23 Perfect Salted Caramel Dessert Recipes for the Holidays

By: Avatar photo Andy Jones Updated: Mar 10, 2024

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They say there’s nothing new under the sun, but salted caramel desserts have only been around for a few decades. A French candy maker, Henri Le Roux, was experimenting with local ingredients in his confections back in the 1980’s. Since his region was known for its salted butter, his caramels took on an award winning salty-sweet flavor, and a new star in the dessert world was born. From fast food chains to upscale restaurants, salted caramel is one of the hottest food trends in America today. Even celebrities crave this flavor, from Boy Meets World star Danielle Fishel’s salted caramel mocha addiction to Barack Obama’s love for smoked salted caramels in milk chocolate.

23 Top Trending Salted Caramel Dessert Recipes

You’ll find that salted caramel dessert recipes give commonplace pies and cakes a glamorous makeover. A basic apple pie or crisp becomes a decadent treat with the addition of this flavor. Salted caramel pairs perfectly with creamy, dairy based desserts toning down what might be overly sweet puddings and mousses. Everyone loves cheesecake, but you can be famous for your culinary skills with a salted caramel cream cheese concoction. From elegant layered cakes to mason jar trifles, salted caramel gives any dessert recipe irresistible appeal. Easily recreate specialty bakery cupcakes and cookies with the recipes you’ll find below.

Give your morning oatmeal and pancakes a gourmet touch, or cover your favorite cinnamon rolls with this decadent sauce. Family favorites, like pumpkin pie, will take on new life with the addition of salted caramel. This flavor complements traditional holiday spices like cinnamon and nutmeg extremely well. Surprise guests with a decadent filling dripping from your next cake. For a “healthier” option, this flavor lends itself to braised fruit and nut based treats. Even tropical fruits, like pineapple and coconut, love salted caramel. It’s made forays into traditional desserts from other countries, like flan. From luscious cupcakes to moist brownies, these top 23 recipes will have you ready to run to the kitchen.

1. Salted Caramel Pretzel Snaps

Detailed recipe and credit – ohsweetbasil.com

2. Caramel Hot Chocolate

Detailed recipe and credit – cookingclassy.com

3. Salted Caramel Butter Bars

Detailed recipe and credit – thedomesticrebel.com

4. Apple Hand Pies

Detailed recipe and credit – justataste.com

5. Salted Caramel Brownies

Detailed recipe and credit – somethingswanky.com

6. Paleo No-bake Salted Caramel Cups

Detailed recipe and credit – lowcarblab.com

7. Caramel Butter Bars

Detailed recipe and credit – stlcooks.com

8. Mocha Fudge

Detailed recipe and credit – shugarysweets.com

9. Salted Caramel Chocolate Brownies

Detailed recipe and credit – homemadehooplah.com

10. Kentucky Butter Cake

Detailed recipe and credit – wishesndishes.com

11. No-Bake Cookies

Detailed recipe and credit – littledairyontheprairie.com

12. Butter Bars

Detailed recipe and credit – cookiesandcups.com

13. Cheesecake Cup

Detailed recipe and credit – lowcarblab.com

14. Inside Out Caramel Apples Slices

Detailed recipe and credit – betterhalfweddings.wordpress.com

15. Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce

Detailed recipe and credit – tablefortwoblog.com

16. Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Detailed recipe and credit – recipegirl.com

17. Knock You Naked Brownies

Detailed recipe and credit – thepioneerwoman.com

18. Triple Layer Chocolate Cake With Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting

Detailed recipe and credit – flourishingfoodie.com

19. Apple Pie Bars

Detailed recipe and credit – sallysbakingaddiction.com

20. Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Detailed recipe and credit – aspicyperspective.com

21. Caramel Chocolate Cake

Detailed recipe and credit – bakerbynature.com

22. Salted Caramel Cheesecake Bars

Detailed recipe and credit – lecremedelacrumb.com

23. Salted Caramel Macarons

Detailed recipe and credit – ohsprinkles.com

23 of the Most Delicious Salted Caramel Desserts

Caramel is made from heating sugars until they reach the perfect temperature and then adding heavy cream. This process creates a rich, amber confection that is then cooled and cut into pieces. The saltiness can be derived from the butter, but also is accentuated by a few grains of sea salt. You may be thinking that this sounds complicated, and you would be right. Fortunately, many of these salted caramel dessert recipes utilize off the shelf sauces and candies for foolproof cooking. Easily create desserts that look gourmet without spending hours in the kitchen.

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About the AuthorAvatar photo
Andy Jones

Andy focuses on getting readers familiar with the latest and trendiest hairstyles. There’s pretty much no style she has yet to try, and her mission is to help everyone find the perfect look they seek. When Andy is not gushing about hairstyles, she spends most of her time reading through her giant collection of sci-fi books or watching old Star Trek shows. See all articles from Andy.