A chai spiced caramel sauce perfect for holiday entertaining.
I’m very enthusiastically jumping onto the chai bandwagon! There’s no looking back now. (In fact, can we take a quick moment to drool over Christina’s chewy chai bars?)
In all serious, though, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be joining me. The flavors of chai are so warm and comforting. Cardamom is what really makes it special, but the clove, cinnamon, ginger and black pepper (yes, black pepper!), round it out. The spicy flavor tones end up being perfect to balance out a sweet brown-sugar based caramel.
I served this caramel fondue as a dip when we had friends over on a recent Sunday afternoon. It was able to sit out for a few hours as the flavors developed. And actually, there was a little bit leftover and it tasted even better the next day (a dream for holiday entertaining plans)! I loved dunking graham crackers into the fondue along side my almond milk latte, but I did catch some people even dunking their blondies. Yes, my friends are geniuses.
- 195g (¾ cup + 1 tablespoon) light brown sugar, tightly packed
- 30 milliliters (2 tablespoons) water
- 118 milliliters (1/2 cup) heavy cream
- 9g (2 teaspoons) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- Whisk together brown sugar and water in a small heavy-duty saucepan; place over medium-high heat and cook without stirring for 3-4 minutes or until a deep amber brown and bubbling; remove from heat and immediately whisk in heavy cream and butter until smooth (be careful as the hot caramel may bubble up)
- Stir in remaining ingredients and then briefly stir over medium heat until smooth
- Serve warm; for a thicker dip (and for flavor more intensified), allow to cool in refrigerator for several hours before gently reheating
Can be stored in refrigerator up to one week
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