1,224 caramel recipes

Swedish butter cookies are slice-and-bake shortbread topped with browned butter frosting. Five ingredients in the dough, nutty caramelized butter on top, and the kind of crisp-edge melt that makes Christmas cookie tins worth opening.

Oatmeal crisps are thin, crackle-edged cookies pressed flat before baking for maximum crunch. Brown sugar, rolled oats, and a splash of soured milk give a deep caramel chew at the center and snap on every bite.

Super-rich creme brulee made with nine egg yolks, heavy cream, and a whole vanilla bean, baked low in a water bath until just set, then crowned with a crackly caramelized sugar crust. Silkier than any restaurant version.

Golden glazed chicken bakes chicken breasts over a bed of onions under a curry-spiked stir-fry sauce that caramelizes into a glossy glaze. A 4-ingredient, dump-and-bake weeknight dinner with big flavor for little effort.

Creme brulee is the classic French baked custard: a silky cream base set gently in a water bath, then finished with a thin, glassy sheet of caramelized sugar you crack through with a spoon. Simpler to make than it looks.

Maple syrup rum baked beans with navy beans, salt pork, dry-mustard-rubbed onion, and a layer of caramelized whole apples baked into the top. Quebec-style cabin cooking. Pure maple syrup, brown sugar, and a final pour of dark rum.

Ajam Panggang is a flavorful Indonesian dish featuring chicken marinated in a rich blend of sweet soy sauce (kecap manis), garlic, lime, and spicy sambal ulek, then roasted or grilled until juicy and caramelized. Paired with crispy shrimp puffs (kroepoek oedang) and a thickened marinade sauce, it’s perfect as a standalone dish or part of an Indonesian rice table with nasi goreng (fried rice).

Butter in India is called makkhan. Clarified butter, instead of being called makkhan ghee, is called usli ghee (usli means "real" or "pure," which in this context refers to the real or original fat of the ancient Indians). Clarified butter or usli ghee is essentially French brown butter with the brown residue strained off. Usli ghee has a light caramel color and a heavenly aroma. Since there is no moisture present, it keeps well covered, at room temperature, for several months.