, like these vanilla wafers.

Questions?

If you have a question/questions about this or any other post, whether recipe or technique, don’t hesitate to get in touch. I’m happy to help.

You can leave a comment on the post, and I will respond within 24 hours. If you need an answer more urgently, please email me, and I will respond within about 4 hours (unless I’m sleeping) and often much more quickly than that.

Either way, I will answer as completely as I can. That’s why I’m here!

A Note About Measurements

NOTE: Most of my recipes are written by weight and not volume, even the liquids.

Even though I try to provide you with volume measurements as well, I encourage you to buy a kitchen scale for ease of measuring, accuracy, and consistency.

This is the scale I use, love, and recommend. If you’re unsure, please read my post about how to use a food scale.

Final Thoughts

Y’all, this sauce is a dream.

If you are a fan of deeply flavorful toffee-ish sauces, then this butterscotch sauce has your name written all over it.

What are you waiting for? Hie thee to the kitchen, people!

Once you taste this sauce, you’ll see that you don’t dislike butterscotch sauce. You just dislike bad butterscotch sauce.

Thank you for spending some time with me today.

Have a lovely day.