Generations of women in my family have been making them from this recipe, and I’m honored to be able to carry on the tradition.
Caramels are a holiday tradition in my house. Generations of women in my family have been making them from this recipe, and I’m honored to be able to carry on the tradition. Wrap these delicious morsels in colorful wax paper, and you have the perfect homemade holiday gift for neighbors, friends, family, and even clients. In addition to being delicious and adorable, they are also giftable for most people because there are no nuts or gluten.
Safety Note: For any hot candy making, I highly recommend wearing long sleeves, long pants, and closed-toed shoes. Candy gets up to very high temperatures and frequently spatters out of the pot. I have some bad burns on my hand from a batch of peanut brittle that got a little wild. For the same reasons, you will want to keep kids and pets out of the area.
So, in order to avoid burning yourself or burning your candy, make sure you have my full prep checklist and ingredients (see below) set out ahead of time so you aren’t scrambling when your candy is ready to pour.
Prep Checklist:
1. Large, heavy bottom pot
2. Wooden spoon (do not use a metal spoon)
3. 2-4 buttered or parchment-lined high-rimmed dishes (ex: a Pyrex casserole dish)
4. Cup or spoon rest (something to hold your sticky spoon when not using)
5. Oven mitts – used to move your hot pan when ready to pour (preferably flexible mitts so you can more deftly pour and maneuver the pot)
6. Candy thermometer (if you don’t have one you can use a glass of cold water to test the candy, it just isn’t as precise and is a bit more stressful)
Ingredients (Single Batch):
1.5 cups of light Karo Syrup
2 cups of white sugar
1 cup of butter
2 cups of heavy cream
1 tsp of vanilla
Dash of salt
Note: In the videos below, I doubled the ingredients above.
Step 1:
Prepare one to two heat-resistant dishes (ex: Pyrex casserole dishes) by lining them with parchment paper. If you don’t have parchment, generously coat the dish with butter. Don’t forget to gather your full prep checklist and ingredients.
Step 2:
First, heat your butter. Next, add half of your heavy cream, sugar, and Karo Syrup. Stir well with a wooden spoon until boiling, then set a timer for 5 minutes.
Step 3:
After boiling hard for 5 minutes, slowly add the remaining heavy cream, one tablespoon at a time to keep the boil going. Continuously stir and monitor this step and make sure you scrape the sides of your pot so that your candy doesn’t harden or crystalize.
Step 4:
This is a crucial point where you’ll want to stir your caramel continuously until it reaches 234 F. Pro tip: keep a glass of water nearby to store your candy thermometer after use.
Step 5:
Once your caramel reaches 234 F, remove from heat, quickly stir in the vanilla and salt, and pour into prepared dishes.
Step 6:
Let the candy cool completely, then transfer it to a cutting board and use a sharp chef’s knife to cut small pieces. Wrap them in small squares of wax paper.
Be a little Extra:
I love being able to create a variety of treats from one (double) batch of caramels. It creates a more abundant and opulent spread with just a marginal amount of additional effort.
- Caramel chocolate pretzel bites: Press a small piece of caramel onto a pretzel, drizzle with melted chocolate, and sprinkle with maldon salt (or any other high quality salt to your liking)
- Caramel filled chocolates: Dip a square of caramel in melted chocolate and sprinkle with salt or seasonal sprinkles for a pop of color (or both).
- Caramel Apples: If your caramel is soft enough, you can can take a larger ball and press it between two sheets of parchment paper until it is a thin flat sheet that can be wrapped and molded around an apple with a candy or popsicle stick pushed through the top of the core.
