Homemade Salted Caramels

A delicious, sweet treat, salted caramels are actually easy to make!  Who doesn’t like a taste of something sweet, for Valentine’s, Christmas—or anytime?  

Everyone loves a taste of something sweet!  And when a holiday (like Christmas, Easter, or Valentine’s Day) is coming up, it’s especially nice to indulge! 

Alas, indulging has its downside, and every year seems to add to the challenge of maintaining a healthy weight.  But happily, I’ve learned that sometimes a small taste of something is all it takes to be satisfied—if it’s something really nice! 

Which means a quality chocolate truffle, or a rich piece of salted caramel, may just hold off a major attack of the munchies.  And I still feel all happy inside! 

So with the current popularity of salted caramels (the New York Times gives some insight into their rise), today I’m making my homemade Salted Caramels.

Why You’ll Love This!

Flavorful.  A sweet richness accented with a pinch of sea salt, makes these homemade Salted Caramels a taste delight!

A Crowd-Pleaser.  Who wants to bring a food to an event that’s a sure-fire hit!  And when the partygoers devour everything you’ve brought, you won’t need any more willpower! 

Easier than you think!  Candy may seem hard to make but once you get the hang of it, it’s a breeze!  And this recipe is easier than many since it cooks all the ingredients together.

What You’ll Need

Ingredients

• Sugar.  This provides sweetness and volume.  I use white sugar and have sometimes had problems making candy using organic sugar, though I’m not sure if I’ve tried it in this recipe.
• Light Corn Syrup or Golden Syrup.  This keeps the caramels from crystalizing.  I prefer Lyle’s Golden Syrup and I buy it online.
• Butter, Heavy Cream.  These add richness and even caramel flavor due to the Maillard (browned butter) reaction.
• Salt.  Salt serves as a flavor enhancer.
• Vanilla extract.  This adds flavor.
• Sea salt for sprinkling.  This provides a salt flavor accent.  I like to use a coarse flavored salt that has specs of brown or orange tones and compatible flavors like a light citrus.

Special Tools. 

• An instant read or candy thermometer is nice to have but I’ll also cover the Cold Water Test method (which some people actually prefer for this).

Step by Step Overview

Line a 6 x 8 or 8 x 8 inch pan with parchment; set aside.

Combine all ingredients except vanilla in heavy 4-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until butter is melted and mixture comes to a boil, about 10-15 minutes.

Continue cooking without stirring, 25-30 minutes or until candy thermometer reaches 244°F (or to 248°F for a slightly firmer caramel) or small amount of mixture dropped into ice water forms a firm ball—see “The Cold Water Test Method” below for more detail about this.

Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Pour into prepared pan.

Cool slightly (so the salt doesn’t dissolve into the caramel), then sprinkle with sea salt.

When the caramel is cool, cut into pieces of your desired size.  I usually pull out the whole thing and cut on a cutting board.

Wrap the candies individually or separate with parchment or wax paper so the don’t stick.  Store covered in the refrigerator and take out to warm before serving.  Caramels that have been cooked to the higher temperature may be okay outside of the refrigerator.

The Cold Water Test Method

Making a basic candy like caramel is quite simple if you realize that it’s all about boiling off enough water to get to the right consistency.  Just like a sauce thickens if you cook it longer, so will candy.

And there are two ways to tell how much water is left.  The first is by using a thermometer like I do above.  This works because the temperature of a sugar syrup corresponds to the amount of water left.  And the second method—the one our grandmothers used—is to drop a little syrup in some cold water and see how it reacts.

For caramels, we are looking for what is called the firm ball stage.  This is when the syrup dropped in water can be formed into a ball that is fairly solid but which isn’t hard like a lollipop.  At this stage it will hold together but still be chewy.  For more on candy stages, take a look at Exploratorium’s Candy Making Stages.

Now I tend to like my caramels a bit soft.  What you see above was cooked to 244 F or the lowest end of the firm ball stage—which is why it is drooping a bit. I love that they have a “melty” quality, plus they stick to my teeth less!  If you like them firmer, you can take the temperature up to about 248 F—or until the syrup is more solid (but not hard) dunked in cold water. 

The cold water test shines when it comes to getting your caramels just the way you like them! And remember that even if you don’t get them to come out perfect, they’re going to be delicious!

Variations

I also make a homemade caramel syrup that’s tasty and maybe even easier!  It’s perfect for dipping apples or drizzling over ice cream. 

And if you really want all things caramel, don’t forget about breakfast!  Yes, a nice Caramel Apple French Toast may just make you the newest breakfast or brunch hero. 

How to Serve

Homemade Salted Caramels are delicious and work for so many different occasions. They’re great for Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day, Halloween or a get well gift.  Or even “just because” when you or someone you care about could use a treat!

I like to use mini muffin cup papers to hold individual caramels.  It keeps them from sticking together and looks really professional. 

Sometimes people will full wrap a piece of caramel in wax paper or parchment, especially if it’s extra soft.

Tips & FAQs

Use your thickest flattest saucepan to make these.  The more uniform in temperature your pan’s bottom is, the less likely you are to have uneven cooking. 

Once the syrup comes to a boil, don’t stir it, which may cause your caramel to crystallize.  But if you can see that the syrup’s cooking a little unevenly, you can swirl the syrup in the pan.

To easily clean your pan when you’re done, just soak it in warm water.  If needed, change the water a couple of times.  Any leftover caramel should simply dissolve.

Why is karo syrup or golden syrup used? 

These syrups are examples of what is called an invert sugar which is used to keep candies from crystalizing.  If you’ve ever left real maple syrup around a bit long and seen crystals form in the bottom of the jar, you’ll know what crystallization looks like. 

Now while the crystals in syrup can be a fun treat (if you can get them out!), crystals in your caramel are crunchy rather than smooth and creamy.  So you want to avoid that.  And using an invert sugar is the remedy.

I started out making this with light karo syrup–since you can get that at most grocers.  But with many people trying to avoid corn syrups, I eventually converted over to Lyle’s Golden Syrup.  That’s made from sugar and is what the British typically use in candy making.   It’s considered more natural and is actually delicious spooned out of the bottle.

Are there alternatives to karo or golden syrup? 

An often-cited alternative to corn syrup or golden syrup is to use 1/4 cup maple syrup plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Before converting over to golden syrup, I tested the maple syrup option with mixed results.  While the resulting caramels were delicious for a couple days, they crystalized after that and I had to discard them.  So I don’t recommend this.

You can find recipes online for making your own golden syrup (my suspicion is that some of them work and some don’t).  I haven’t personally tried doing this—I just decided to keep Golden Syrup around since it lasts a long time and doesn’t need refrigeration.

Salted Caramels

A delicious sweet treat, salted caramels are easier to make than you think!

Author: Inger

5 from 1 vote

Print

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

cooling time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Cookies & Candies

Cuisine International

Servings 32

Calories 85 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup Lyle's Golden Syrup or light corn syrup
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• sea salt for sprinkling

Instructions

 

• Line a 6 x 8 or 8 x 8 inch pan with parchment; set aside.
• Combine all ingredients except vanilla in heavy 4-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until butter is melted and mixture comes to a boil, about 10-15 minutes.
• Continue cooking without stirring, 25-30 minutes or until candy thermometer reaches 244°F (or to 248°F for a slightly firmer caramel) or small amount of mixture dropped into ice water forms a firm ball—see “The Cold Water Test Method” above for more detail..
• Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Pour into prepared pan. Cool slightly (so the salt doesn’t dissolve into the caramel), then sprinkle with sea salt.
• When the caramel is cool, cut into pieces of your desired size.
• Wrap the candies individually and store in the refrigerator. Take out to warm before serving.

Notes

The calorie count is based on smaller (cut into 32) pieces of caramel.

Nutrition

Calories: 85kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 0.2gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 90mgPotassium: 8mgSugar: 12gVitamin A: 164IUVitamin C: 0.04mgCalcium: 6mgIron: 0.01mg

I am not a health professional and nutrition data is calculated programatically. Accuracy may vary with product selection, calculator accuracy, etc. Consult a professional for the best information.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Adapted from the original dated Dec 12, 2013. (Additional detail provided, preparation streamlined.)

• ← Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Turkey
• Flatbread Pizza Appetizer or Entree →