Soft Buttery Caramels Recipes

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.

AUNT EMILY'S SOFT CARAMELS

Steps:

• Butter 13x9-inch pan; set aside.
• Combine all ingredients except vanilla in heavy 4-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 15-20 minutes or until butter is melted and mixture comes to a boil.
• Continue cooking 25-30 minutes or until candy thermometer reaches 244°F or small amount of mixture dropped into ice water forms a firm ball.
• Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Pour into prepared pan. Cool completely. Refrigerate 1 hour.
• Cut into 1 1/2x1-inch pieces; wrap candies in plastic food wrap. Store refrigerated.

SOFT, BUTTERY HOMEMADE CARAMELS

Steps:

• Melt the sugar, butter, corn syrup, and salt together in a large, heavy-bottomed sauce pan over medium heat.
• Once the mixture comes to a boil, add the evaporated milk a little at a time, taking 5-10 minutes per can and stirring constantly. A labor of love indeed.
• Once all the milk is added use a candy thermometer and bring the mixture to 238F-240F and not any hotter! Even a few degrees hotter will make them chewy instead of soft.
• Pour into a parchment lined 13x9 pan and cool completely. Cut and serve. Enjoy!

BUTTER CARAMELS

Steps:

• Place sugar in a clean dry saucepan. Pour the water around the wall of the pan to avoid any splashing of sugar crystals onto the sides of the pan. Bring to a boil and continue cooking on high until amber colored. Turn heat off and with a wooden spoon, stir in the butter and then the cream. Pour into an 8 by 8-inch pan that has been lined with foil and well-buttered and let the caramel cool and set until firm. Once firm, cut into squares. Wrap in decorative clear plastic. Store at room temperature.

SOFT CHOCOLATE CARAMELS

Steps:

• In a heavy-bottomed sauce pan, stir the sugar and corn syrup together until the sugar is completely moistened. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat and cook, without stirring, until it turns a very light caramel color, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and very slowly pour the cream into the hot sugar (be careful-it will bubble up) and stir to combine. Return the mixture to medium-low heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until a candy thermometer inserted in the pot reads 238 degrees F, about 12 to 15 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and whisk in the chocolate and butter until smooth. Pour the mixture into a greased 8-by-8 inch square baking dish. Allow to cool completely (at least 2 hours) before cutting into 1-inch squares.
• Chocolate is tempered so that after it has been melted, it retains its gloss and hardens again without becoming chalky and white (that happens when the molecules of fat separate and form on top of the chocolate). There are a variety of ways to temper.
• One of the easiest ways to temper chocolate is to chop it into small pieces and then place it in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time on high power until most of the chocolate is melted. Be very careful not to overheat it. (The temperature of dark chocolate should be between 88 and 90 degrees F, slightly warmer than your bottom lip. It will retain its shape even when mostly melted. White and milk chocolates melt at a temperature approximately 2 degrees F less because of the amount of lactose they contain.) Any remaining lumps will melt in the chocolate's residual heat. Use an immersion blender or whisk to break up the lumps. Usually, chocolate begins to set, or crystallize, along the side of the bowl. As it sets, mix those crystals into the melted chocolate to temper it. A glass bowl retains heat well and keeps the chocolate tempered longer.
• Another way to temper chocolate is called seeding. In this method, add small pieces of unmelted chocolate to melted chocolate. The amount of unmelted chocolate to be added depends on the temperature of the melted chocolate, but is usually 1/4 of the total amount. It is easiest to use an immersion blender for this, or a whisk.
• The classic way to temper chocolate is called tabliering. Two thirds of the melted chocolate is poured onto a marble or another cold work surface. The chocolate is spread out and worked with a spatula until its temperature is approximately 81 degrees F. At this stage, it is thick and begins to set. This tempered chocolate is then added to the remaining non-tempered chocolate and mixed thoroughly until the mass has a completely uniform temperature. If the temperature is still too high, part of the chocolate is worked further on the cold surface until the correct temperature is reached. This is a lot of work, requires a lot of room, and makes a big mess.
• A simple method of checking tempering, is to apply a small quantity of chocolate to a piece of paper or to the point of a knife. If the chocolate has been correctly tempered, it will harden evenly and show a good gloss within a few minutes.
• From Dessert Circus, Extraordinary Desserts You Can Make at Home, by Jacques Torres.

CARAMELS I

Steps:

• Butter a 9x13 inch dish.
• In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, 1 cup cream and butter. Bring to a boil, stirring often, then stir in remaining 1 cup cream. Heat, without stirring, to 242 degrees F (116 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a firm but pliable ball. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, and pour into prepared dish. Refrigerate.
• When cool, return candies to room temperature then cut into 1 inch squares and wrap in waxed paper.

CREAMY CARAMELS

Steps:

• Line an 8-in. square pan with foil; grease the foil with 1 teaspoon butter and set aside., In a large heavy saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup and remaining butter; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil slowly for 4 minutes without stirring., Remove from the heat; stir in milk. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until a candy thermometer reads 238° (soft-ball stage), stirring constantly. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla., Pour into prepared pan (do not scrape saucepan). Cool. Using foil, lift candy out of pan. Discard foil; cut candy into 1-in. squares. Wrap individually in waxed paper; twist ends.

SOFT CANDY CARAMELS

Steps:

• Line an 8-inch glass square baking pan/dish with foil extending the foil over the edges of the pan.
• Generously coat the foil with cooking spray; set aside.
• In a heavy 3-quart saucepan melt 1 cup butter over low heat.
• Stir in brown sugar, condensed milk, corn syrup and maple syrup; bring to a bowl stirring gently.
• Cook over medium heat stirring often until a candy thermometer reaches 235 degrees (or for a firmer caramel cook to 240 degrees F).
• As soon ar the temperature reaches 235 or 240 degrees immediately remove from heat, and stir for 1 minute or until the mixture is smooth and no longer bubbling.
• Quickly pour the mixture into prepared pan.
• Allow to stand for 3 hours or until cool.
• Lifting the foil at the edges of the pan remove the caramel square out of the pan.
• Using a buttered knife cut into 1-inch squares.
• If desired wrap each piece with coloured plastic wrap.