I’ll be honest, this recipe started out with the aim of being caramels, not sauce, but the actual squares of sticky goodness. But, somehow it turned into a sauce instead, but..I’m not complaining one bit.
Usually, in caramels and caramel sauces, heavy cream is used. Since we’re aiming for dairy-free here, I used a silken tofu substitute. I know I know, tofu? Trust me, it does the trick, you (really!) can’t even taste it! Silken tofu is blended with just enough almond milk to create a heavy cream consistency. Add sugar, whiskey, and all the other goodies and we get to bubbling!
I’ll say, I did not get pictures during the caramel making process, mainly due to the fact that I was preoccupied with the bubbling caramel not overflowing and creating a volcano of sugary whiskey mess everywhere in the kitchen. Good enough reason, right?
The hardest part to this sauce is that absolutely, positively,  under no circumstances should you try to taste the sauce until it is completely cooled. Caramel sauce is positively awesome, but it becomes  less awesome when all your taste buds are burned off in earnest trying to taste test it before proper cooling and you can’t taste it for another 2 weeks.
This sauce is perfect over ice cream (of course, my favorite is made with almond milk), sliced apples, or over morning oatmeal (start the day right, right?). Also, if you sneak it by the spoonful out of the fridge while it’s cooling, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that either! (Which means I went into the kitchen to do dishes and came out with a sticky spoon in hand and sweet tang left behind in my mouth…status on the dishes, not done.)
Sweet, salty and a little nutty. Also, I bet no one would turn this down as a holiday or hostess gift!
Salted Whiskey Caramel Pecan Sauce
4 tablespoons Earth Balance
5 tablespoons silken tofu
3 tablespoons almond milk
1/4 cup whiskey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon sea (or kosher) salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup pecans, chopped
1. Make heavy cream substitute by thoroughly whisking together silken tofu and almond milk in medium sized bowl, ensuring all tofu is thoroughly combined into the almond milk. Set aside.
2. Grease small pan to store sauce in once cooked. Ensure that the pan is completely greased, if not, the sauce will stick and be a mess to remove!
3. In medium saucepan, heat butter, heavy cream substitute, whiskey, vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to boiling, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; set aside.
4. In large saucepan, mix sugar, corn syrup, and water. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat. DO NOT STIR. Boil until sugar turns a warm golden brown. This large saucepan should be big enough to handle some bubbling action that occurs when the mixtures are combined.
5. When the sugar mixture is done, turn off the heat and slowly add the cream mixture to the sugar mixture. Be careful! — it will bubble up violently. Cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes. Pour caramel into pan; cool 5 minutes, sprinkle with additional sea or kosher salt. Place pan in refrigerator and let cool for 2 hours. Transfer to jar or drizzle away.
adapted from So How’s It Taste?
Paola @gnom-gnom says
I have been reading a lot of using silken tofu like this (I am not a vegan, but do prefer vegan baking for health reasons) (I was vegan a few years back). Do you have any tips when using it?
This looks absolutely delicious- and baking ‘accidents’ at times lead to amazign things I have found 😉
Abby @ The Frosted Vegan says
Hi Paola! I’ve found that when using silken tofu it’s all about the texture. If you need something a little more smooth it’s ok to leave the tofu juice (ew, I know) in. But, if the firmness needs a little more control I would recommend making sure it’s patted dry. Also, make sure it is completely blended and smooth (either by whisk or hand mixer) or you will get some funky chunks! Let me know if you have any other questions : )
Paola @gnom-gnom says
Thank you Abby!
Sandra Kohlmann says
I use silken tofu as an egg replacer quite often. I whip mine, using a small food processor, which gets it completely creamy and smooth. Then I use 3 tbsp per egg called for in recipes. It works great in finer baking recipes, like cakes, sugar cookies, and custard pies.
Abby @ The Frosted Vegan says
Thanks for the tips Sandra! I like the alternative of using tofu as opposed to Ener-G or flax eggs in some recipes as well.
Paola @gnom-gnom says
ps, I have a serious blog crush on you!
Abby @ The Frosted Vegan says
Well thanks! I have to say that I adore your food pictures, they are so lovely. Also, I love your blog design!
Yosef - This American Bite says
This sounds very sweet, but I like the approach. If it was a little less sweet I’d pour it over tofu or a veggie rice bowl.
Abby @ totesdelishblog says
That’s a great idea! Hmm, maybe a sweet glazed pan fried tofu? You might have something there!
a farmer in the dell says
I love happy accidents in the kitchen. This sauce sounds even better than the caramel squares. I am also a hug fan of whiskey. Yum!
Abby @ The Frosted Vegan says
Some of my best recipes are happy accidents! Also, whiskey in sauce or cocktails..love it all!