I'm not sure of the quantity you are making, but if you add a couple of ounces of brandy - and it needn't be the good stuff - it not only adds a nice flavor, but also adds a liquid that isn't going to set up when chilled. Add the brandy after you've removed the sauce from the heat. And stand back. At first it will spatter. When it calms down, stir it in.

if you want it more liquidy, you should lower the quantity of butter by half and add half more cream for the same amount of sugar. Temperature should be between 350 and 355 degrees.
Good Luck

Savour-Why do you prefer a dry Caramel? Just wondering. It would be nice if people who state preferance such as this to list a why. Why I like the recipe I gave and the reason I gave it was that it is as it states "Fool Proof"

I prefer a dry caramel (no water) and when it's the right color, I add butter and cream. Try adding more cream until you get the consistency you want.

Caramel sauce-320-340F
Sugar 8oz
Water 2oz
lemon juice 3/4tsp
heavy cream 6 oz
milk 4oz

Combine sugar, water and juice bring to a boil to disolve sugar, cook syrup to caramel stage (reduce heat as the temp gets close to avoid burning).

Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes while you bring the cream to a boil in a seperate pan and add a little caramel to the cream(tempure). then add cream mixture slowly to the caramel stirring constantly once all the cream and caramel are combined. Return to heat and stir until the caramel is disolved. Then let sit and cool completely. Stir the milk in until you have a desired constancy.

This is my fool proof caramel sauce. I hope this helps!

Thank you all for your help. I would appreciate if you can tell me what temperature should I have in the candy thermometer???? I never used one before.

Most of the time, I have the opposite problem: My caramel doesn't always set up as hard as I want it, and it seems like every other year, my caramel apples are drippy and have to be refrigerated to hold their coat.

For caramel apples and granola bars, cook 1 1/2 cups sugar in a Dutch oven until it melts and turns amber or a little darker, then stir in 2 tablespoons of butter, a pinch of salt and 1 cup of warmed up cream. Keep it over low heat and stir it constantly until it's blended and smooth and add 1 teaspoon of vanilla off the heat. To turn it into a sauce for ice cream to go with poundcake and bananas, I add another cup of cream.

I've been meaning to make this for a while but haven't done it yet. He adds two cups of cream to a caramel syrup made with 2 cups of sugar, some water and some corn syrup.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/banana-splitsville-recipe2/index.html

Add some heavy cream, about a tablespoon for a normal batch, and that will help smooth it out and keep it from seizing.

Also, are you using a candy thermometer? Caramel can go from the sauce stage to the soft ball to the hard ball stage fairly quickly. So if it's been on the heat too long the sugars are changing state and will harden when it cools.

LOVE caramel sauce! Eat it all warm :-) OR - I think if you add a bit more cream or even maybe some liquor (vanilla vodka - couple tablespoons - comes to mind) that should help it stay a bit more fluid. It's the sugar hardening up .... well and the butter

I'm interested in seeing what the other foodpicklers have to say on this . . . I don't have enough experience to give you the answer, but I do know that a lot depends on the humidity of your environment. I loved making desserts that involved caramel sauces of one kind or another as a young bride in New York City that stayed workable for quite a long time. Here in NoCal, unless it's the rainy season and has actually been raining a lot in the past 24 hours, it's much, much trickier. ;o)