Creamy Vanilla Caramels

12 Days of Sweets: Day 11

Caramels are an easy crowd pleasing homemade gift around the holidays. I also love that homemade caramels are so much more delicious. This recipe is extra creamy and full of vanilla flavor. I find that once I start eating them I can’t have only just one.

Making caramels May seem intimidating; however, I find it is one of the easiest sweets to make. You just have to really make sure you pay attention to your temperature. Candy consistency changes quickly depending on the temperature the sugar is heated to. For this recipe we want it to heat to between 245°F and 255°F. This creates a firmer chewy caramel. If you like yours a bit looser then try to keep the temperature between 235° and 245°F.

Once cooled down and set up you can pop these out of the pan. I highly suggest topping these before cutting them if that’s What you plan to do. It’s much easier to drizzle chocolate and sprinkle sea salt on one large block rather than a hundred individual pieces. Once cut the pieces can be wrapped in candy wrappers or small pieces of wax paper. I love putting a handful of wrapped caramels into a cellophane bag for gifting!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of granulated sugar
• 1 cup of butter
• 1 cup of corn syrup
• 14 ounces of sweetened condensed milk
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt

Method:

1. Butter an 8 x 8 baking pan and set aside.
2. In a heavy bottomed pot add all ingredients except the vanilla extract.
3. Bring all ingredients up to a boil stirring frequently.
4. Once boiling start checking for temperature using your Candy thermometer.
5. Once the temperature reaches between 245°F and 255°F remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.
6. Pour caramel into pan.
7. Place in refrigerator to set up (about 4 hours).
8. Pop caramel block out of the baking pan and top with desired toppings.
9. Cut caramels into desired size.
10. Wrap caramels in candy wrappers or small pieces of wax paper.