Let me guess–you’re in the middle of a holiday recipe bombardment and totally overwhelmed by it all. Or, you know the cooking routine and are just looking for a something that adds a little extra sparkle and pizzaz to your food contribution.

In either scenario, you want this sauce. Why? Cake, ice cream, pie, custards–this sauce will go with nearly anything AND you can decide the dominating flavor. The original recipe calls for nutmeg which is what’s listed here but I don’t see any reason you can’t substitute the nutmeg for cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, or even a pumpkin pie spice blend. Heck…go crazy and try it with chili pepper. Why not?

Okay, you’re busy. I’ll shut-up and hand over the recipe. 🙂

5 Minute Spiced Holiday Sauce

(adapted from a very old Betty Crocker recipe book/binder).

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup half-and-half
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (or spice of your choice).

Cook all the ingredients in a heavy 1-quart saucepan over low heat 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Watch it carefully to make sure it down’t burn.

You’re done. Serve it warm or cool.

Tip: The spice is really the dominating flavor here. If at all possible use the freshest spice you can get. This would be the time to take an extra minute and grind your own.

Sidenote: I’ll post pictures when I make this for our Thanksgiving feast. Thought you’d appreciate the recipe more now, then tomorrow afternoon 1 hour before you sit down to eat. I HAVE made this sauce before. And served it for guests. They loved the sauce so much they overlooked the overcooked pumpkin cheesecake crust that it covered.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.