HOMEMADE CARAMEL, my failproof recipe
If you’re new here, welcome! I’m AmberLee, and Giverslog is my place to collect gift ideas and pretty wrapping ideas from talented friends and bloggers (plus I throw in a few ideas of my own). I hope the next time you’re stumped about a gift for a teacher,grandparent, hostess, or anyone else that you’ll pop in and I can provide some inspiration.
Once you go homemade, you never go back.
I love the process of making homemade caramel. Getting the caramel started, pulling out a bowlful along the way to use as homemade caramel dip, then dipping apples just a little bit further along the way. Then reaching the end, where it’s ready to be candy, real homemade caramel, the heavenly stuff. For a week after I’ve made caramel I melt one piece of caramel in each cup of hot cocoa I have. Try it. You’ll like it.
Following is my fail proof recipe. Or at least it is really really nearly close to fail proof. I have failed at it many times in order to bring it to you in this bulletproof form. I’ve also had some minor degree burns. So be careful when you make homemade candy. Respect the candy. (You’re welcome.)
Homemade Caramel (or caramel dip)
Yield: about 60 caramels
Prep and cook time: 1 hour (not including time to cut and wrap caramels, save extra time for that)
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cup brown sugar (14.5 oz.)
1 cup light corn syrup (11.5 oz)
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk or two cups half and half or light cream (the sweetened condensed milk makes for shorter cooking time)
1 cup butter, unsalted
1 tsp. vanilla
Equipment:
candy thermometer
heavy, 3-qt. sauce pan (or 6-qt. if doubling the recipe, which I always do)
parchment paper (how I love parchment paper, i’ve never found anything that sticks to this stuff)
8×8 or 9×9 pan (or large jelly-roll cookie sheet if doubling recipe)
wax paper for wrapping caramels
Method:
- Every time before using a candy thermometer, clip a candy thermometer onto a pan full of cold water and bring it to a boil (make sure the thermometer is not touching the bottom of the pan). I cheat on a lot of things, but I never cheat on this. Boiling water should read 212°. Once the water is boiling, make note of any difference in your reading, and adjust your reading accordingly when you make the candy (for example, if thermometer reads 210° in boiling water instead of 212°, then take caramel off at 242° instead of 244°).
- Line pan with parchment paper, even up the sides. Prepare any apples, pretzels, or other things you’ll be dipping. Chop any nuts or prepare any candy you’ll be sprinkling on top.
- Cut butter into smaller, even sized cubes for even melting. Melt over low in sauce pan.
- Add and mix sugar, corn syrup, and sweetened condensed milk (or cream). Take care to pour sugar in center of pan. If any sugar crystals stick to side of pan, push them down with a damp pastry brush so they do not crystallize the entire batch and make you want to cry.
- Cook and stir on med.-high until boiling. Once boiling, clip on your candy thermometer (again, don’t let it touch the bottom of the pan).
- Reduce heat to about medium, adjusting so that you keep a moderate, steady boil. Stir frequently.
- Temperature does not raise at a steady rate, so watch thermometer closely. When your thermometer reaches thread stage (230–233°), take out any caramel that you would like to use as dip. When thermometer reaches late soft ball stage (234–240°), dip in a few apples for caramel apples.
- When thermometer reaches 244°, remove caramel from heat (this is low firm ball stage; reaching this stage from boiling will take about 30 minutes with sweetened condensed milk and longer with cream).
- Stir in vanilla. If dipping, start immediately. If making caramels, pour the caramel into the prepared pan. Either way, take care not to burn yourself, this stuff is so so hot.
- Allow to cool for several hours and use a butter knife or kitchen shears to cut pieces (UPDATE: a clever reader suggested a pizza cutter, another preferred preferred her trusty Santou knife, lightly buttered, thanks Susan!). Wrap in wax paper. Or to save on cutting time, just leave the whole batch out on the counter with a knife next to it and watch it gradually disappear.
And, for handy reference, here is the candy temperature list:
230–233° Thread
234–240° Soft ball
244–248° Firm ball
250–266° Hard ball
checking the thermometer temperature
mmmm. apples and caramel means fall is here.
rolled in pecans
heaven in a wrapper
Tags: a little gift for a grown-up's birthday, DIY gifts by GiversLog, gifts for grandma, gifts for neighbors, gifts from the kitchen, gifts of candy or food, hostess gifts, inexpensive gift ideas, mailable gifts, thank you gifts
October 14th, 2009 at 10:01 am
yummy! i’m gonna be trying this one! maybe today. it’s a good day to make caramel. nice tip about the candy thermometer. i never thought about “synchronizing” it to make sure it’s accurate. DUH!
October 14th, 2009 at 11:29 am
Yummy! Im making them for sure..and Im glad it is fail proof, I need those kind of recipes especially candies, they never turn out for me..I wonder what a carmal dipped pear would taste like?? they had the cutest little pears at Sams club..I might have to try that and let you know!! Thanks for sharing!
October 14th, 2009 at 11:43 am
Oooohh, you have found my secret weakness! (okay not so secret)
I will have to try this recipe. And buy larger pants.
October 14th, 2009 at 12:09 pm
A bulletproof recipe worth of any superhero baker. : )
This looks great and I especially love that stir stick. Very clever idea and perfect for a cup of hot chocolate.
October 14th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
Oh my word…your caramels are gorgeous! Love those stir sticks!
October 14th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
Oh my…this dreamy caramel looks incredible.
We just had to tweet about it!
http://twitter.com/gooseberrypatch
October 14th, 2009 at 7:47 pm
oh THANK YOU! Weight Watchers be damned; I need to make this! :-)
October 14th, 2009 at 8:42 pm
bookmarking the recipe for both my caramel apple taste off and Valentine’s sweets! yum.
October 15th, 2009 at 5:38 am
oooooooh, looks delicious
October 16th, 2009 at 6:33 am
agh! these look amazing, i am definitely going to try this recipe. oh, i love fall and the excuses to bake yummy things!
October 18th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
oh delicious! i might have to make some.
October 19th, 2009 at 5:59 am
[...] sunday, i spent many hours in the kitchen making these caramels, which turned out so great. caramel is one of my favorite flavors, but i have always been [...]
October 23rd, 2009 at 10:39 am
Those caramel sticks look SO GOOD! Care to send me a few ;) ?
October 23rd, 2009 at 11:36 am
oy yum!! looks like so much fun! love the stir sticks!!
October 24th, 2009 at 7:50 am
I have a bazillion things on my to do list, and yet, I cannot stop reading your blog. So much inspiration and goodness. I’m brimming, NO, make that over flowing with ideas. Here’s another to add to that growing to do list. Sincerely, thank you.
October 24th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Thank you for the tip on testing your candy thermometer. I have two, and I think one is way off.
Lovely photos!
October 25th, 2009 at 5:14 am
I’m absolutely thrilled to have this recipe. I’ve tried many but some are just too greasy. Thanks for the inspiration and step by step guide!
October 25th, 2009 at 7:20 am
Aha. I make cream pulled candy, which is pretty cranky stuff. I never thought about checking the thermometer. I’ll do it next time I make the stuff– I flopped two batches in a row, which had NEVER happened before, and it may have been a temperature issue. Thank you!
October 25th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
MMM! There is just something so *perfect* about homemade caramel. I linked to this on my weekly roundup – post is under my name. Thanks!!
November 6th, 2009 at 3:04 am
Any suggestions about what to do if you cannot get light corn syrup?
November 7th, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Hi Nic,
I’ve been searching around a bit to try to find an answer for you. It looks from here and here like golden syrup might be an acceptable substitute. This article and this answer also suggest substituting sugar syrup. I wish I had an obvious, already tested answer for you. If you do a little experimenting and have success, I’d love to hear about it.
-Amber
November 19th, 2009 at 9:15 am
I know I’m getting to the party late, but I would love to try and make these caramels. How long should they last? Meaning, can I make them ahead of time for Christmas gifts or should I make them the day I want to give them out?
November 19th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Hi Sandy,
That’s a great question. Mine always stay good for a week or two before the texture starts to go. I’d say that if you wrap them tight and keep them in the fridge, they should do well for at least two weeks. I’ve looked online and saw here that you may be able to freeze them for up to a year. I’m curious to try this.
November 23rd, 2009 at 5:59 pm
[...] So now I have the following left to do; Cousin 1’s scarf Cousin 1’s hat Cousin 2’s scarf Cousin 2’s hat Cousin 3’s scarf Best Friend’s wrist/arm warmers Best Friend’s daughter’s Christmas stocking Best Friend’s son’s Christmas stocking 27 snowman polymer clay ornaments for people at work 28 homemade caramels for people at work (recipe found here) [...]
December 2nd, 2009 at 8:23 am
These look delicious…caramel is my favorite! I was wondering if the finished product is chewy or hard? I can’t wait to try them. Thanks!!
December 2nd, 2009 at 9:41 am
Hi Lisa,
These caramels are soft and chewy (yum). I stop cooking them at the “soft ball” stage on my candy thermometer. But I’m pretty sure they could be hard if you cooked them to the hard ball stage and just found a way to pour them into a mold? Good luck!
December 8th, 2009 at 12:15 am
I made this the other day and they are oh so yummy! Thank you! One part I had a bit of trouble with was cutting them and I found that a pizza cutter worked the best and thought I would pass this info along. I used one of the pro cutters that are just a bar you rock across but I think a regular one would be easier as well.
December 8th, 2009 at 9:14 am
a pizza cutter is such a great idea! thanks for stopping by to share!
December 8th, 2009 at 11:42 am
OMG!! They look so good! I’m going to use this reicpe in place of the store bought caramels I usually use in my Sweet Teeth! They are Marshmallows dipped in caramel , dipped in crushed pretzels then drizzled with chcolate! Yum! I can’t wait to see the difference homemade caramel makes! Thanks!
December 8th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
I have used this recipe twice now and I love it! The first time I made them, I used wax paper and it stuck horribly. I found parchment paper and that worked perfectly. I was wondering how you package them. I saw the picture…is that parchment paper? How do you get it to stay closed? Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
December 12th, 2009 at 10:22 am
JUST FINISHED THE HOME MADE CARAMELS THEY ARE GREAT.
WAS MY FIRST TIME EVERY TO MAKE ANY TYPE OF CANDY, I’M
HOOKED. IT’S TRUELY FOOL PROOF. THANKS FOR THE RECIPE
December 13th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
Has anyone had a problem with the butter separating while cooking? I added the 1/2 and 1/2, warmed, and whisked very well until all ingredients emulsified. As it cooked and thickened, the butter separated.
December 15th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
I loved this post — I have made other homemade caramels before, but I found your recipe to be my favorite. So much quicker to use sweetened condensed milk! Awesome. Just wanted to chime in to say that freezing the caramels works GREAT. I froze some back in September (mixed my caramel with cashews that time.. DELISH!), and it’s still delightful (I know, I have scary willpower *shrug*). I love the way it shatters between my teeth when I bite into it. I love frozen things, and this caramel is no exception. :) Just my two cents!
Happy Baking! <3
December 21st, 2009 at 7:54 am
Awesome! I love to make caramels around christmas time with my mom and this year I have moved out and live on my own but still wanted to make some caramels.
I like that you gave temps. I always examine a few recipies, and yours is the one!
December 21st, 2009 at 10:50 am
[...] wanted to make some caramels to give to friends for Christmas and I found this recipe over at Givers Log. Amber Lee has shared a wonderful caramel recipe, try it if you don't already have a caramel [...]
December 22nd, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Beth, I have found you won’t have the problem with the butter and milk seperating if you use ‘liquid lecithin’ about 1/2 tsp for this recipe. you can get it at a GNC store or a specialty store. It is real cheap like 16oz for $5.00 and it last for years. I just keep it in the cabinet. Hope this helps you out, I use to have the same problem.
December 23rd, 2009 at 3:57 pm
Thanks for the recipe I am making some homemade Pecan turtles for a Chritmas celebration and the caramel is just perfect! I had to dip some apples in for caramel apples rolled in pecans since your picture looked so delicious. I drizzled caramel on some pecans and they are chilling, later I will drizzle some chocolate on top. We’ll see. Got to save this recipe for fall
December 30th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
I made caramel for the first time this year and it never set up to the consistency that I was looking for. It stayed very soft and was difficult to wrap. I put it in the fridge and it set up but only until it became room temp. again. Any suggestions? My temps were right on and I used sweetened condensed milk.
January 5th, 2010 at 8:42 pm
Hi Anna,
darn.
I’m so sad to hear this didn’t get quite hard enough. I’m not sure why, but I assume a little extra heat will do the trick. Have you ever tried the cold water test when making candy? Next time, when you’ve reached the firm ball stage, you can take the pan off the heat and scoop up a spoonful of hot caramel and drop it into cold water. When it cools, it should make a pliable ball but should hold its shape. If it’s too thin, it’s okay to just put the pot of caramel right back on the heat, let it heat up another couple degrees, then test again. If you have luck or figure out a different trick, I’d love to know. Good luck!
Amber
February 5th, 2010 at 2:24 pm
This recipe was excellent! It was so much easier than I thought it would be and very tasty! Thank you!
February 9th, 2010 at 7:07 am
I love homemade caramels!
I have a question about the sweetened condensed milk–it’s sugar content is high–wouldn’t that change the taste/sweetness level of the caramels? Ever substitute evaporated milk for the cream or half and half? Thanks!
February 18th, 2010 at 8:23 am
Just wanted to say thanks! These came out beautifully. I rolled them in sea salt before wrapping them in strips of waxed paper.
I even botched the recipe a little (used less corn syrup because I ran out, forgot vanilla) and they still came out delicious with a great texture.
February 19th, 2010 at 6:00 pm
[...] It’s the same recipe that I used to make treats for Christmas. I found the recipe here. They really are rather foolproof. Just be very careful with the temperature. If you like [...]
February 20th, 2010 at 9:21 pm
Hi Bonnie,
What a great point. I can’t believe I’d never computed this in my brain before. I’ve never tried evaporated milk or half and half, but now I’m totally curious. I think it just might work. If you try it, tell me. I think I might play around with it the next time I make it.
March 3rd, 2010 at 8:27 pm
I was thinking about caramels today…because i randomly think to sweets throughout the day . I was think how it would be great to put some on pancakes or in pancakes. yum thanks
March 30th, 2010 at 11:05 am
Great website! Those candies look so appetizing, I’m going to try this recipe tonight! Wish me luck!
Melanie
June 19th, 2010 at 9:29 am
just made a batch. waiting on it to cool
July 26th, 2010 at 8:42 am
Mmmm. I used a similar recipe to make homemade caramel apples for my daughter’s first birthday party last year and everyone RAVED at how much better they were than those with storebought caramels. I wish I had used the extra caramel to make candies like this!
July 28th, 2010 at 5:48 pm
Would have been great, had I not melted a spatula in it, ruining the batch. How does the pan get cleaned?
July 28th, 2010 at 6:43 pm
Ah! Chris, I am so sorry. I might have to add a note about this. I usually boil water in the pan to clean it. Though I’ve never had to clean out melted spatula. I am so sorry. I have melted pacifiers in a pan before, and that was a disaster.
August 20th, 2010 at 2:19 pm
Oh my goodness! These caramels are heavenly! Thank you so much for sharing. They were so good my daughter actually stopped talking just to enjoy the flavor! Thanks!
August 20th, 2010 at 8:54 pm
Kathryn!
Thanks so much for taking the time to stop and tell me! I’m so happy they turned out. And truly, silence is a mark of well-made caramels.