185 caramel recipes

Rice pudding tart with red wine-poached pears fanned on top, finished under the broiler for a caramelized sugar crust. An elegant dessert that can be made ahead.

Nut refrigerator cookies (icebox cookies) with brown sugar, butter, vanilla, and chopped nuts. Slice-and-bake dough that chills overnight and yields crisp, buttery cookies with caramel notes.

Minted pears with honey walnuts poaches whole baby pears in honey-sweetened mint tea, then crowns them with caramelized walnuts. Elegant fruit dessert that works hot or chilled.

Spiced cranberry relish caramelizes sugar, then cooks fresh cranberries with diced orange, lime, raisins, ginger, cinnamon, and vanilla bean for a complex holiday relish that improves with time.

Triple onion walnut pate blends sweet caramelized red and yellow onions with scallions, walnuts, hard-cooked eggs, and asparagus into a rustic vegetarian spread for crackers or bread.

Slow-baked caramelized peanuts coated in brown sugar, salt, and a thin egg white wash. A holiday gift candy with a crunchy, candied shell and deep molasses sweetness.

Best-ever barbecue sauce in the Cajun style with crispy bacon, dark caramelized onions, honey, citrus, and toasted pecans. A rich, complex Paul Prudhomme-influenced sauce that earns its name.

A heirloom three-layer chocolate cake with bloomed cocoa, brown sugar for caramel depth, and tangy buttermilk. Old-school Sunday dinner cake, tender enough to live up to grandma's reputation.

A deeply flavored beef stew braised in Burgundy wine and rich stock with carrots, potatoes, rutabaga, mushrooms, and caramelized tomato paste. Thickened with a dark roux for velvety body.

Toasted bagels topped with sweet roasted red bell peppers, caramelized red onions, and a smear of cream cheese. A quick open-faced breakfast or lunch ready in 40 minutes.

Fresh spinach slow-cooked with ghee, soaked almonds, shredded coconut, caramelized brown sugar, mustard seeds, cumin, fenugreek, ginger, green chilies, and nutmeg. A rich Bengali-style spinach side dish.

Roasted pumpkin or butternut squash tossed in a Sicilian agrodolce of caramelized onions, red wine vinegar, sugar, and fresh mint. A vegetarian side dish bursting with sweet-sour contrast.

Tzimmes kugel with grated apples, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, carrots, golden raisins, and cinnamon bound with matzo meal. A sweet, golden Passover side dish baked until firm and caramelized.

Creamy Egyptian red lentil soup flavored with cumin, garlic, and caramelized onions. This velvety, protein-rich bowl gets finished with olive oil and lemon for a satisfying vegetarian meal.

Bourbon pecan pie with cane syrup, dark brown sugar, and a pre-cooked filling for a deeper, less cloying caramel base. Toasted pecans bake into a glossy, crackly top.

Make-ahead brownie mix yields 12 fudgy brownies plus five mix-in variations: mint, coconut almond, raspberry hazelnut, cherry, and caramel pecan layered. The pantry shortcut you actually want.