Everyone loves caramel au beurre salé (salted butter caramel). The rich, sweet-salty flavor triggers pleasure centers in the brain, making it physically addictive–this has been proven by scientific research! It’s a star ingredient that can be found in everything from packaged candies in grocery stores to the most intricate creations made by award-winning pastry chefs, and everything in between. Learn more about the irresistible sweet-salty confection
What you need to know
Caramel au Beurre Salé comes from Brittany, a region known for producing top-quality dairy products, including cream and butter.
The Origin Story
In 1977, Henri Le Roux, a famous chocolatier in Brittany, created his recipe for semi-salted butter caramel with walnuts, hazelnuts, and crushed almonds. It won the Best Candy in France award at the Salon Internationale de la Confiserie in 1980; in 1981, Le Roux registered the CBS® trademark for Caramel au Beurre Salé.
The various forms of Caramel au Beurre Salé
Three simple ingredients are all it takes to make salted butter caramel sauce: sugar, cream, and salted butter. Using AOC salted butter and cream from Brittany guarantees a magical outcome. Drizzle it over ice cream, tarts, brioche, pancakes, dip apples or pears into it, combine it with chocolate and nuts–it’s versatile and goes well with so many things!
It’s easy to make at home but also widely available in stores and in various forms. Soft chewy squares of Caramel d’Isigny, hard candies, caramel spread, syrup, and the famous Niniches de Quiberon lollipops, to name a few.
Editor's note
« Caramel au Beurre Salé may have been popularized in 1980 but its history goes back much further. The simplest and oldest form of caramel, dating back to 1000 AD, is a mix of boiling sugar and water, which yields a hard candy. Soft caramel was first created in 1860 when chefs added milk and cream. And we can go back to the 14th century for the star ingredient: Salted butter from Brittany.
In 1343, King Philippe VI of Valois established La Gabelle du Sel, a royal salt tax, forcing citizens to buy a certain amount of salt per year, and restricting them from using it to make salted products (a crime that could lead to imprisonment, or even death). Back then, unsalted butter was the norm in most of France. Brittany, however, was exempt from the salt tax, and farmers in the region were able to use the local sel de Guérande in their butter. »
Pair with
Chocolate, apples, pears, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, ice cream
Recipes with this product
French Desserts
Walnut, Chocolate and Salted Butter Caramel Tartlets
In partnership with Fruit and Veg from France
