Oh, the buttery richness of that chewy confection. Who doesn’t like caramel?
Once you learn how to make homemade caramel, you can create gourmet caramel apples, chocolate-covered caramels, pecan logs, turtles and more.
Caramels consist of these few ingredients: sugar, corn syrup, milk/cream, and butter. Most recipes use a one-to-one ratio with the sugar and corn syrup. Corn syrup’s primary function is to help the caramel from graining. You can use more corn syrup than sugar, but the more corn syrup you use the tougher your caramels will be.
Add all of your ingredients to your pot and cook on medium-low to medium. You may be tempted to turn your temperature up once everything is incorporated to help it cook faster – but don’t! You could end up scorching the batch.
The key to having a really rich flavor is to cook your caramel slowly. Don’t rush it. After the mixture comes to a boil, it should take about 30 minutes to reach the proper temperature or cooking stage.
As soon as it starts to boil, make sure to wash down the sides of the pot so that stray sugar crystals don’t get into the mixture and cause it to the grain.
Unlike fudge, you need to stir your caramel while it’s boiling. This will prevent scorching. When your caramel is at the desired softball candy stage (234º F), pour your caramel into a prepared pan but do not scrape the bottom of the pot. It could cause it to grain, or you could be adding undesired elements (harder bits because it’s cooked longer, scorched bits, etc.) to your finished product.
Let the caramels cool. Then, using a sharp, heavy knife, cut your caramels to be either dipped in chocolate or wrapped individually.
Caramel Recipe
Contents
Ingredients – Caramels
- Four cupfuls sugar
- Three cupfuls corn syrup
- Two cupfuls condensed milk
- Two cupfuls water
- One tablespoonful vanilla
Put the sugar, syrup, and one half the milk and water into the kettle and boil to a very soft wax when dropped in cold water, or to 236° by the thermometer. (It must be stirred constantly while cooking.) When it reaches this stage, pour in the remainder of the milk and water and cook to 242°, or until it forms a firm ball in cold water,
then turn it out on a well-oiled slab or platter. When it is nearly cold, cut in inch squares. Each caramel must be wrapped separately in waxed paper. If put together in a dish without being wrapped, they will run together.
Chocolate or Nut Caramels
Start with the preceding recipe. Add the chocolate or nuts just a minute or two before removing it from the stove.
Imitation Maple Caramels
Use the preceding caramel recipe, and just before turning the caramel on the slab, flavor it with one tablespoonful of maple flavoring.
Imitation Maple Caramels
Use the preceding caramel recipe, and just before turning the caramel on the slab, flavor it with one tablespoonful of maple flavoring.
Coffee Caramels
Use the caramel recipe, and substitute one cupful of strong coffee for one of the cupfuls of milk.