Grandma's Homemade Caramels
Directions
- 1Butter a 9x13 inch pan thoroughly, making sure to get the sides and corners.
- 2Melt 1 cup of unsalted butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
- 3Pour in one 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk.
- 4Add 2 cups of brown sugar.
- 5Add 1 cup of corn syrup.
- 6Stir the mixture using a rubber spatula, scraping the sides and bottom as you go, and bring it to a simmer over medium heat.
- 7Continue stirring until the caramel reaches the soft ball stage, which is a temperature between 235 and 245 degrees Fahrenheit, measured with a candy or instant-read thermometer.
- 8Remove the saucepan from the heat.
- 9Immediately stir in a quarter teaspoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract until the salt disperses.
- 10Pour the caramel mixture into the prepared pan.
- 11Run a rubber spatula through it to spread it evenly and allow it to cool completely at room temperature for at least two hours.
- 12Once completely cool, cut the caramel into small squares.
- 13Wrap each individual caramel square in a piece of wax paper, twisting the ends.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Unsalted butter
- 1 can (14-ounce) Sweetened condensed milk
- 2 cups Brown sugar
- 1 cup Corn syrup
- 0.25 teaspoon Salt
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
Equipment
9x13 inch pansaucepanrubber spatulacandy thermometerinstant-read thermometerwax paper
Tips
- Butter the pan really well because caramel is pretty sticky.
- Using sweetened condensed milk gives the caramel a smoother texture because it has sugar added in.
- Corn syrup (an invert sugar) helps prevent the formation of sugar crystals. You can make your own invert sugar using water, sugar, and citric acid if you don't want to use corn syrup.
- Do not increase the temperature above medium when cooking, it's a slow process and you need to stir it the entire time.
- Cook to the soft ball stage (235-245 degrees Fahrenheit) for homemade caramels.
- If you don't have a thermometer, you can test the caramel by dripping some into super cold water; it should form a ball that hardens but still flattens a little when pulled out.
- The caramel tends to stall out in the 220 degree range, so patiently wait for it to creep up to the desired temperature.
- Caramels will harden as they cool; let them cool completely for at least two hours before slicing.
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