Real Coffee Butterscotch Sauce | Ice Cream Tuesday

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[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 sauce, you owe it to yourself to try it.

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

Why Make This Particular Recipe?

This is real butterscotch 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 the coffee flavor.

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’re making coffee butterscotch sauce! Leave it out and use vanilla to make a more classic butterscotch sauce

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

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.

Final Thoughts

Y’all, this sauce is a dream.

If you are a fan of deeply flavorful toffee-ish sauces, then this coffee 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.

I really hope you love this recipe, you guys!

If you make it, please share a photo with me before you devour them, either in the Pastry Chef Online Facebook Group or on instagram by tagging @onlinepastrychef and using hashtag #pcorecipe.

A star rating and a review is also really helpful to readers, so if you make this recipe, please rate and review it!

And leave me a comment, too. I love to hear from you guys, and am always working to make the site better!

I’d also love to have you join my PCO newsletter, The Inbox Pastry Chef!

Thanks, and enjoy!

Continue to Content

Real Coffee Butterscotch Sauce Recipe

Yield: 1 1/4 cup

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Rich, creamy and perfect over ice cream, cake or any number of desserts, this coffee butterscotch dessert sauce(made with, among other things, sugar, butter, molasses, and salt) is the real deal.

No shortcuts, not that you need any since it only takes about 10 minutes to make!

Print

Ingredients

• 2 oz unsalted butter
• 8 oz granulated sugar*
• 1.5 oz molasses, (I recommend Grandma's. Do not use blackstrap)*
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, (I will let you use only 3/4 teaspoon if you must, but no less)
• 6 oz heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon good quality vanilla
• coffee extract, to taste (1-3 teaspoons)

Instructions

1. Melt the butter over medium heat.
2. Stir in the sugar, molasses and kosher salt. The mixture will look like wet brown sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.
3. Add the heavy cream and bring the mixture to a boil.
4. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture reaches 230F, about five minutes.
5. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and coffee extracts. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.
6. Serve warm over ice cream. Or whatever.
7. Enjoy!

Notes

*For a milder molasses flavor, you can substitute dark brown sugar for the granulated sugar and molasses. For an even lighter molasses flavor, use light brown sugar.

If you can't find coffee extract, use espresso powder or freeze-dried coffee dissolved in a tablespoon of hot water. You may have to play around with how much you add, so start small, taste, and add more if necessary.

Substitute a small amount of almond extract for the coffee extract. You could also add a tablespoon of Amaretto or even Frangelico rather than--or in addition to--the coffee flavor.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  OXO Good Grips 3.5QT Covered Saucepan
• 
  Frontier Co-op Coffee Flavor, Non-Alcoholic, 2 ounce bottle
• 
  PCO-Approved Instant Read Thermometer

Nutrition Information

Yield 10 Serving Size 2 Tablespoons
Amount Per Serving Calories 203Total Fat 11gSaturated Fat 7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 32mgSodium 220mgCarbohydrates 26gFiber 0gSugar 26gProtein 1g

The stated nutritional information is provided as a courtesy. It is calculated through third party software and is intended as a guideline only.

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