Description
A beginner-friendly recipe for making rich, soft, and chewy homemade caramel candy from scratch, perfect for gifting.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for sprinkling
Instructions
- Line an 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides for easy removal. Lightly grease the paper.
- Combine the sugar and corn syrup in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
- Stop stirring once the mixture boils. Cook until the mixture reaches 245 degrees Fahrenheit on a candy thermometer (firm-ball stage). This takes about 10 to 15 minutes.
- While the sugar cooks, warm the heavy cream and butter together in a separate small saucepan or in the microwave until the butter is melted. Do not boil.
- Remove the sugar mixture from the heat. Carefully and slowly pour the warm cream and butter mixture into the sugar mixture. The mixture will bubble vigorously. Whisk gently until smooth.
- Return the saucepan to medium-low heat. Stir constantly until the mixture reaches 240 degrees Fahrenheit (soft-ball stage). This takes about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla extract and salt.
- Pour the hot caramel mixture into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top evenly with extra salt.
- Let the caramel cool completely at room temperature for at least 4 hours, or until firm. Do not refrigerate.
- Once firm, use the parchment overhang to lift the block of caramel out of the pan. Cut into 1-inch squares. Wrap each piece individually in wax paper or cellophane for storage.
Notes
- If you do not have a candy thermometer, the caramel is ready when a drop placed in cold water forms a soft, pliable ball that flattens when pressed.
- Stirring the sugar mixture before it boils helps prevent crystallization later.
- For a richer flavor, use brown sugar instead of granulated sugar, but reduce the cooking time slightly.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Category: Candy
- Method: Stovetop Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 square
- Calories: 95
- Sugar: 16
- Sodium: 45
- Fat: 3
- Saturated Fat: 2
- Unsaturated Fat: 1
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 17
- Fiber: 0
- Protein: 0
- Cholesterol: 10