These salted caramels are simply sublime. I like flavoring them the classic way with a generous splash of good vanilla, but you could also use lemon zest or even a few tablespoons of bourbon for a fun twist. (I’ve got loads of ideas for you further down.) This recipe yields about 80 candies, so you have plenty to share with your loved ones.
While actually making the homemade caramel candy doesn’t take terribly long, it does need several hours to cool so you can slice it neatly. For this reason, I recommend saving this recipe for a day you plan to spend a few hours at home. For more candy recipes to share with friends and family, try my toffee recipe, peanut brittle, and honeycomb recipe.
What You Need to Make this Recipe
Sugar — you need two types for this recipe: granulated sugar (white sugar) and light brown sugar.
Corn syrup — corn syrup is important for the soft, smooth texture of these salted caramel candies. Use light corn syrup, not dark corn syrup.
Butter — unsalted butter adds richness and creaminess to these homemade candies.
Salt — salt enhances all the flavors. If you are using salted butter, reduce the salt by ¼ teaspoon per stick.
Heavy cream — also called heavy whipping cream, this is an essential ingredient in the best caramels recipe. You could swap it for evaporated milk if you have that on hand.
Vanilla — you need a lot of vanilla, so use a high-quality vanilla extract instead of vanilla essence.
How to Make Caramels
1. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch pan with butter and line it with parchment paper. Allow the excess parchment paper to come up the sides of the pan. Lightly butter the parchment paper as well.
2. Combine white sugar, light brown sugar, light corn syrup, butter, and salt in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. It needs to be a 4- to 5-quart capacity saucepan.
3. Set the saucepan over medium heat and stir constantly until the butter and sugar has melted and the mixture starts to bubble, which will take about 5 minutes.
4. Slowly stir in the heavy cream.
5. Attach a candy thermometer to the saucepan and boil. Stir constantly until the sugar syrup reaches 245°F to 248° degrees f. This step takes 20 to 25 minutes.
6. If you don’t have a candy thermometer, do the cold water test. Drop a small ball of the caramel into a glass of cold water. If it forms a firm yet pliable ball, it is ready. If the caramel dissolves, it is not ready yet.
7. Once the caramel reaches the right temperature, immediately remove the saucepan from the heat and carefully stir in the vanilla extract. Pour the soft caramel mixture into the prepared pan.
8. Allow it to cool completely. It will need about 4 hours. About 30 minutes into the cooling process, you can sprinkle flaked sea salt on the slab of caramel. Once completely cooled, remove the slab from the baking sheet and discard the parchment paper. Cut into squares with a very sharp knife and wrap the chewy caramels in wax paper.
Pro Tips for Making this Recipe
- Use a heavy-bottomed saucepan. This will help ensure that the caramel doesn’t burn. Thin pans don’t insulate the food cooking very well and easily burn on the bottom of the pan.
- Prepare all your equipment and ingredients before you start. Things move along fairly quickly, and the caramel needs constant attention while it cooks. So prepare all your utensils, equipment, and ingredients before you start. You don’t want to be prepping the baking sheet when the caramel is done.
- Keep a pastry brush and a little water nearby. Sugar crystals may form as the caramel cooks, which can ruin its texture. Wet the pastry brush with water and brush the sides of the pan to dissolve the sugar crystals.
- Swap out the vanilla extract for the scraped seeds of one vanilla bean or vanilla bean paste.
- Make sure to separate the caramel squares when cutting. Cut a caramel and move it to another part of your cutting board, or recut them before trying to move them if they are touching. The edges will stick together and create a string if they are touching for too long.
- Make them first thing in the morning. Since these candies take several hours to cool, I like making a batch in the morning so they have plenty of time to cool at room temperature. Then in the late afternoon, I can cut and wrap.
- Chill the cooled caramel before slicing. Pop the caramel slab into the fridge for 15 minutes before slicing. They slice a little bit cleaner when the caramel is slightly cool and the knife is a little warm.
- To speed up the cooling process: You can refrigerate it until hardened or store the slab tightly wrapped in the fridge until you are ready to cut it. Just remove the slab about 30 minutes to 1 hour before slicing, as cold caramel can shatter or break when cut.
Frequently Asked Questions
I recommend making homemade caramels with heavy cream (also called heavy whipping cream). Heavy cream contains 36% milk fat. Whipping cream, on the other hand, has 30% to 36% milk fat. While it will work in this recipe, the candies won’t have quite the same texture.
You can use extracts like orange or coconut, stir in fresh orange or lemon zest with the vanilla extract, or add 3 tablespoons of liquor like bourbon, curaçao, or coffee liqueur. A sprinkle of smoked salt is also indescribably good! You can take them to another level by drizzling or coating the cut caramels in melted chocolate.
I typically wrap my homemade candies in nonstick parchment paper or wax paper. I love how they look! You can cut individual squares of wax paper or buy pre-cut squares on Amazon. You could also use pre-cut cellophane wrappers.
Store them at room temperature in an airtight container or candy jar for up to a week. They can also be refrigerated for several weeks. Enjoy them at room temperature to experience the best melt-in-your-mouth sensation!
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this caramels recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Caramels
Equipment
- 9×13″ baking pan
- Large pot or saucepan
- Candyor instant-read thermometer
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar (400g)
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar (220g)
- 1 cup light corn syrup (240ml)
- 1 cup unsalted butter cubed (113g)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups heavy cream (480ml)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Lightly butter a 9×13-inch pan and line it with parchment paper, letting the excess come up the sides of the pan. Lightly butter the paper.
- In a large heavy-bottom saucepan (make sure it’s a 4 to 5-quart capacity), combine the sugars, corn syrup, butter, and salt. Place over medium heat and stir constantly until the butter and sugars have melted and the mixture starts to bubble, about 5 minutes. Slowly stir in the cream.
- Attach a candy thermometer and boil, stirring constantly until the mixture reaches 245°F to 248°F, 20 to 25 minutes. (You can also drop a small ball of the caramel into a glass of cold water. If it forms a firm ball but still moldable ball, it’s done.)
- Immediately remove from the heat and carefully stir in the vanilla. Pour into the prepared pan. Let the caramels to cool completely, about 4 hours. If desired, sprinkle flaked sea salt on top of the caramels after cooling for about 30 minutes. (To speed up the cooling, you can refrigerate the caramels until hardened. Just remove the slab about 30 minutes before slicing as the cold caramel can shatter or break when cut.)
- Remove the cooled slab from the pan and discard the parchment paper. Cut into squares and wrap in wax paper. Caramels will keep at room temperature for up to 1 week or refrigerated for several weeks. They should be enjoyed at room temperature.
Notes
- Use a heavy-bottomed saucepan. This will help ensure that the caramel doesn’t burn. Thin pans don’t insulate the food cooking very well and easily burn on the bottom of the pan.
- Prepare all your equipment and ingredients before you start. Things move along fairly quickly, and the caramel needs constant attention while it cooks. So prepare all your utensils, equipment, and ingredients before you start. You don’t want to be prepping the baking sheet when the caramel is done.
- Keep a pastry brush and a little water nearby. Sugar crystals may form as the caramel cooks, which can ruin its texture. Wet the pastry brush with water and brush the sides of the pan to dissolve the sugar crystals.
- Swap out the vanilla extract for the scraped seeds of one vanilla bean or vanilla bean paste.
- Make sure to separate the caramel squares when cutting. Cut a caramel and move it to another part of your cutting board, or recut them before trying to move them if they are touching. The edges will stick together and create a string if they are touching for too long.
- Make them first thing in the morning. Since these candies take several hours to cool, I like making a batch in the morning so they have plenty of time to cool at room temperature. Then in the late afternoon, I can cut and wrap.
- Chill the cooled caramel before slicing. Pop the caramel slab into the fridge for 15 minutes before slicing. They slice a little bit cleaner when the caramel is slightly cool and the knife is a little warm.
- To speed up the cooling process: You can refrigerate it until hardened or store the slab tightly wrapped in the fridge until you are ready to cut it. Just remove the slab about 30 minutes to 1 hour before slicing, as cold caramel can shatter or break when cut.
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