salty caramel dipping sauce

i remember fondly the trips to the grocery store when my mother let me get that ooey gooey caramel sauce they stack next to the apples in the produce section.  if you eat it on fruit it must be healthy…right?  not in the copious amounts i managed to wrap around a tiny wedge of apple.

now that i am older i have a better appreciation for the fruit to sugar ratio, as well as a taste for a little salt with my sweets.  so i came up with this, a lighter version of the caramel sauce i once loved. it’s still creamy and sweet, but not as thick, so you get a thinner layer over that slice of apple.

but don’t get me wrong, you don’t have to eat it with fruit.  it’s also amazing to drizzle over soy ice cream or swirl into a batch of brownies.  enjoy!

salty caramel dipping sauce
1/2 c vegan margarine
1 c turbinado sugar
1/3 c maple syrup
3/4 c soy milk
2 tbsp corn starch
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp sea salt

in a large pan over low heat, add together the vegan margarine, sugar and maple syrup.  cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until it all melts and begins to bubble a little.  be careful not too leave it unattended while cooking, sugars are fickle molecules and will harden if cooked too long.

sift together the soy milk and corn starch, and whisk until incorporated.  i use unsweetened, plain soy milk but using sweetened or vanilla flavored won’t affect the final product much.  cut the heat and pour in the mixture.

turn up the heat to medium and stir lightly until it begins to bubble again.  cut the heat and add in the vanilla and sea salt, which should be ground up if coarse.  the consistency should be that of a slightly thick syrup, but it will thicken even more upon cooling.

while still hot, pour the mixture into jars that have been cleaned very well.  be careful sealing them since the glass will be hot – i like to put the jar on a dish towel to wrap around it so i don’t have to touch the hot glass, and incase there are any spills.

you can keep it in the fridge for several weeks or give the extra away to friends.  if it begins to separate just give it a little stir.

yields about 2 1/2 cups

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