I like chocolate as much as the next person, but when it comes to my sweet tooth, I’m a sucker for caramel. Cake, ice cream, cookies—if it has a streak of caramel in it, I’m a goner. As a child, I could be enticed to do just about anything for the hydrogenated goodness of a Bull’s Eye caramel cream. So what if you could poke the cream center out in a solid chunk? I was no critic; I was in love. With the passage of time, my tastes matured and I slowly outgrew my obsession with caramel creams and other early loves (yes, I’m talking about you, Emilio Estevez) and replaced them with gourmet caramels studded with sea salt or laced with espresso powder (although I still suffer moments of caramel cream weakness when I stumble across The Breakfast Club on cable). It wasn’t until I began making my own caramels from scratch, however, that I felt like a true caramel sophisticate.
I’ll admit, part of the allure of making caramels was the challenge they presented. Sugar is a fickle friend, taking forever to caramelize and then going from golden amber to dark mahogany to burnt-beyond-recognition before you can say, “St. Elmo’s Fire.” It took a little trial and error to reach the right color and chew, but I was happier than my pre-teen self with a new copy of Tiger Beat when I figured out a go-to recipe that meant I could have chewy, delightfully sticky caramels whenever I had a craving.
The thing to remember about working with caramel is that you can never turn your back on it. You can stand and watch sugar syrup bubble for what seems like hours without even the slightest color change, but walk away to answer the phone and your caramel will burn before you have the receiver to your ear. It knows. Trust me on this.
Step #1 SCRAPE IT
Step #2 ▼
First, before you mess around with the caramel, you’ll need to infuse a mixture of heavy cream and unsalted butter with the seeds from a vanilla bean and a teaspoon of salt. This butter-cream mixture adds richness to the caramel, of course, but it also helps keeps the caramels soft and chewy.
Step #2 STEEP IT
Step #3 ▼
Bring this mixture to a boil, and then lower the heat and let the flavors meld for at least 10 minutes. If you feel like washing your hair before starting the caramel, no problem—just turn off the burner and let the cream mixture steep a while longer. The longer it sits, the more vanilla flavor it will develop.
Step #3 LINE IT
Step #4 ▼
Next, prepare the pan (because you sure won’t have time to when you’re holding a pan of foaming hot caramel). Since the caramel is sticky by nature, it’s a good idea to make a foil sling to line an 8-inch square pan (for easy removal) and spray it with vegetable oil spray for added insurance.
Step #4 HEAT IT
Step #5 ▼
It’s finally time for the caramel showdown! Use a large saucepan to make the caramel. Judging by the volume, you might think you could use a smaller vessel, but be warned: the caramel will foam up when you add the cream mixture, and you don’t want a sweet version of Mt. Vesuvius erupting all over your too-small saucepan. Combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water in the saucepan over high heat. You can stir the mixture to help the sugar dissolve, but stop stirring before the mixture comes to a boil.
Step #5 WASH IT
Step #6 ▼
One of the dangers in making caramel is recrystallization, where the dissolved sugar recrystallizes and seizes up due to the presence of fat or other foreign particles in the solution. To safeguard against this, you can periodically wash down the sides of the saucepan with water (using a very clean pastry brush).
Step #6 BOIL IT
Step #7 ▼
Gently swirl the pan periodically to make sure the sugar is heating evenly, and wait for the color to change to amber. You can also watch the bubbles as the caramel cooks: early in the cooking process the bubbles are separate and boil vigorously; as the caramel cooks, the bubbles become smaller and more delicate—almost foamy. If neither the amber color nor the foamy bubbles is a helpful clue, use a candy thermometer; when the mixture reaches 350 degrees, it’s at the right temperature and color.
Step #7 MIX IT
Step #8 ▼
Carefully remove your saucepan full of very hot caramel from the heat (just wanted to hammer that point home). Carefully stir in the cream mixture, watch it foam, and breathe a sigh of relief that you listened to me and went with the high-sided saucepan.
Step #8 STIR IT
Step #9 ▼
Return the pan to the heat and cook the caramel until it reaches 248 degrees. Now that the cream mixture has been added, it’s not only safe but also imperative to stir the caramel so it doesn’t burn. This step should only take 3 to 5 minutes, so you won’t be stirring long.
Step #9 POUR IT
Step #10 ▼
Remember the temperature of that caramel when you’re tempted to stick your finger into the pan and taste the buttery mixture you’ve just made. Also keep it in mind as you’re pouring the caramel into the prepared pan. Caramel burns are no fun.
Step #10 SALT IT
Step #11 ▼
Smooth the surface of the caramel and let it cool for 10 minutes. Then add the best part: fleur de sel. These large, flaky grains of sea salt add great flavor and crunch to the caramels. If you’re slightly more daring (and of course you are), try substituting smoked sea salt. Yes, please.
Step #11 COOL IT
Step #12 ▼
Now, try to find something to take your mind off the caramels as they sit and cool to room temperature for about 2 hours. Walk the dog. Do some laundry. Whatever you do, stay out of the kitchen. Once the caramels have cooled, lift the sling to remove them from the pan and peel the foil away from the caramel.
Step #12 WRAP IT
Using a sharp knife, carefully cut the caramel into ¾-inch squares. Since they tend to stick together, it’s best to individually wrap them in pieces of wax paper.
About the Author: Christie Morrison
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what kind of thermometer is that? i need a good insta-read one!
Thermapen. The best. It’s $94, but worth every penny for speed and accuracy.
Could I use parchment paper rather than foil?
I completely agree about the Themapen. We’ve been using ours for years (mainly for grilling) and it’s perfect. I’m anxious to now use it with these caramels.
I tested the recipe with both greased foil and parchment paper. A parchment sling will hold up just as well as the foil, but I found that the caramels were more likely to stick to the parchment. I preferred the foil because it was easier to peel, but I suppose chewing a stray piece of parchment would be preferable to grinding your fillings on a piece of foil…I guess it’s really a draw.
I make caramels every year at Christmas, and they are the only gifts that some of my friends want. Although my recipe is a bit different that this one, I’m sure the results are similar. As for the sling, I use Reynold’s Release Wrap. NOTHING sticks to it, not even peanut brittle. (I usually spray it lightly with Pam or I lightly butter it anyway, but I’m sure it would be fine without doing that.)
I’ve been waiting for this for what seems like forever! I am definitely making it for a Halloween party this weekend. Thanks so much.
As for the Thermapen – worth every penny and now they have a submergible one!
I made these yesterday and they turned out great. Unfortunately, our local store does not carry vanilla beans so I had to substitute vanilla extract. With this in mind, I’m sure it’s even more spectacular using a vanilla bean.
The recipe was so much easier than I thought it would be. (The hardest part was waiting the 2 hours for it to cool.) I really appreciate the description of how the sugar should look as the bubbles and color changed. It made me feel like I was staying on track.
The family loves the candy. I’ll be making this again around Thanksgiving and Christmas.
I made these today and thing did not turn out as well as I thought they would. My therometer was not working very well and I burned things a bit. I finished and poured the mixture into my foil covered dish and waited. Two hours later they are still soft and runny! What else went wrong?
Does anyone have any advice.
Thanks
Couple comments on this recipe:
I think it would be nearly impossible to make these without the Thermapen. I’m lucky that we have one, but I feel like I would have blown it somehow without it.
I used the tin foil sling like she mentions in the article above and it was kind of a disaster. I was picking teeny-tiny bits of foil out of the bottom of the caramels for an hour (I sprayed it with non-stick spray, too). The recipe says parchment, which I thought I should try, but one of the commenters above says that she didn’t like the parchment and preferred the foil. Maybe I will try the Reynolds Release Wrap as suggested next time.
Overall, these were delicious – though mine were a little softer than what I expect they should be. They were a little runny if they sat out. The texture was fantastic though; chewy, but not overly sticky and they didn’t get stuck in your teeth.
I will definitely make these again, but need to find an appropriate modification for the pan liner. I’m not up for the tin foil disaster again.
What if you don’t have vanilla beans. Can you use vanilla extract?
Awwwwwesomely easy. I use the Reynolds non-stick foil, my trusty thermometer and a pizza cutter to easily cut the caramels. I also wrap up the pieces in the non-stick foil which is easier and prettier.
Hey Christie,
I know you are not going to remember me but I went to the same school as you, but I was a couple of years behind you but a couple of years before Julie. She was drum major my senior year. Anyway, I just wanted to ask you where you went to school because it says that you are a culinary instructor. I’m considering a career change (ok, ok…you caught me. I stay at home with my kids but they aren’t going to be little forever) and I was wondering where I could find a decent school. Anyway, take care.
Glenda
@JoJo, I don’t have a Themapen but I was able to make them just fine with the one I have. An experienced candy maker can use the cold water method but to be honest, I’m not experienced enough. My thermometer is just a $20 deal and mine turned out awesome. @Harry, if they are turning out too runny, cook them just two or three degrees more but don’t be tempted to go farther or they’ll end up less chewy and more brittle. To use the too runny batch, microwave it and use it as caramel sauce on ice cream or brownies.
Hey guys,
I made these caramels yesterday and I followed every single step of the recipe, but after 8 hours they are still soft. Impossible to cut it. Now I’ve put them in the frigde, hoping for a miracle. We’ll see. Any advice?
What about using a disposable foil pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, instead of the cake pan and foil sling? Then you could just rip that foil pan off the cooled caramel. It works perfectly, you know, in my head!