These homemade salted caramels are perfect for some sweet gift giving and the touch of salt makes them extra special!
You have to admit that receiving a homemade or handmade gift makes you feel all warm and fuzzy all over! Right? Well, with the holidays quickly approaching, I have been putting a lot of thought into some homemade gift ideas. Something I’ve never done before is make caramel. I think I was frightened to death that it might require some kind of masterful skill. Guess what? It didn’t! YAY. I did a little research and most of the ingredients were sitting in my cupboard, and the one item that I would need to add to my kitchen gadgets would be a candy thermometer. I also decided to get my hands on some candy wrappers rather than hand cutting my own. My sweet friend, Chris, from SweetC01 sent me some fabulous wrappers! Great prices and super fast shipping, you can’t beat that! Once I checked those two items off, I was ready to put my candy making skills to the test.
I spent most of the morning in the kitchen, as I decided to try two different recipes. The first one was for Salted Caramels from Betty Crocker. This recipe took a little longer and the caramels were a little harder. It yielded 30-35 caramels (depending on the size you cut the caramels) , but that didn’t change the incredible flavor! These were amazing!
The other recipe I made was a for a softer caramel and it made almost double the amount of caramels. This one was delicious as well — they melted in your mouth! I adapted this one a bit, so let’s take a look!
Homemade Salted Caramels
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar firmly packed
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup heaving whipping cream
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons Coarse Sea Salt
Instructions
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Grease a 13x9 inch pan and set aside.
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Combine all ingredients, except vanilla in a 4-quart saucepan.
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Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted and mixture comes to a boil (approximately 15-20 minutes).
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Continue cooking, until candy thermometer reaches 244 degrees F.
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Remove from heat, stir in vanilla.
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Pour into prepared pan. Cool approximately 20 minutes. Sprinkle coarse sea salt evenly over top. Cool completely on cooling rack.
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Using a sharp knife, cut into approximately 65-70 pieces. Wrap candies in candy wrappers or wax paper.
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Store refrigerated.
Recipe Notes
Adapted from Land O Lakes Soft Caramels Recipe
enjoy, sweet friends!
Sharing here: Between Naps on the Front Porch
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Linda @ With A Blast says
11/11/2013 at 12:23 amCaramel would still be the death of me ! Love the recipe, Kelly 🙂
Kelly Rowe says
11/12/2013 at 4:27 pmThanks for stopping by Linda! Hope you’ll give the recipe a try. You won’t be disappointed. xo.
Mique says
11/11/2013 at 9:49 amI want these RIGHT THIS MINUTE Kelly! (yes I’m yelling at you!) Caramels are my favorite.
Kelly Rowe says
11/12/2013 at 4:24 pmLOL! Caramels have that effect don’t they? MUST HAVE NOW. 🙂 xo.
Jelli says
11/11/2013 at 4:35 pmMy great-grandma was famous for her caramels. Naturally, I love making and eating them too. Your look perfect, great for a first attempt. You mastered it, Kelly!
Kelly Rowe says
11/12/2013 at 4:23 pmThanks Jelli! I was pleased with the outcome. 🙂 Enjoy the rest of your week. xo.
Kelley says
11/11/2013 at 5:58 pmThese look amazing. I may or may not be drooling. mmmm.
Kelly Rowe says
11/12/2013 at 4:20 pmThanks so much Kelley! Hope you’ll give the recipe a try. 🙂 They are definitely delicious!
Claire @ A Little Claireification says
11/11/2013 at 7:49 pmYum. My all time favorite. I hope there will be some left by the time we get to Snap! Conference in April!! lol Pinning! xo
Kelly Rowe says
11/12/2013 at 4:18 pmLOL…you never know. There is plenty of time before Snap to make some more yumminess. xo.
Cindy Eikenberg says
11/11/2013 at 7:50 pmKelly, I absolutely love making candy and these look SO delicious – I’ll eat (just) about anything with caramel on it! 🙂 Thanks for sharing your recipe and pinning! Hope you have a wonderful and happy week!
Kelly Rowe says
11/12/2013 at 4:15 pmThanks so much Cindy! Appreciate the love. 🙂 You have a wonderful week as well. HUGS.
Shaina says
11/12/2013 at 7:13 pmSalted caramels are my favorite. I can’t say no.
Kelly Rowe says
11/16/2013 at 9:53 amThanks for stopping by Shaina! Caramels are definitely hard to say no to and once you have one…you keep going back for more. 🙂 xo.
huntfortheverybest says
11/14/2013 at 9:11 pmI love the addition of salt. these sound so good!
Kelly Rowe says
11/16/2013 at 9:54 amThanks so much! Appreciate you stopping by. Enjoy the rest of your weekend! HUGS.
Maria says
11/17/2013 at 8:58 pmOhhh these look amazing! I’ve been wanting to make some salted caramels for the holidays this year…. these sound great!!!
Kelly Rowe says
11/20/2013 at 7:02 pmThanks for stopping by Maria! Happy caramel making…I’m sure you will love them! HUGS!
Kate says
11/20/2013 at 10:17 amI didn’t have a candy thermometer and think I didn’t cook the mixture long enough….turned out way too gooey and not hard enough to cut. Any ideas on something I can do with the refrigerated mixture now? Not sure if I try to re-cook it if it’ll ruin it. It tastes good, but just way too gooey for pieces. Almost more like a sauce…was thinking maybe I could somehow use it to make some caramel cookies? Any suggestions appreciated! Thank you =)
Amy | Club Narwhal says
11/20/2013 at 10:44 amKelly, I am a total sucker for salted caramel but haven’t tried making candies–these sound amazing!
Kelly Rowe says
11/20/2013 at 7:03 pmI’m sure if you make them…you will LOVE them! Enjoy the rest of your week. xo.
Carrie This Home says
11/22/2013 at 6:42 pmThese look incredible, Kelly! I love homemade caramels so it’s about time I try to make them myself. Pinning this and hoping to try it out soon. So glad I stopped by from Link Party Palooza!
Kelly Rowe says
11/24/2013 at 11:10 amThanks so much Carrie! Appreciate your stopping by. xo.
Linda @ it all started with paint says
11/23/2013 at 10:12 amNot sure what I love most — the easy recipe (I too have most of those ingredients except the candy thermometer) or the packaging idea in little mason jars! I have a sweet spot for mason jars!
Thanks for your amazing inspiration!
🙂 Linda
Kelly Rowe says
11/24/2013 at 11:11 amThanks for stopping by Linda! Appreciate you loving on my recipe and packaging idea! …and yes, mason jars are a wonderful thing. 🙂 HUGS.
Wendy Byde says
11/24/2013 at 10:08 amthese look amazing!
Leanne @Texas Crafty Kitchen says
11/24/2013 at 11:45 amThese look amazing! We will be adding these to our Holiday baking. Caramels don’t last long at our house!
Desiree @ The36thAvenue says
11/24/2013 at 1:19 pmKelly, thank you so much for linking up with the Party Bunch! I am featuring your delicious recipe today… Have a wonderful week and a Happy Thanksgiving!
Besos!
Desiree
Kelly Rowe says
11/25/2013 at 8:52 pmThanks so much, Desiree! Love having you stop by -and- being featured. Have a blessed Thanksgiving. HUGS!!
Aida @ TheCraftingFoodie says
11/30/2013 at 8:59 pmKelly,
Yum! These look amazing, and I’m a huge, huge fan of salted caramel. Every holiday season I stock up on the plethora of salted caramel treats out there, and these would be an excellent addition. Thanks!
LindaI says
12/02/2013 at 11:34 amLooks awesome. We have a caramel recipe so all we have to do is add the salts. Thanks so much. Linda PINNING>
Kelly Rowe says
12/03/2013 at 6:52 amThanks so much, Linda! Happy Caramel making. Hugs!
Jenn Robinson says
12/05/2013 at 10:39 pmThese look so delicious 🙂 I am making these soon for the staff at our church where my husband works. Thanks for sharing this recipe! 🙂
Kelly Rowe says
12/06/2013 at 10:41 pmThanks so much for stopping by, Jenn! So excited to hear that your church staff will get to enjoy them. My dad is a pastor, so I know how much the staff appreciates such thoughtful gifts. Have a very Merry Christmas and blessed New Year!
Kelly says
12/09/2013 at 8:18 pmHi Kelly– my first caramels, thanks to you, were just superb! A note to Colorado/high altitude candy makers: it took about 45 min from the very beginning to the point where I poured my mixture into my dish… Patience, as they say, IS a virtue!
Madonna/aka/Ms. Lemon says
12/14/2013 at 8:32 pmI need to make these. I pinned this recipe.
Rhea says
03/13/2014 at 4:35 amIs it possible to substitute the corn syrup with something else like golden syrup?
Kelly Rowe says
03/13/2014 at 8:58 amHi Rhea! I can’t say for sure, but it never hurts to try. Let me know how it goes if you decide to try the substitution. Thanks so much for stopping by!