Growing up, cooler weather meant candy making. This is my mom’s recipe for old-fashioned caramels that is one of my favorite holiday treats.
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Old Fashioned Caramels
My mom's from scratch recipe for a delicious caramel candy.
1 12×17 rimmed baking pan doesn't need to be exact, but changes in pan dimensions will change thickness of caramel squares.
1 wide bottomed saucepan
Ingredients
1cupbutter
1 ¼cupbrown sugar
115 oz cansweetened condensed milk~ 1 ⅓ cup
1cuplight corn syrupsuch as Karo
¼tspsaltomit if using salted butter
1tspvanilla
Instructions
Grease a rimmed baking pan with butter and set aside.
Melt butter in a wide bottomed saucepan over medium heat.
Add brown sugar, salt, sweetened condensed milk, and corn syrup. Stir until combined.
Stirring constantly heat mixture over medium heat for 12-15 minutes. Should have gentle bubbles and not be over boiling or popping. Test for firm ball stage (see notes).
Remove from heat, stir in vanilla.
Pour into buttered baking pan, ideally your mixture would be 1/2 inch thick.
Cool completely, slice and wrap as preferred. (Typically 1 inch squares)
Notes
Firm ball stage testing with ice bath method-
Fill a bowl with ice water, and add a small drizzle/spoonful of heated caramel to the water.
Carefully roll the caramel into a small ball and test with fingers for consistency, as well as test for taste.
Caramel will continue to cook in the pan if not immediately moved to a fridge or chill room to cool, so anticipate that the finished and set caramel would be slightly firmer than your ice bath test.
Once you have reached your desired consistency, remove from heat and proceed.
For chocolate caramels, add 2 oz unsweetened chocolate after stirring in the sweetened condensed milk.
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