10 caramel glaze recipes

How to cook acorn squash. This works with carnival squash (used in the photo) as well as acorn squash. Perfectly cooked moist and not stringly squash paired with a buttery glaze that is caramelized perfectly. All this in about 20 minutes.

Spiced apple cake loaded with chopped dates, walnuts, and tart apples, made moist with cold coffee. Bake in a bundt or sheet pan and finish with caramel glaze.

Three-layer chocolate caramel bars with a fudgy brownie base, gooey pecan caramel topping, and a lacy semi-sweet chocolate drizzle. Makes 54 bars that store beautifully for 10 days. Think homemade turtle candy in cookie bar form.

Roasted sweet potato wedges drizzled with a glossy balsamic-honey reduction. The vinegar cooks down to a syrupy glaze, finished with butter, that balances sweet caramelized edges against a sharp tang.

Candied sweet potatoes layered with brown sugar, butter, and salt, baked until glazed and topped with toasted marshmallows. A classic Thanksgiving side dish with caramelized edges and a gooey finish.

Baked carrots slow-cooked in a cinnamon-butter-sugar glaze until fork-tender and deeply caramelized. A classic casserole side dish with just 6 ingredients.

Chocolate cake layers filled with caramelized coconut-pecan dulce de leche, then glazed with glossy dark chocolate for an inside-out German chocolate showstopper.

Soy-glazed seared tuna steaks over mixed greens with caramelized onions, summer squash, and a fiery orange-curry-habanero sauce. A restaurant-worthy plate at home.

Classic Southern candied sweet potatoes: thick-sliced sweet potatoes baked low and slow in a brown sugar glaze until the edges caramelize. Four-ingredient Thanksgiving side, no marshmallows required.

Buttermilk orange cake studded with raisins and nuts, topped with a citrus-sugar glaze broiled into a caramelized, crackly crust. Served warm with whipped cream for an old-fashioned dessert.