Caramel Candy Recipe

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The perfect recipe for making a professional type caramel candy. Learn to make a gooey, chewy or hard caramel. It’s all about temperature!

This recipe calls for butter, heavy whipping cream, water, granulated sugar, corn syrup, vanilla extract and sea salt for a topping which is totally optional. All ingredients are cooked and placed in a parchment covered loaf pan, cooled, cut, and wrapped individually. If you’ve always wanted to make caramel candy this is your lucky day as this recipe is super simple and perfectly flavored!

What’s The Best Temperature To Make Caramel Candy

To achieve the final desired consistency of caramel candy, (gooey, chewy or hard) all depends on the temperature used when cooking. If you are a novice caramel candy maker don’t fret. Below is a list of temperatures used for making the perfectly desired textured caramel candy:

• Soft-ball produces a gooey candy. The temperate range is 235-240 degrees Fahrenheit and results in a 85% sugar concentration.
• Firm-ball produces a chewy candy. The temperature range is 245-249 degrees Fahrenheit and results in a 87% sugar concentration.
• Hard-ball produces a hard candy. The temperature range is 250-265 degrees Fahrenheit and results in a 92% sugar concentration.

Something About Jett’s Kitchen

Someone recently asked me what is my favorite season. Winter, spring, summer, or fall. Living in Kansas and Missouri we get to experience all four seasons which can include temperatures ranging from -15 degrees Fahrenheit to up a very humid 110 degrees Fahrenheit. I actually like all four seasons, some better than others.

• The winter months here in Kansas/Missouri range from December to March. Winter is actually my least liked season. The only time I like winter is when there is a heavy snowfall where everything closes down and I get to stay in my jammies all day if I want. Very seldom does that happen because my husband has to “get out of the house”. One year it snowed blizzard conditions and here we were tracing in the snow/ice covered streets kindly pulling people out of ditches with his winch that was attached to the back of his truck.
• Spring months in our area start around the end of March and into May. I have to say this is my very favorite season. I get that spring fever and want to plant every herb and vegetable in my garden or greenhouse. I also get the fever to start putting hanging baskets with colorful flowers around my deck to prepare for summer.
• The summers in Kansas/Missouri are my second best season. This is where the daylight is longer and I get to spend more time outside be it in the garden and just spending time by the pool.
• Fall is my third favorite season. It is a time of closure. Believe it or not I actually get tired of gardening by the time the fall season hits. But what I do like about Fall is the transition of colors of the trees. The changing leaf colors that go from a deep green to beautiful yellow, orange, yellow and finally brown. The leaves eventually fall off the trees and land on the ground. Watching the leaves fall off the limbs is somewhat a magical thing to watch.

Caramel Candy Recipe

Although this recipe calls for sea salt flakes it is added as a topping during the cooling process and is totally optional.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3 Tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil – for preparing pan
• Sea salt flakes (optional)

Instructions

Prepare Pan

For this recipe I use a 9×5 pan also known as a loaf pan. Grease the pan with 1/2 Tablespoon vegetable oil. Cut a piece of parchment paper that will fit inside and up the sides of the pan. Lay the parchment paper on the counter top and grease the top potion. Then place the parchment paper in the loaf pan smoothing the corners the best you can and set aside.

Prepare Butter and Milk Mixture

Place heavy whipping cream and butter in a small sauce pan and melt over medium heat. Do not allow the mixture to come to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside. This process could be completed in the microwave but I prefer to use the stovetop method.

Caramelize Sugar

For this next step you’ll definitely need a candy thermometer or an instant read thermometer like the one I use. Put water, corn syrup and sugar into a medium sauce pan and stir only to incorporate ingredients with a wooden spoon. Cook over medium heat and bring mixture to boil. To achieve caramelization and the perfect caramel flavor/texture continue cooking until the mixture reaches 320 degrees Fahrenheit. If you feel the need to stir the mixture use the thermometer probe and do so gently otherwise there is no need to stir. The goal during this process is to avoid crystals from forming on the walls of the pot. If crystals do form gently brush them down with a wet pastry brush. Do not allow the probe to touch the bottom or sides if the pan while cooking.

Incorporate Melted Butter/Milk Mixture

This next step improves the texture, richness and flavor of the candy. The fat from the combination of butter and heavy whipping cream milk helps in preventing crystallization. So, once mixture reaches temperature of 320 degrees Fahrenheit slowly add the melted butter mixture. The ingredients will begin to foam up and boil rapidly. Add pure vanilla extract and gently stir ingredients with a wooden spoon and then allow ingredients to boil on their own. Continue cooking over medium heat and bring temperature up to 245 degrees Fahrenheit or to desired sugar concentration (see below bullet points).

• Soft-ball 235 – 240 degrees Fahrenheit produced 85% sugar concentration and a softer candy; gooey
• Firm-ball 245-249 degrees Fahrenheit produces 87% sugar concentration and a chewy candy; chewy
• Hard ball 250 – 265 degrees Fahrenheit produces 92% sugar concentration and a harder candy; hard

Pour and Cool

Remove pot from heat. Stir and then carefully pour hot caramel into prepared loaf pan. Allow caramel to cool for 30-minutes then sprinkle sea salt flakes on top if desired. Allow caramel to cool completely and then transfer to refrigerator for at least 1-hour prior to cutting.

Cut and Wrap

Remove caramel pan from refrigerator and lift parchment out of pan and place on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife cut caramel into desired shapes. For a longer shelf life wrap caramels individually in these clear cellophane wrappers. These candies can be stored at room temperature for a soft bite or in the refrigerator for a firmer bite.

I AM EXCITED YOU ARE VIEWING JETT’S RECIPE FOR MAKING HOMEMADE CARAMEL CANDY AND WOULD LOVE TO HEAR HOW YOURS TURNS OUT SHOULD YOU DECIDE TO MAKE IT!

***Please come back and share your comments and tell my readers how you like this recipe.***

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