You may have noticed I’ve been absent from the blog for the last little while. My family and I have moved household and boy – what a chore that was. We’re now hard at work settling into our new home in Utah, and one of the really lovely things about living here is being neighbors with my brother and his family! I can hang out with my sister in law and cuddle my nephews regularly. I’m loving every minute of it! Cindee and I love to cook, sew and craft together.
I’ve always looked forward to Fall when my sister-in-law, Cindee makes the most delicious caramels. The flavor of these caramels are nothing like those that you find in the store. These are far superior – chewy, creamy, rich and super yummy!!!!
This year I asked Cindee if we could make them a little bit early and blog the recipe so that our Crafty Friends could get a jump start on next season! I have to be up-front with you here – this is indeed fattening and requires lots of sugar but it just has to be better for you than the additive, coloring and preservative filled store bought candies!
Start by melting the butter over medium low heat and adding the sugar until well dissolved.
Add in the remaining ingredients and bring to a soft boil, stirring constantly, for about 20 minutes.
Watch as the ingredients darkens to a rich caramel color.
After approximately 20 minutes of simmering, I did a soft ball test. Grab a small bowl of cool temperature water and drizzle a small amount of caramel into the water. At this point I try to squish it together a little bit to see if it will form a ball.
As you can see, my first test was unsuccessful so I continued to simmer for about 3 to 4 more minutes and tried again.
Much better!
Being extremely careful, pour the caramel into a buttered 9 X 13 glass casserole dish.
Sprinkle with a little bit of sea salt and place into the refrigerator for about 2.5 to 3 hours.
Remove glass dish from the refrigerator and cut into small bite sized pieces.
Wrap into small 3″ X 3″ wax paper squares, twist the ends and enjoy! These make much appreciated Holiday gifts. Ask me how I know…
Sea Salted Caramels
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
- 1.5 cups light corn syrup
- sea salt optional
Instructions
- Melt butter over medium-low heat.
- Add sugar and stir until well dissolved.
- Add remaining ingredients and bring to a light boil, stirring constantly for approximately 20 minutes.
- Perform soft ball tests until the caramel comes together into a ball.
- Pour into a 9 X 13 buttered glass dish and sprinkle with several pinches of sea salt.
- Refrigerate for approximately 2.5 to 3 hours.
- Remove from refrigerator and cut into small bite sized pieces.
- Wrap in wax paper and twist ends.
- Enjoy!
Oh my! Those look so good! Glad you are settling in and enjoying your family!
These look like just the thing to have during a move for just a bit more energy when needed! They sound scrumptious.
I’ve tried making caramels in the past, and failed at the point you say, “Remove glass dish from the refrigerator and cut into small bite sized pieces.”.
I don’t suppose you’d be willing to slow down during that step and explain just you cut and remove the caramels from the pan?
Thanks for a great blog.
Absolutely! If you’ve made it as far as removing from the glass dish then you’re almost there! The first time I tried to remove the caramel (after about 1 hour in the fridge), it was noticeably too early. My caramel started to wrinkle in the middle because it was a little bit too soft so I put it back in for at least another hour. I lifted the edge by using a sharp knife and gradually pulled up the caramel. It was quite pliable. Once out of the pan I let it sit for a few minutes before I could get a knife through it. I used a sharp knife when cutting the short side into strips on my wooden cutting board. I then cut the strips into little bite size pieces. The trick is to remove the caramel from the dish prior to cutting it. If you try to cut it while still in the pan, I could see how that would be a huge pain.
I hope this helps! Great to have you following along, Chris! Let me know if you have any other questions!
I’m quite sure I just gained 5 pounds reading your blog post today! 🙂 Salted caramels are my one weakness. I can’t wait to make this recipe!
LOL! I’m with you Kristie! 🙂
I love caramels – I have to give this recipe a try!
I LOVE caramels! Thanks for the recipe. Looks SO yummy!!
These sound amazing! And I agree — even though they aren’t exactly good for you, they’ve gotta be better than the ones in the store!