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Creamy, rich vanilla panna cotta with homemade sea salt caramel and butter toffee pretzels. This is the perfect sweet and salty dessert!
I absolutely love the simplicity of a silky smooth, velvety panna cotta. I have made panna cotta more times than I can count and love to pair it with different types of sauces and toppings. Adding a sweet and salty and crunchy element just put it over the top for me!
You can also find my Classic Panna Cotta Recipe and my Greek Yogurt Panna Cotta Recipe.
Why you will love this recipe:
There are so many reasons why this will be one of your favorite desserts…
- Making homemade panna cotta is actually super simple and easy. It is served at fine restaurants yet is made with only a few ingredients and is easy to put together.
- The salted caramel and crunchy salty and sweet butter toffee pretzels on top of a velvety smooth cream dessert is a winning combination.
Ingredients:
Homemade Panna Cotta only calls for 4 ingredients. I love scraping vanilla beans from fresh vanilla pods because it imparts the most vanilla flavor in this panna cotta. I also love to use high-quality heavy cream since it is the star ingredient. This recipe doesn’t call for that much sugar in the panna cotta since the caramel is so sweet.
PANNA COTTA:
- Unflavored Gelatin + Cold Water — Gelatin is the key ingredient responsible for the texture of panna cotta. It ensures it is neither too runny nor too stiff, striking the perfect balance between creamy and firm.
- Heavy Cream — this is the base of panna cotta so I suggest using fresh, high-quality heavy cream in this recipe.
- Sugar — this recipe calls for only 1/4 cup of sugar but you can add up to 1/3 cup of sugar without sacrificing the structure of the dessert.
- Vanilla Bean Paste, Vanilla Beans, or Vanilla Extract — I suggest using high-quality vanilla extract or if possible, scrap the vanilla beans from a vanilla pod for the strongest vanilla flavor. If I use vanilla bean paste, I prefer to use Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Bean Paste.
What does Gelatin do in Panna Cotta?
When dissolved in liquid, gelatin forms into a gel, providing the desired firmness to desserts like panna cotta. This gel traps moisture, giving panna cotta its characteristic smoothness while allowing it to hold its shape when unmolded.
HOMEMADE CARAMEL:
You can use store-bought caramel or make your own caramel from scratch. I am sharing my easy caramel recipe. If you want to buy jarred caramel sauce, I give my recommendations below.
- Salted Butter — I like to use salted butter in this recipe to make it salted caramel. The saltiness balances out the sweetness.
- Brown Sugar — Make sure to pack down the brown sugar in the measuring cup.
- Heavy Cream
- Vanilla Extract
Best Grocery Store Caramel Recommendations:
My favorite salted caramel is from Trader Joe’s and is called Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce and can be found in the baking aisle. I also like Mrs. Richardson’s Caramel Dessert Sauce.
BUTTER TOFFEE PRETZELS:
This is just a quick and easy butter toffee pretzel recipe!
- Mini Pretzels
- Brown Sugar
- Butter
- Corn Syrup
How to make Panna Cotta with Salted Caramel:
- Start by sprinkling gelatin into a bowl with water and let stand for 1 minute to soften. If you want to ensure the gelatin is completely dissolved, place in a saucepan and heat over low heat until gelatin is dissolved.
- In a large saucepan, bring heavy cream and sugar to a boil over medium-high heat. Whisk often. Once it begins to boil, remove from heat and whisk in gelatin mixture and vanilla.
- Divide the cream mixture into four 1/2 cup dessert glasses or ramekins. Let the mixture come to room temperature before putting in the refrigerator. If you cover and put in the refrigerator before it has come to room temperature, steam will form and make the panna cotta watery.
- Cover and let chill for at least 4 hours to allow time to set-up.To serve and invert on a plate, dip ramekins into a bowl of hot water for several seconds.
- To make the caramel, heat a heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter, brown sugar, and heavy cream. Stir the mixture with a whisk as it melts. Let it come to a gentle boil and bubble up for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in vanilla extract. Let the caramel cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring it to a jar. Place in the refrigerator. The caramel will thicken as it is chilled in the refrigerator.
- To make the butter toffee pretzels, heat a heavy-bottom pan over medium heat. Add butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Spread out pretzels on a baking sheet. Drizzle with toffee. Bake at 250 degrees for about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let set up. When the pretzels have firmed up, break into pieces to sprinkle on top of the panna cotta.
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Panna Cotta with Salted Caramel and Toffee Pretzels
Ingredients
Panna Cotta:
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons Cold Water
- 2 teaspoons Unflavored Gelatin
- 2 cups Heavy Cream
- 1/4 cup Sugar
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Bean Paste or Extract
Caramel Sauce:
- 4 Tablespoons Salted Butter
- 1 cup Brown Sugar (packed)
- 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
- 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Toffee Pretzels:
- 2 cups Mini Pretzels
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 1/4 cup Brown Sugar (packed)
- 2 Tablespoons Corn Syrup
Instructions
- Start by sprinkling gelatin into a bowl with water and let stand for 1 minute to soften. If you want to ensure the gelatin is completely dissolved, place in a saucepan and heat over low heat until gelatin is dissolved.
- In a large saucepan, bring heavy cream and sugar to a boil over medium-high heat. Whisk often. Once it begins to boil, remove from heat and whisk in gelatin mixture and vanilla.
- Divide the cream mixture into four 1/2 cup dessert glasses or ramekins. Let the mixture come to room temperature before putting in the refrigerator. If you cover and put in the refrigerator before it has come to room temperature, steam will form and make the panna cotta watery.
- Cover and let chill for at least 4 hours to allow time to set-up.
HOMEMADE CARAMEL:
- Heat a heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter, brown sugar, and heavy cream. Stir the mixture with a whisk as it melts. Let it come to a gentle boil and bubble up for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in vanilla extract. Let the caramel cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring it to a jar. Place in the refrigerator. The caramel will thicken as it is chilled in the refrigerator.
TOFFEE PRETZELS:
- Heat a heavy-bottom pan over medium heat. Add butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Spread out pretzels on a baking sheet. Drizzle with toffee. Bake at 250 degrees for about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let set up. When the pretzels have firmed up, break into pieces to sprinkle on top of the caramel on the panna cotta.
- To serve, pour salted caramel over the panna cotta. Sprinkle with toffee pretzels and serve.
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was delicious!
I am looking forward to do this recipe but I have a question. Can I substitute corn syrup?
Love this recipe! It is the perfect sweet and salty combo!