I've been going through my Nanny's recipe box lately and when I came across this Butterscotch Sauce recipe, written in her own hand, it was one I knew I'd be making. This one comes together in a single pot in about 10 minutes, no candy thermometer required, and it's every bit as rich and buttery as the from scratch butterscotch Nanny used to make.
Everything in Nanny's kitchen (as well as Mom's kitchen) was homemade. Store-bought sauces and syrups just weren't part of either of their cupboards, and that's exactly why I'm a homemade girl through and through today.
Nanny's Notebook Swap
Nanny's original recipe calls for corn syrup. I now make it with pure maple syrup instead. Same texture, same rich butterscotch flavor, just a swap I made for a more natural sugar. Want the reasoning? Keep scrolling, I get into it below.
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Caramel vs Butterscotch: What's the Difference?
Caramel is made by melting plain sugar on its own until it browns, then butter and cream get stirred in. Butterscotch starts with butter and brown sugar melted together from the first minute, so the molasses flavor is built in from the start instead of coming from scorched sugar.
That's why butterscotch tastes rounder and more toffee-like than caramel's sharper edge. Nanny's sauce is a butterscotch through and through. Mellow and buttery rather than burnt sugar sharp.
What Goes into Nanny's Butterscotch Sauce
Pure Maple Syrup: Nanny's card calls for corn syrup, and I made it that way for years. In cooked sugar recipes like this one, corn syrup is there to control texture. It keeps the sauce smooth and helps prevent the sugar from crystallizing or hardening as it cools. Pure maple syrup does that same job here. It's a natural sugar instead of a heavily processed one, and swapping it in doesn't change the texture or the flavor of this sauce one bit. If you'd rather stick with what Nanny used, corn syrup will still work fine in the same amount.
Butter: Melts right in with the syrup and sugar to start building that rich buttery base every good butterscotch needs.
Light Brown Sugar: Where the deep caramel-y butterscotch flavor comes from.
Salt: Just an eighth of a teaspoon, but it keeps the sauce from tasting flat or one-note sweet.
Light Cream: Whisked in at the end to smooth everything out and bring the sauce to that pourable, glossy consistency.
How to Make Nanny's Butterscotch Sauce
This one comes together in one pot in about ten minutes. All you need is a timer, pot, and stirring spoon.
Combine the maple syrup, butter, brown sugar, and salt in a large pot over medium heat. Bring it to a boil and let it boil for 4 minutes, keeping an eye on it and adjusting the heat as needed so it doesn't boil over the sides of the pot.
Remove the pot from the heat and let the syrup sit for 5 minutes. This short rest lets it cool down just enough that the cream won't seize up or separate when it hits the hot syrup.
Whisk in the light cream until it's fully blended and smooth. That's it. Pour it into a jar and it's ready to use.
Baking Notes & Pro Tips
- Use a heavy-bottomed pot. It keeps the heat even so the sugar doesn't scorch on the bottom while it boils.
- Taste before you jar it. Depending on your maple syrup and your salt, you may want antoher pinch to round it out.
- If the sauce looks separated right after you add the cream, keep whisking over low heat for another minute or two. It'll come back together.
- Let it cool a few minutes in the jar before you put the lid on, so it doesn't trap steam inside.
Ways to Use This Sauce
I use this sauce constantly. A few of my favorites: stirred into a cup of coffee in place of plain sugar, warmed and poured over a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream, as a dip for sliced apples, drizzled over buttermilk pancakes or waffles, swirled into oatmeal, and spooned over my Mom's old fashioned bread pudding recipe. It's basically made for it! Its also delicious poured over cheesecake or a slice of pound cake or stirred into a milkshake!
How to Store & Reheat
This sauce keeps in the refrigerator in an airtight jar for about two weeks. It will thicken once it's cold - and that's normal. If you need to loosen it back up, you can warm it gently in the microwave in short bursts, or set the jar in a small pot of warm water, stirring occasionally until it's pourable. My personal experience however, is that I do not really need to reheat this unless I want it hot to go over top of a dessert I am serving.
From Nanny's Recipe Box and Beyond
You may want to try more of our family recipes below:
FAQ
Yes. Heavy cream will make the sauce a bit richer and slightly thicker, but it works fine.
That usually means the sugar crystallized, either from stirring too much while it boils or from sugar crystals on the side of the pot falling back into the syrup. Resist the urge to stir during the boil. Just swirl the pot occasionally if needed.
It's not the best candidate for freezing since cream-based sauces can separate when thawed. It keeps well enough in the fridge that freezing isn't really necessary.
No. Butter and cream don't hold up to a hot water bath the way a fruit preserve does, so this one needs to stay in the refrigerator rather than sealed and stored at room temperature. The Mason jars in the photos are for storage and gifting, not shelf-stable canning.
Yes. Just use a larger pot to give the syrup room to boil without boiling over.
Did you make Nanny's Butterscotch Sauce? I'd love to hear how it turned out. Leave a comment and rating below, and if you snap a photo, tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch so I can see it!
📖 Recipe
Nanny's Butterscotch Sauce Recipe
Equipment
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Ingredients
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup light cream
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, combine syrup, butter, salt, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, and boil for 4 minutes. Adjust heat as needed so syrup does not boil over the pot.
- Remove syrup from burner and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Whisk in cream until well blended.
Shelby Law Ruttan says
This is such an easy sauce and its ready in no time. I use it in my iced coffee regularly!