Soft N Chewy Caramels Recipes

SOFT CHEWY CREAM CARAMELS

Steps:

• Line an 8x8 pan with non-stick foil. Set aside.
• Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. Stir in the sugar, cream and corn syrup. Mix and bring to a gentle boil and stir until the sugar is melted.
• Insert a candy thermometer and continue boiling over medium-low heat until the candy reaches 247-248 degrees. Stir occasionally. If you like your caramel slightly firmer, let cook to 250 degrees. This can take 45 minutes to an hour, so be patient.
• Remove from the heat, add the vanilla and stir to combine. Pour into prepared pan.
• Allow caramel to cool, then lift from the pan using the foil as a sling. Place on a cutting board and slice into 1-inch squares. Wrap in wax paper.
• These freeze well.

SOFT CHEWY CARAMELS

Steps:

• Line a 15x10x1-in. pan with foil; grease the foil with 1 tablespoon butter. In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt remaining butter. Add the brown sugar, milk and corn syrup. Cook and stir until candy thermometer reads 250° (hard-ball stage). , Pour into prepared pan (do not scrape saucepan). Cool completely before cutting.

CHEWY CARAMEL

Steps:

• In a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, brown sugar, sweetened condensed milk, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Heat to between 234 and 240 degrees F (112 to 116 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a soft ball that flattens when removed from the water and placed on a flat surface. Cook for 2 minutes at that temperature. Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla.
• Meanwhile, butter a 9x13 inch baking pan. When the caramel is ready, pour into the buttered pan. Allow to cool completely at room temperature. Remove from the pan and cut into squares using scissors. Wrap individual pieces in waxed paper or cellophane.

SOFT 'N' CHEWY CARAMELS

Steps:

• Line a 13x9-in. pan with foil; grease foil with 2 teaspoons butter. Cube remaining butter. In a Dutch oven, combine sugar, corn syrup and 1 cup cream. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Slowly stir in remaining cream. Cook over medium heat until a candy thermometer reads 250° (hard-ball stage), stirring frequently. Remove from the heat; stir in cubed butter and vanilla until well mixed, about 5 minutes. , Pour into prepared pan. Cool. Remove foil from pan; cut candy into 1-in. squares. Wrap individually in waxed paper; twist ends.

PEANUT CARAMELS

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Prepare a 9-by-9-inch pan by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
• Combine the corn syrup, cream, milk, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir continuously until the sugar is melted and the mixture is smooth. Wash down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming.
• Insert a candy thermometer and bring the candy to a boil. Stirring occasionally, cook the caramel to 240 F (soft-ball stage).
• Once the candy has reached the proper temperature, remove it from the heat and immediately stir in the peanuts.
• Pour the candy into the prepared pan and smooth it into an even layer.
• Allow the mixture to set for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
• Once the caramel has set, cut it into small squares to serve.

SALTED CHEWY CARAMELS

Steps:

• Grease a 9 x 7 or similar size pan. Line with parchment, then grease again, to easily remove the cooled caramel. Leave an overhang of paper on the side to act as handles.
• Add all of the ingredients except the vanilla and sea salt to a medium heavy saucepan.
• Slowly bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly until a candy thermometer reaches 234 -240°F. This will take about 10 - 15 minutes. Large bubbles will form at the edges of the pot. Cook, still stirring constantly for 2 minutes at 234 -240°F.
• Remove from the heat and immediately stir in the vanilla.
• Pour into the prepared pan and allow to cool and firm up. Sprinkle with sea salt. Cut into bite size pieces and wrap in wax paper.

HOMEMADE CARAMEL CANDY

Steps:

• Line the baking dish with parchment paper, leaving enough hanging over two opposite sides to easily lift the cooled caramels out of the pan. Liberally grease the parchment with butter or cooking spray.
• Combine the white sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, heavy cream and butter in a 6-quart dutch oven or other heavy bottomed pot. Heat over medium heat and stir constantly until all ingredients are melted and blended together.
• Affix a candy thermometer to the side of the pot, roughly 1" above the bottom of the pot. Postion the thermometer so that it's submerged below the surface of the caramels throughout the cooking process. Increase the heat to high and bring the sugar mixture to a boil.
• Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium low and let the sugar mixture simmer with slow, medium-sized bubbles until the candy thermometer reaches 245-250°F. Stir every 10 minutes. It will take 40-45 minutes to reach the correct temperature. NOTE: watch the thermometer carefully after it reaches 230°F, as the temperature increases pretty quickly after that point.
• Once the mixture hits 245-250°F, immediately remove from heat and pour in 1/2 tsp fine sea salt and the vanilla. The mixture will vigorously bubble (this is the alcohol in the vanilla boiling off). Stir in the vanilla until evenly incorporated, then pour the caramel into the prepared baking dish. Use oven mitts to protect your hands and wrists from any splatter (it's extremely hot!). Allow the caramel to cool at room temperature for 15-20 minutes and then sprinkle half the maldon salt over the caramels.
• Allow the caramels to cool at room temperature or in the fridge until set - at least 2 hours. Once cooled, sprinkle the remaining salt over the caramels. Lift up the caramels by the parchment paper flaps and transfer to a cutting board. Cut the caramels into 1" x 2/3" rectangles with a sharp, non-serrated blade or a bench scraper. Wrap the caramels in 4" x 5" squares of wax paper.
• The caramels are good for 2-3 weeks if stored in an airtight container. I gift these in 1-lb gift boxes in 1.5 dozen increments.